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1,200 | Trump Crumbles As His Own UN Ambassador Shuts Down His Russia Lies (VIDEO) | One of the craziest things about Trump s Russia fiasco is the fact that to defend his role model, Russian president Vladimir Putin, Trump has gone against multiple U.S. intelligence agencies and all mounting evidence that Russia did in fact meddle in the 2016 election.Trump has continued to deny what has been widely accepted as facts by not only intelligence experts but members of his own Republican Party. Even his own administration is publicly disagreeing with Trump and stating that Russia interfered with the election and today, Trump s UN Ambassador humiliated him on national television over his infamous denial.In an interview with CNN, UN Ambassador Nikki Haley stated that everybody knows that Russia messed around with the election. What she really should have said was, everyone but Trump. Haley said: Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections. Everybody knows that they re not just meddling in the United States election. They re doing this across multiple continents, and they re doing this in a way that they re trying to cause chaos within the countries. And it s not just going to be us saying this. I think you re going to hear other leaders come out and say, cut it out, we re not going to put up with it. You can watch Haley pretty much agree that Trump is a liar in the video below: Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections, @nikkihaley tells @DanaBashCNN #CNNSOTU https://t.co/bwQw7Zx3uH CNN (@CNN) July 8, 2017Haley must not be keeping tabs on what her boss is actually saying, because just two days ago Trump refused to say Russia was involved in the election. The dishonest POTUS said: I think it could very well have been Russia, but I think it could well have been other countries. I won t be specific. I think a lot of people interfere. I think it s been happening for a long time. When Trump finds out that Haley contradicted him, sh*t is going to hit the fan. Not only did Haley blast Trump, but she did it on his least favorite network, CNN. We won t be surprised if a Twitter meltdown is soon to follow.Featured image via Sean Gallup / Getty Images | 0 |
1,201 | U.N.'s de Mistura: Next Syria peace talks in Geneva in January | MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.N. special envoy on Syria Staffan de Mistura said on Thursday he planned to organize a next round of Syrian peace talks in Geneva in the second half of January. De Mistura was speaking in Moscow at a news conference after holding talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. De Mistura told Lavrov that the last round of peace talks had gone badly. | 1 |
1,202 | In parting words, SEC's White calls for regulator to avoid political meddling | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Outgoing U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Mary Jo White had some harsh parting words for Congress on Tuesday and a plea to the incoming administration to ensure the regulator remains independent and insulated from political pressures. In what was likely her final speech before stepping down after President-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office on Friday, White lamented the “prescriptive” rule-writing requirements that Congress has imposed on the SEC and said such efforts harm the agency’s ability to get things done or exercise discretion on complicated market issues. “The strength and utility of the agency’s structure depends on an environment that rewards expertise and frank dialogue, not partisan affiliation and political games,” White said in prepared remarks to the Economic Club of New York. “If the ability and resolve of commissioners to act independently diminishes, so too will the opportunity for solutions that, while politically unpopular, best serve investors and markets.” White became SEC chair in the spring of 2013. Unlike her predecessors, she did not have to deal with putting out fires from market crises. Her tenure was marked largely by efforts to complete a lengthy list of rules required by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law and the 2012 Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act. Trump’s choice to head the SEC, attorney Jay Clayton, has not opined publicly on his priorities or future rule-making plans. On Tuesday, White urged the SEC to resist lobbying by interest groups or other pressures, and to do what is best for investors and the economy. “Continuing to build an effective post-crisis market regulator will mean imposing measures that sometimes draw sharp outcry from interest groups,” she said. White reflected on her own tenure at the SEC, which she acknowledged has often been marked by “hard decisions that have attracted criticism from both political parties.” She also took a parting shot at some legislation being pushed by Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives. One bill, approved last week, would impose additional requirements on the SEC to conduct economic analyses before it can adopt new rules. White said it would “provide no benefit to investors” and hamstring the agency from responding to a market crisis. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling shot back at White later Tuesday, saying the SEC had failed to help small companies or analyze costs, and should be held accountable. “Congress created the SEC, not the other way around,” the Republican congressman said. | 1 |
1,203 | [Video] MONTEL WILLIAMS BROUGHT TO TEARS OVER TREATMENT OF US MARINE JAILED IN IRAN #FreeAmirNow | Find out how many are going to sign up to go to war when we keep doing this to those who protect us. Montel WilliamsMontel Williams got emotions during his appearance on Greta Van Susteren s On The Record, when discussing U.S. Marine veteran, Amir Hekmati who has been held in an Iranian prison for more than three years.Amir Hekmati, 31, has been jailed in the most dangerous Iranian prison for more than 1,300 days. The Iranian-American was born in Arizona but held dual citizenship when he flew to Iran to visit his dying grandmother.Hekmati was arrested and charged with spying for the United States government. He was sentenced to death, but that sentence was reversed. Hekmati was then convicted of a lesser charge and sentenced to 10 years in prison.Williams told Greta Van Susteren that the jailed Marine has been whipped and even made addicted to drugs just so that he could be tortured with withdrawal.Hekmati recently renounced his Iranian citizenship in an effort to be freed. It has become very clear to me that those responsible view Iranian-Americans not as citizens or even human beings, but as bargaining chips and tools for propaganda, Hekmati said. Considering how little value the Ministry of Intelligence places on my Iranian citizenship and passport, I, too, place little value on them and inform you, effective immediately, that I formally renounce my Iranian citizenship and passport. Williams said that it s an abomination that Americans don t know that a U.S. Marine who served in Iraq is now imprisoned in Iran. The State Department has not been speaking to Hekmati s family, Williams said.Williams had a request tonight for Fox News viewers. Please, hashtag #FreeAmirNow, start blasting this tonight so that by tomorrow morning when these [Iran nuclear weapon] discussions get ready to come to an end, we don t leave another Marine behind, Williams said.Via: FOX News | 0 |
1,204 | BOOM! PRES TRUMP Rips Media And Critics: “I was not elected to please the Washington media” [Video] | President Trump gave the commencement speech for the Coast Guard graduating class and hit back at the media during the speech: The Coast Guard Academy was the location for the speech but the speech could be directed at all Aemricans plus the media and critics of Trump. He says what everyone else is thinking Awesome! Now I want to take this opportunity to offer you some advice. Over the course of your life you will find that things are not always fair. You will find that things happen to you that you do not deserve You have to put your head down and fight, fight, fight! Never ever, ever give up. Things will turn out just fine . No politician in history has been treated worse or more unfairly. You can t let them get you down. You can t let the critics and naysayers get in the way of your dreams. TRUMP ADDED: The people understand what I m doing and that s the most important thing. I didn t t get elected to serve the Washington media or the special interests, he said. I got elected to serve the forgotten men and women and that s what I m doing. Great speech! He nails it!FULL SPEECH:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNzZXf2gk7U | 0 |
1,205 | New Turkish party could cost Erdogan support, dislodge main opposition: poll | ANKARA(Reuters) - A new Turkish political party founded by a former minister and vocal critic of Tayyip Erdogan could cost the president crucial support and potentially unseat the main opposition, a poll suggested on Wednesday. The survey by prominent polling firm Gezici showed that the Iyi Parti ( Good Party ), founded this month by the breakaway nationalist lawmaker Meral Aksener, could mark a dramatic shift in Turkish politics, eclipsing the secular CHP that dominated Turkish politics for large parts of the republic s history. While only five members of the 550-seat parliament have joined Aksener s party, the survey suggested it could win over voters from several parties, including Erdogan s Islamist-rooted AK Party as well as secular or nationalist groups. Although Turkey s next elections are not due until 2019, pollster Gezici asked 4,638 respondents how they would vote in the event of a snap election. Support for Erdogan s ruling AK Party, which has been in power since 2002, would fall to 43.8 percent, from 49.5 percent in the November 2015 parliamentary polls, the survey showed. Aksener s party would win 19.5 percent of the vote, beating the secularist People s Republican Party s (CHP) 18.5 percent, it showed. That would mark the first time since 2002 elections that the CHP - established by Turkey s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk - was not the main opposition. The CHP won 25 percent of votes in 2015. The nationalist MHP, where Aksener previously served as a lawmaker and interior minister, and the pro-Kurdish HDP were both seen falling below the 10 percent threshold needed to enter the 550-seat parliament. The MHP was seen polling at 8.8 percent, from 11.9 in 2015. The HDP, whose leaders have been jailed in the crackdown that followed last year s failed coup, was seen taking 7.0 percent, from 10.8 in 2015. Gezici was one of the most accurate pollsters on the results of April s referendum to change the constitution. The poll was conducted between Oct. 10-15, days before the widely expected announcement of the formation of the Iyi Parti. Respondents were asked to choose from a list of potential political parties, including Aksener s party . Aksener was expelled last year from the nationalist MHP, the smallest of three opposition parties in parliament, after launching a failed bid to unseat party leader Devlet Bahceli, whose support helped Erdogan to a narrow victory in the April referendum that expanded his authority. Since her expulsion, the 61-year-old has become one of the most prominent voices in the country, frequently criticizing Erdogan and the government. In the case of the Iyi Parti not participating in potential snap elections, the AKP would win just over 47 percent, while the CHP would earn 26.8 percent, the poll showed. The AKP, founded by Erdogan, has held a majority in parliament for nearly 15 years. After winning almost 50 percent of votes in 2015, Erdogan and party officials said they aimed to win more than half the votes in the coming general elections. (This version of the story corrects sixth paragraph to show that CHP have been main opposition since 2002 elections, not decades) | 1 |
1,206 | Saudi Arabia says it dismantles Islamic State cell in Riyadh | RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said on Thursday it had dismantled an Islamic State cell in the capital Riyadh, in connection with a plot to launch a suicide attack on the defense ministry. Two militants were killed and five others arrested in raids on three locations on Wednesday, an official source in the newly-created Presidency of State Security said in a statement on state-run television. Deadly bombing and shooting attacks have been mounted by Islamic State militants against security forces and Shi ite Muslims in Saudi Arabia. Islamic State has for years criticized the leadership of the Western-allied kingdom, the world s top oil exporter, accusing it of deviating from their strict interpretation of Islam and advancing the interests of their U.S. enemies. Thursday s statement said a suicide bomber in the eastern Riyadh district of al-Rimal detonated his vest after security forces surrounded a house used to manufacture suicide vests and explosives. Another militant was killed by security forces after he holed up with firearms in an apartment in the western district of al-Namar, it said. The third raid was at a horse stable in the southern Riyadh suburb of al-Ghanamia which the statement said had been used as a headquarters. Security forces seized firearms and bomb-making materials, shown on state television along with a burned out car and a damaged building where the first militant had blown himself up. The suspects were not identified. Security forces closed off several areas in Riyadh on Wednesday, and videos shared online showed a plume of smoke rising at one location. The plot to attack the defense ministry, uncovered last month, allegedly involved two Yemeni nationals and two Saudi citizens. A Saudi security source said at the time that one of the detainees was a member of the armed Houthi movement, which is locked in a 2-1/2-year-old war with a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. | 1 |
1,207 | Trump to unveil new responses to Iranian 'bad behavior': White House | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump will announce new U.S. responses to Iran s missile tests, support for terrorism and cyber operations as part of his new Iran strategy, the White House said on Friday. The president isn t looking at one piece of this. He s looking at all of the bad behavior of Iran, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, told reporters. Not just the nuclear deal as bad behavior, but the ballistic missile testing, destabilizing of the region, Number One state sponsor of terrorism, cyber attacks, illicit nuclear program, Sanders continued. Trump wants to look for a broad strategy that addresses all of those problems, not just one-offing those, she said. That s what his team is focused on and that s what he ll be rolling out to address that as a whole in the coming days. A senior administration official told Reuters on Thursday that Trump was expected to announce he will decertify the landmark international deal curbing Iran s nuclear program, in a step that could cause the accord to unravel. Trump on Friday declined to explain what he meant when he described a gathering of military leaders the evening before as the calm before the storm, but the White House said his remarks were not meant to be mischievous. The administration was considering Oct. 12 for Trump to give a speech on Iran, but no final decision had been made, an official said previously. It was not clear to what illicit nuclear program Sanders was referring as the International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran is complying with the 2015 nuclear deal reached with the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France, Germany and the European Union. The Trump administration also has acknowledged that Iran has not breached the accord s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, which is designed to prevent Iran developing a nuclear weapon. The administration, however, contends that Tehran has violated the spirit of the deal. The issue came up during a telephone call on Friday between Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron. The pair discussed ways to continue working together to deny Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon, according to a White House statement. Macron has been a fierce defender of the JCPOA, denounced by Trump as the worst deal ever negotiated. But the French leader also has suggested that restraints on Iran s nuclear program that expire in 2025 could be bolstered, a senior French official said last month. A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Friday that steps Trump is reviewing as part of a broader strategy also include imposing targeted sanctions in response to Iran s ballistic missile tests, cyber espionage and backing of Lebanese Hezbollah and other groups on the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations. The administration earlier this year considered, but then put on hold, adding the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran s most powerful internal and external security force, to the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations. The Quds Force, the IRGC s foreign espionage and paramilitary wing, and individuals and entities associated with the IRGC are on the list, but the organization as a whole is not. Last month, current and former U.S. officials told Reuters the broader strategy Trump is weighing is expected to allow more aggressive U.S. actions to counter what the administration views as Iran s efforts to boost its military muscle and expand its regional influence through proxy forces. Under a 2015 U.S. law, Trump has until Oct. 15 to certify to Congress that Iran is complying with the JCPOA. If he decides to decertify, lawmakers would have 60 days in which to consider reimposing U.S. sanctions on Iran lifted under the deal, an action that many experts warn could unhinge the accord. Knowledgeable sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, have said the administration is looking for ways to fix what it views as serious flaws without necessarily killing the deal. Critics say the flaws include the so-called sunset clauses, under which some of the restrictions on Iran s nuclear program expire over time. Trump s national security adviser, General H.R. McMaster, met with Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday in an effort to win their support for the strategy. | 1 |
1,208 | Angry over U.S. healthcare fail, Trump voters spare him blame | NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. (Reuters) - The day after the flaming out of U.S. President Donald Trump’s first major legislative initiative, his supporters across America were lashing out - at conservatives, at Democrats, at leaders of his Republican Party in Congress. Only Trump himself was spared their wrath. Many voters who elected him appeared largely willing to give him a pass on the collapse of his campaign promise to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system, stressing his short time in office. MORE STORIES REUTERS RECOMMENDS How Republicans can hobble Obamacare even without repeal White House threatens to bypass hardline conservatives on tax reform Obamacare exploding? Maybe just a slow burn “Being a businessman, he’ll not take ‘no’ for an answer,” said Tony Nappi, a 71-year-old from Trinity, Florida, one of the many disappointed Republicans on his weekend softball team. “He’ll get the job done.” Support for Trump appeared unflagging, from the playing fields of a Republican stronghold in central Florida to the small town diners of North Carolina, the suburbs of Arkansas and the streets of working-class Staten Island in New York City. Rebellion among members of his own party sealed the failure of Trump’s effort to repeal and replace the 2010 Affordable Care Act - known as Obamacare - the signature domestic policy achievement of Democratic former President Barack Obama. Despite casting himself on the campaign trail as “the best dealmaker there is”, Trump could not save the healthcare bill yanked by Republican leaders in the House of Representatives on Friday in an embarrassing turn of events for them and Trump. Objections among Republican moderates and the party’s most conservative lawmakers left leaders short of the votes needed for passage, with Democrats unified in opposition. “He can’t wave a magic wand,” said Ramona Bourdo, 70, a retired nurse, eating breakfast at a McDonald’s in suburban Little Rock, Arkansas. “I’ve not lost confidence in him.” Still, the barista at the Grind Cafe in Morganton, North Carolina, who cannot afford his own insurance and remains on his parents’ plan, felt Trump shared responsibility in the debacle. “I think it’s partially his fault,” said Joel Martin, a 21-year-old Republican and Trump supporter. “I don’t think he has enough personal knowledge to do what he needs to do to get a healthcare bill through Congress.” His hometown, population 17,000, sits within the heavily rural congressional district of Representative Mark Meadows, a North Carolina Republican whose opposition as the head of the conservative House Freedom Caucus helped sink the bill. Sharing in the frustration of loyal Republicans was 82-year-old Jeanette Madison, a registered independent in the New York City borough of Staten Island, who voted for Trump. “I blame the Democrats and Republicans in Congress. They are a bunch of bastards. I’m just fed up,” she said, apologizing for colorful language as she walked her dog down a city street. In Florida’s Pasco County, where Trump’s stronger-than-expected showing helped to seal his victory in the largest U.S. battleground state, some fans seized on the silver lining. Neighbors Patti Niehaus, a Democrat, and Margie Hahne, a Republican, agreed that Trump may have needed last week’s crash course in governing, having never before held elected office. “You can’t just go and tell people what to do like he’s used to doing,” said Hahne, 74. “Trump’s got to learn a lot.” Bridging Tampa’s booming suburbs and still rural parts of central Florida, Pasco County lies in a politically decisive swing region of the state along the Interstate 4 highway corridor linking Tampa and Orlando. Trump won 58.4 percent of the vote in the mostly white, working- and middle-class county, surpassing the past two Republican presidential candidates by tens of thousands of votes. His pledge to end Obamacare helped to sway Kelle DeGroat, a 37-year-old nurse, a Republican who is open to other parties. “I thought there was a good plan the way he talked,” said DeGroat, still confident in Trump’s ability to make reform happen. “I was shocked that it didn’t pass.” Other Republicans applauded their leaders for returning to the drawing board, with polls showing the derailed healthcare plan to be unpopular following predictions that it would jeopardize or increase the cost of insurance for millions. Lisa Collins, a 53-year-old teacher with two adult children benefiting from Obamacare, for the first time started calling the region’s elected representatives to voice her opposition. “This is a success that the party listened,” said Collins, a Republican who did not support Trump. “To me, that’s amazing. They represented the average normal guy, the small guy.” | 1 |
1,209 | China official says Lincoln would have approved of freeing Tibetan serfs | BEIJING (Reuters) - Late U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, who freed the slaves, would have approved of China s policy to end serfdom in Tibet, a senior Chinese official said on Thursday. China considers devoutly Buddhist Tibet an inherent part of its territory and routinely rejects accusations from exiles and rights groups of repression and human rights abuses. Chinese forces entered Tibet in 1950 in what the government terms a peaceful liberation, and says its rule has brought prosperity and freedom to what was a backward and feudal society, including freeing a million people from serfdom, an event marked in Tibet as Serfs Emancipation Day. Speaking on the sidelines of China s 19th Communist Party Congress, Supervision Minister Yang Xiaodu, who helps fight corruption, said the United States and Tibet had much in common with their human rights experiences. Yang recounted a tale of meeting a person he described as a former assistant U.S. secretary of state during a visit to the United States. I said, In Chinese people s minds, Lincoln is a hero, as he freed the slaves, and on this issue Chinese and American people s recognition is the same, it s a human rights issue , Yang said. In Tibet we freed the serfs, and how are American friends not able to understand this? This is also a human rights issue. If you look at it from Lincoln s point of view, he would have approved of China overturning the serfdom system in Tibet. Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in the United States in 1863. China keeps a tight grip on Tibet due to periodic anti-Chinese unrest, and all foreigners require permission to visit, including foreign reporters. Penpa Tashi, Tibet s propaganda chief, told reporters at a separate event that it would like to have more foreign visitors. But Tibet is a high altitude area, he said. Our receiving capability is still being improved. | 1 |
1,210 | PRESIDENT TRUMP WARNS Comey…Tweets Veiled Threat To Former FBI Director | Donald Trump lobbed a veiled threat at the former FBI director on Friday, hinting that some of their conversations before his firing may have been recorded. James Comey better hope that there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press! the president tweeted.James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017It s unclear whether Trump was warning that the White House is recording his calls, or if he believes the FBI may have been recording Comey s.Trump said Thursday during an interview with NBC News that the two men have spoken at least three times since Inauguration Day.Watch President Trump tell NBC s Lester Holt he was going to fire Comey anyway:And on those occasions, he insisted, Comey assured him that he was not personally the subject of any federal investigations. He said it once at dinner and then he said it twice during phone calls, Trump said.He described a matter-of-fact exchange over dinner in which he asked an unusual question and got an unconventional response. I said, If it s possible would you let me know, am I under investigation? Trump recalled. He said, You are not under investigation . It is rare for a federal law enforcement official to tell anyone, including the President of the United States, whether they are being investigated.Even if Comey doesn t speak to reporters about the circumstances behind his dismissal on Tuesday, he may have a high-profile venue to tell his side of the story.The Senate Intelligence Committee has asked him to testify next week.The latest twist from Trump amid reports that he demanded loyalty from James Comey during the private dinner at the White House back in January.The claims from associates of the now fired FBI director. Comey had told associates that he was summoned to the White House for a one-on-one dinner with Trump seven days after the inauguration, the New York Times reports.It was during the dinner that Trump reportedly asked Comey twice to pledge loyalty to him as the new Commander in Chief.Sources claim Comey declined to do so but said he told the President he would always be honest with him.Trump is said to have pressed Comey on whether that would be honest loyalty , to which the FBI director said: You will have that. Sources close to Comey said he now believes this dinner conversation may have sealed his fate.This version of events is vastly different to the dinner conversation Trump himself described in an interview with NBC s Lester Holt on Thursday.The version is denied by the White House. But the president also used Twitter on Friday morning to say that it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy .While it is not clear if they are talking about the same dinner, the pair are believed to have only dined together privately once.Trump indicated that he had dinner with Comey at the former FBI director s request and said Comey was angling to keep his job. I had a dinner with him. He wanted to have dinner because he wanted to stay on. We had a very nice dinner at the White House, Trump said. He asked for the dinner? Holt followed up. A dinner was arranged, I think he asked for the dinner, the president hedged. And he wanted to stay on as the FBI head. And I said I ll consider and we ll see what happens. But we had a very nice dinner. And at that time he told me you are not under investigation , Trump said.Trump said he had asked Comey once over dinner and twice by phone if the FBI were investigating him as part of its probe into alleged collusion between members of his campaign and the Russian government prior to the election.The President showed no concern that the request might be viewed as interference in the active FBI probe.Comey has not spoken publicly to confirm or challenge Trump s account.During that same interview, Trump declared he had planned to fire Comey all along, regardless of whether top Justice Department officials recommended the stunning step.The White House had initially cited a Justice Department memo criticizing Comey s handling of last year s investigation into Hillary Clinton s emails as the impetus for Trump s decision.For entire story-Daily Mail | 0 |
1,211 | Unclear if anyone will attend Mugabe cabinet meeting: spokesman | HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe s information minister said on Tuesday he did not know whether ministers would attend a cabinet meeting called by President Robert Mugabe at his State House offices, the first since a military takeover last week. I do not know whether anyone will attend, SK Moyo told Reuters hours before parliament was due to sit to start proceedings to impeach the 93-year-old leader. Cabinet meetings normally start at 0730 GMT. | 1 |
1,212 | South Africa's Zuma asks court to reject call for inquiry into influence-peddling | PRETORIA (Reuters) - South African President Jacob Zuma has asked the High Court to reject a call by an anti-corruption watchdog for an official inquiry into alleged influence-peddling in his government. A report a year ago by South Africa s anti-graft agency known as Public Protector recommended a judicial probe be held to look into allegations of systemic corruption by Zuma, some of his ministers and heads of state-owned companies. The report focused on allegations that Zuma s friends, businessman brothers Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta, had influenced the appointment of ministers. The 75-year-old Zuma, whose rule has long been dogged by scandal, and the Gupta brothers have denied the accusations. The president, who previously described the State of Capture report as unfair in parliament, wants the court to send it back to the watchdog for further investigations. He questioned the right of the report s author, Public Protector former head Thuli Madonsela, to call for a judicial inquiry. The report, whose public release Zuma had sought to block through the courts, called for an inquiry be set up by the president and for a judge to be appointed within 30 days of its release. Is she competent to then direct the president to hold a commission on inquiry? With respect to this submission, she s not, Zuma s lawyer Ishmael Semenya told the court, referring to Madonsela. The hearing is expected to continue until Thursday and a ruling is expected at a later date. Zuma this year faced a series of corruption allegations, most recently over leaked emails that suggest the Gupta brothers may have used their influence to secure state contracts for their companies. Zuma and the Gupta brothers have denied these allegations. Separately, Zuma is facing the possibility of more court charges. The Supreme Court this month upheld a High Court ruling to reinstate 783 corruption charges filed against him before he became president in 2009. The National Prosecuting Authority is expected to make a decision on whether to charge Zuma. | 1 |
1,213 | saudi commits crimes on global scale with us green light houthi | more unidentified armed us embassy personnel stand guard and inspect the body of a man who was killed outside the us embassy in nairobi kenya october photo by ap
an african man has been shot and killed after he reportedly attacked and injured a police officer outside the us embassy in kenyas capital nairobi
the man was shot dead after a confrontation with officers guarding the embassy a police source said thursday on condition of anonymity without specifying the cause of the confrontation
national police spokesman george kinoti said the man was killed by the police officer in selfdefense
it was a lone criminal who attacked a police officer kinoti said adding he was armed with a knife
fiona evans a us embassy spokeswoman confirmed there had been a shooting incident outside the mission adding that no embassy personnel were involved without giving further details
the us embassy in nairobi is located in a heavilyfortified compound opposite the main un complex in gigiri an upmarket suburb in the citys north
the police officer involved in the incident was a member of the paramilitary general services unit deployed to guard the embassy
kenyan media reported the police officer had been guarding one of the secured entrances to the embassy compound when he was assaulted
kinoti described the slain man as a criminal but refrained from giving any motive for the attack
he said an investigation has been launched into the shooting loading | 1 |
1,214 | Pennsylvania Republican Makes Dumbest Claim Yet About Cause Of Climate Change | Oh. My. God. The stupid, it burns.Anybody who actually paid attention in science class in school are going to have a collective WTF moment when they learn what one Pennsylvania Republican said about the cause of climate change.As we all know by now, Donald Trump signed an executive order reversing every action President Obama took to fight and reverse climate change, a move that has horrified scientists around the globe.But just as cringe-worthy is what Scott Wagner told a group of county officials on Tuesday. Wagner is a GOP state senator who wants to be Pennsylvania s next governor. Unlike Donald Trump, he acknowledges that climate change is real. However, his view on what causes climate change is far different than what any actual scientist has concluded.According to Wagner, climate change is happening because of two different reasons. First, he claimed that it s happening because of body heat. Seriously. We have more people. You know, humans have warm bodies. So is heat coming off? Things are changing, but I think we are, as a society, doing the best we can. Humans have warm bodies but it s not our body heat that is causing climate change. It s all the pollution we harmful gases we expel into the atmosphere like methane and carbon dioxide. Also, reversing climate action is not doing the best we can. Ending the fight against climate change threatens our country, especially our coastlines, which will likely end up under water unless we do something fast to prevent sea level rise caused by climate change.But then Wagner suggested another cause for climate change and this one makes it clear that Republicans need to pick up a f*cking science book. I haven t been in a science class in a long time, but the earth moves closer to the sun every year you know, the rotation of the earth, Wagner said. We re moving closer to the sun. Again, this is a guy who wants to occupy the top government office in Pennsylvania.And Wagner is absolutely wrong.As Huffington Post reports,Contrary to what Wagner said, the earth rotates on its axis every 24 hours, not every year. And it may come as a surprise to him that the United States and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere experience winter when the earth s yearly orbit brings it closest to the sun.Furthermore, Wagner made it sound like the Earth s orbit around the sun is decaying. But it definitely is not decaying. If anything, the sun would become a red giant and swallow the Earth. And that probably won t happen for millions of years long after climate change kills us all because Republicans like Donald Trump and Scott Wagner deny climate change and its cause.After his embarrassing remarks went viral, Wagner released a statement somewhat acknowledging that humans have contributed to climate change. I believe that the climate is changing every day, and some of that change is certainly manmade. I think that we have a responsibility to future generations to be good stewards, and I support efforts to do that. However, the real question isn t is the climate changing but what role should the government play in trying to alter it. I believe we have to prioritize action in a measured way so that we do not hurt our economy. The problem is that climate change will do more to hurt our economy than the measures employed to stop it ever will. One would think saving the planet would be the number one priority. But as usual, Republicans are thinking more about the wallets of billionaires.Featured Image: Wikimedia | 0 |
1,215 | Facebook says deleted many fake accounts in German campaign | FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Facebook said on Wednesday its efforts to fight fake news during Germany s national elections included taking down tens of thousands of fake profiles in the final month of the campaign. Richard Allan, Facebook s vice president of public policy for Europe, Middle East Africa, said the Silicon Valley-based company mounted an array of efforts to ensure the social media network was not used as a platform to manipulate public opinion. These actions did not eliminate misinformation entirely in this election but they did make it harder to spread, and less likely to appear in people s News Feeds, the Facebook executive said in a statement. News feed is the central feature in user profiles whereby they can see updates from people they follow. Chancellor Angela Merkel s Christian Democratic Union secured victory in Sunday s balloting with fewer votes than expected, forcing her to enter complicated coalition talks with various parties to form a new government. The company said it made a stronger push to remove fake accounts when it observed suspicious activity following widely reported foreign interference in the French and U.S. presidential elections over the past year. Besides seeking to encourage civic participation and voter education efforts, it also worked closely with authorities, including the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), to monitor security threats during the campaign. Studies concluded that the level of false news was low, concluded Allan, a former British member of parliament who, in addition to his work for Facebook, has been a member of the House of Lords since 2010. A variety of German political experts and social media watchers had given the campaign largely a clean bill of health in terms of any wide-scale efforts to swing votes in the run-up to voting day. (reut.rs/2yIZRYq) | 1 |
1,216 | State Department official 'pressured' FBI to declassify Clinton email: FBI documents | NEW YORK (Reuters) - A senior State Department official sought to shield Hillary Clinton last year by pressuring the FBI to drop its insistence that an email on the private server she used while secretary of state contained classified information, according to records of interviews with FBI officials released on Monday. The accusation against Patrick Kennedy, the State Department’s most senior manager, appears in the latest release of interview summaries from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s year-long investigation into Clinton’s sending and receiving classified government secrets via her unauthorized server. Although the FBI decided against declassifying the email’s contents, the claim of interference added fuel to Republicans’ belief that officials in President Barack Obama’s administration have sought to protect Clinton, a Democrat, from criminal liability as she seeks to succeed Obama in the Nov. 8 election. The FBI recommended against bringing any charges in July and has defended the integrity of its investigation. Clinton has said her decision to use a private server in her home for her work as the U.S. secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 was a mistake and has apologized. One FBI official, whose name is redacted, told investigators that Kennedy repeatedly “pressured” the various officials at the FBI to declassify information in one of Clinton’s emails. The email was about the deadly 2012 attack on a U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, and included information that originated from the FBI, which meant that the FBI had final say on whether it would remain classified. A State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, said Kennedy was not pressuring the FBI but was just trying to understand better how the FBI’s classification process worked. The dispute began in the summer of 2015 as officials were busy reviewing the roughly 30,000 emails Clinton returned to the State Department ahead of their court-ordered public release in batches in 2015 and 2016. The official said the State Department’s office of legal counsel called him to question the FBI’s ruling that the information was classified, but the FBI stood by its decision. Soon after that call, one of the official’s FBI colleagues received a call from Kennedy in which Kennedy “asked his assistance in altering the email’s classification in exchange for a ‘quid pro quo.’” The FBI official said he also joined at least two discussions in which Kennedy “continued to pressure” the FBI about the email. The official said Kennedy appeared to be trying to protect Clinton by minimizing the appearance of classified information in emails from the server that Clinton used while she was the country’s most senior diplomat. In a separate interview summary among the 100 pages released on Monday, another unnamed FBI official confirmed a discussion of a “quid pro quo.” He said Kennedy told him in a phone call that the FBI’s classification of the email “caused problems” for Kennedy. The official said he told Kennedy he would look into the email, which he had not yet seen, if the State Department would consider allowing more FBI agents to be posted in Iraq in exchange. The State Department and the FBI both confirmed that a conversation about the email’s classification and an increase in FBI slots in Iraq took place, but both agencies said there was no “quid pro quo.” After a year-long FBI investigation into the server, FBI Director James Comey said in July he found that while laws governing classified information may have been broken no reasonable prosecutor would bring charges. He said, however, that Clinton and her staff had been “extremely careless” in handling information that had been classified to protect national security. Toner, the State Department spokesman, said there was “no quid pro quo,” and told reporters that it was the FBI official who raised the possibility with Kennedy of allowing more agents in Iraq during the conversation about the email. “After the conversation took place about the upgrading classification, at the end of that, there was a kind of, ‘Oh, by the way, hey, we’re looking at how we want more slots” in Iraq, Toner said, calling it a “clear pivot” in the topic of conversation. “No increase in FBI Iraq slots resulted from this conversation,” he said. The FBI also confirmed both topics were raised in the same conversation, and that the FBI official who discussed the email and Iraq with Kennedy had since retired. “Although there was never a quid pro quo, these allegations were nonetheless referred to the appropriate officials for review,” the FBI said in its statement, which did not say what the outcome of the review was. Other officials have made similar complaints to investigators of unusual pressure not to mark information as classified in Clinton’s emails last year. According to earlier documents the FBI released last month, at least one official at the State Department told investigators that there was pressure by senior department officials to mislead the public about the presence of classified information in Clinton’s emails ahead of their public release. A summary released on Monday showed at least two other State Department officials making similar allegations. One official who worked in the State Department’s office that deals with Freedom of Information Act requests told investigators they felt “intimidated” by senior department officials if they suggested that any of Clinton’s emails on Benghazi contained classified information, and named Kennedy as one of the officials who pressured “employees to not label anything as classified.” The State Department has said these allegations are also false. Ultimately, the FBI told Kennedy that declassification was not possible, according to the interview summaries, and the State Department posted it online last year marked as classified, with heavy redactions. Clinton’s Republican rival for the White House, Donald Trump, posted a video online on Monday in which he said the FBI documents showed “corruption at the highest levels.” “This is collusion between the FBI, Department of Justice and the State Department to try and make Hillary Clinton look like an innocent person when she’s guilty of very high crimes,” Trump said. Later on Monday, Trump proposed a series of ethics rules he said would crack down on government corruption, including a five-year ban on former administration officials lobbying after leaving government and a lifetime ban on senior officials lobbying for foreign governments. He said former President Bill Clinton had a five-year lobbying ban but lifted it at the end of his administration. Obama put his own “revolving door” rules in place at the beginning of his time in office. Several Republican lawmakers called on Obama to investigate Kennedy and remove him from the department. Toner of the State Department said Kennedy “has the full confidence” of John Kerry, Clinton’s successor as secretary of state. Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee’s chairman, said in a statement that Obama, who is campaigning for Clinton to become his successor as president, was trying to “shield” Clinton and that she “cannot be trusted” with classified information. Paul Ryan, the top elected Republican in the U.S. Congress, referred to the FBI summaries on Twitter. “This bears all the signs of a cover-up,” he wrote. In 2015, Clinton repeatedly said she never sent or received classified information via her server, but since the release of the FBI report in July she has said she relied on the judgment of her subordinates at the department. Robby Mook, her campaign manager, downplayed the account from the FBI interview summary, telling reporters it was “not uncommon for officials within a department to fight over classification.” | 1 |
1,217 | Trump, South Korea's Hwang agree to strengthen defenses against North Korea: White House | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn agreed to take steps to strengthen joint defense capabilities to defend against North Korea’s nuclear threat, the White House said on Sunday after a telephone call between the two leaders. “President Trump reiterated our ironclad commitment to defend (South Korea), including through the provision of extended deterrence, using the full range of military capabilities,” the White House said in a statement. It also said Trump and Hwang discussed the upcoming visit by the new U.S. defense secretary to Japan and South Korea, where shared concerns about North Korea will top the agenda. The United States and South Korea have agreed to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system designed to protect against North Korea’s growing nuclear and ballistic capabilities despite objections from China, which says the radar could penetrate Chinese territory. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Jan. 1 his country was close to test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), and state media has said a launch could come at any time. North Korea has maintained its nuclear and missile programs in violation of repeated rounds of international sanctions. | 1 |
1,218 | Trump on Twitter (Dec 28) - Global Warming | The following statements were posted to the verified Twitter accounts of U.S. President Donald Trump, @realDonaldTrump and @POTUS. The opinions expressed are his own. Reuters has not edited the statements or confirmed their accuracy. @realDonaldTrump : - Together, we are MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! bit.ly/2lnpKaq [1814 EST] - In the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year’s Eve on record. Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up! [1901 EST] -- Source link: (bit.ly/2jBh4LU) (bit.ly/2jpEXYR) | 1 |
1,219 | CFTC commissioner nominees pledge to complete position limit rules | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three of President Donald Trump’s nominees to serve as commissioners on Wall Street’s top derivatives regulatory agency on Thursday pledged to work to complete rules that would restrict trading by market speculators who bet on the rise and fall of prices. The nominees to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Republicans Dawn Stump and Brian Quintenz, and Democrat Rostin “Russ” Behnam, told the Senate Agriculture Committee during their confirmation hearing that they are committed to working to craft a final “position limits” rule that would limit speculators without harming farmers, ranchers and others who rely on futures markets to hedge their business risks. “I look forward to helping... finalize this rule,” said Stump, adding that she will work to ensure that the strategies agricultural businesses use to hedge “are not prevented in the future due to unworkable bonifide hedging restrictions.” Bonham said: “The relevant question is not whether or not position limits should be completed, but how they should be completed.” The CFTC won broad new powers under the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform to police the massive over-the-counter derivatives markets. The agency has largely implemented the bulk of the rules, which required many kinds of derivatives to be cleared centrally to reduce the risk of default and traded on platforms with greater price transparency. The CFTC is primarily focused on reviewing more carefully how the rules are working and whether certain rules should be tweaked to reduce burdens. Acting CFTC Chairman Chris Giancarlo, who is awaiting Senate confirmation as permanent chairman, earlier this year launched a review that aims to streamline and simplify existing regulations. However, there are still a number of outstanding rules that need to be completed, with the position limits rule one of the most notable. Although there has generally been considerable tension between Democrats and Republicans over Trump’s nominees to various positions since January, there was no such divisiveness on display Thursday. Both Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow signaled they intend to support the nominations of all three. | 1 |
1,220 | WATCH: Michelle Obama DESTROYS Donald Trump With Just A Few Words | First Lady Michelle Obama brought the house down at the 2016 Democratic Convention in Philadelphia, using her section of the prime time broadcast to directly take on Republican nominee Donald Trump.In her final convention appearance as the sitting First Lady, Mrs. Obama said: Don t let anyone ever tell you that this country isn t great, that somehow we need to make it great again. Because this right now, is the greatest country on earth. That was, of course, a direct swipe at Donald Trump s slogan where he has promised to make America great again. .@FLOTUS: "Don't let anybody ever tell you this country isn't great" https://t.co/DD977hsyqQ #DemsinPhilly https://t.co/MTU1qI5p6A ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) July 26, 2016She also pointed out that American voters deserve a President who understands that complex issues can t be boiled down to 140 characters, a reference to Donald Trump s reliance (addiction?) to Twitter, his chosen way of communicating.The statement was followed by a full-throated endorsement of Hillary Clinton, as Mrs. Obama told the audience to get to work because we need to knock on every door in order to pour every last ounce of our passion and our strength and our love for this country into electing Hillary Clinton as President of the United States of America. The First Lady also echoed one of the slogans associated with Clinton s campaign, noting that I m with her in the upcoming election.She also pointed out to the audience in the stadium and watching at home, that her own life was an example of the American ideal. I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves, Mrs. Obama said, also adding that her daughters as black women were a part of the amazing American story.During her time as First Lady, Mrs. Obama has remained a very popular figure even as the President has gone up and down in approval. Along with Hillary Clinton, she was ranked among the ten most admired women in the world by the Gallup poll in its most recent survey on the topic in late 2015.Featured image via Twitter | 0 |
1,221 | Egyptian presidential hopeful says barred from travel from UAE | DUBAI (Reuters) - Former Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, who told Reuters on Wednesday he intended to run in the presidential election early next year, told pan-Arab TV channel Al Jazeera that the United Arab Emirates had barred him from traveling. Shafiq, an ex-air force commander and presidential candidate, said earlier he had planned to return to Cairo in the coming days from his current location in the UAE, a close ally of Egypt. UAE officials could not be immediately reached for comment. | 1 |
1,222 | UNITED AIRLINES GROUNDED, WALL STREET JOURNAL AND NYSE SHUT DOWN…All Citing “Technical” Issues…There’s No Coincidence…Really? | So the NYSE, Wall Street Journal and United Airlines have all been experiencing technical issues, but there s no correlation?United Airlines grounded flights across the country for part of Wednesday after experiencing computer problems.An airline spokeswoman said that a router problem reduced network connectivity for several software applications.Around midday, spokeswoman Jennifer Dohm said, We fixed the router issue, which is enabling us to restore normal functions. The Federal Aviation Administration lifted a ground-stop order after nearly two hours, allowing United planes to fly again.United did not immediately say how many flights were affected.United, the nation s second-biggest airline, has suffered similar technology problems before, also leading to mass delays and cancellations.The airline briefly halted all takeoffs in the U.S. on June 2 because of a problem in its flight-dispatching system. United said then that about 150 flights were affected.United also struggled through a series of computer outages in 2012 after switching to the passenger-information system of Continental Airlines after that carrier merged with United. Those outages caused hundreds of flights to be delayed. High-paying business travelers were outraged; United CEO Jeff Smisek apologized for failing to provide good customer service.After a 2010 merger, United elected to combine many computer systems and frequent-flier programs all at once. Executives believed that any disruptions would thus be short-lived. By contrast, Delta and Northwest integrated their systems in stages after a 2008 merger, and American Airlines is taking Delta s same go-slow approach now as it absorbs US Airways.Other airlines, however, have also been hit by computer problems. In April, more than 50 American flights were delayed when a software glitch prevented pilots from seeing some airport maps on their tablet computers.After Wednesday s problems, United apologized to customers and said they could change travel plans without being charged the usual $200 reservation-change fee. In some cases, the airline said it would also waive any difference in fare for the rescheduled trip. We don t know everything behind this morning s issues yet, but today s incident underscores the sense that something is very wrong at United, said Gary Leff, co-founder of frequent-flier website MilePoint.Shares of Chicago-based United Continental Holdings Inc. fell $1.25, or 2.3 percent, to $53.06 in midday trading.WSJ: The Wall Street Journal s website homepage was not accessible Wednesday afternoon, shortly after the New York Stock Exchange had to shut down due to a computer glitch. The WSJ.com displayed a 504 error, which means the server was acting too slow to process HTTP requests and therefore be visible by users.The error appeared on the desktop version of the site, tested in Google Chrome and Safari. The website s homepage still functioned on mobile browsers. On desktop, individual pages of the Wall Street Journal were accessible.UPDATE, 12:30 p.m. EDT: A modified version of the homepage went online shortly after the glitch. The site now reads, WSJ.com is having technical difficulties. The full site will return shortly. We reached out to Dow Jones, the Wall Street Journal s parent company, for comment on the glitch, and are waiting to hear back.The Wall Street Journal s website homepage was not accessible Wednesday afternoon, shortly after the New York Stock Exchange had to shut down due to a computer glitch. The WSJ.com displayed a 504 error, which means the server was acting too slow to process HTTP requests and therefore be visible by users.The error appeared on the desktop version of the site, tested in Google Chrome and Safari. The website s homepage still functioned on mobile browsers. On desktop, individual pages of the Wall Street Journal were accessible.UPDATE, 12:30 p.m. EDT: A modified version of the homepage went online shortly after the glitch. The site now reads, WSJ.com is having technical difficulties. The full site will return shortly. We reached out to Dow Jones, the Wall Street Journal s parent company, for comment on the glitch, and are waiting to hear back.UPDATE, 12:50 p.m. EDT: The Wall Street Journal s homepage is back up in full form after Wednesday s outage. Dow Jones has yet to issue comment. Via: IB TimesFind updated story on NYSE shutdown here: https://100percentfedup.com/breaking-nyse-shut-down-all-trading-suspended/ | 0 |
1,223 | Kansas governor orders Planned Parenthood funding cut | (Reuters) - Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has ordered state officials to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood and its affiliates through the state Medicaid program, a move the organization said on Wednesday it would challenge in court. Brownback, a Republican, said in his state of the state address on Tuesday that he would direct the state health secretary to ensure that no taxpayer money go to Planned Parenthood, which he said trafficked in baby body parts. “No longer will we send the money of hard-working Kansans to fund an industry that disrespects life and violates the moral conscience of our people,” Brownback said in a statement. The governor’s statement was an apparent reference to videos secretly recorded by an anti-abortion group that activists said showed that Planned Parenthood officials in some states had discussed the sale of aborted fetal tissue. Planned Parenthood has denied any illegal payments, calling the videos distortions of the issue of fetal-tissue donations. The organization has said it has received only reimbursements for its costs, which are legal under U.S. law. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said it would issue a termination letter to Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri. Laura McQuade, president and chief executive of the Kansas and Mid-Missouri Planned Parenthood, said the planned termination would result in a legal battle. “Kansans and their health care providers are not Mr. Brownback’s punching bag and we will fight back,” McQuade said. Federal funds cannot be used for abortions, but Planned Parenthood also provides Medicaid covered services such as contraception, cancer screening and other care. Several states have sought to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood following the release of the videos. Courts have blocked some of those attempts at least temporarily in Utah, Louisiana, Alabama and other states. | 1 |
1,224 | Trump to pick Seema Verma for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: transition official | NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is set to name Indiana health policy consultant Seema Verma as his pick for administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a transition official told Reuters on Monday. Trump is expected to officially announce his selection of Verma and Republican U.S. Representative Tom Price, an orthopedic surgeon who he will nominate to be secretary of health and human services, casting them as his “dream team” whose job will be to transform the U.S. healthcare system, the official said. | 1 |
1,225 | Apparently Donald Trump Has An Imaginary Xenophobic Friend Named Jim | Now that we ve known Donald Trump well for a while now, we should all know that the man who occupies the Oval Office (for now) likes to make sh*t up. His mind even manufactures people, like his former spokesman John Barron, who was actually Trump. Since the campaign trail, though, Trump has been talking about his friend Jim, and much like John Barron, Jim doesn t appear to exist.A few weeks ago, the New York Times published an incredibly long and comprehensive list of all the lies Donald Trump has told, just since taking office. That was a few weeks ago, though before the G20 and before he claimed his son had a meeting with Russians about his campaign and that Trump Sr. knew nothing about it.Between Trump s regular pattern of lying and the fact that he already has a pattern of making people up, it shouldn t be a surprise that the media hasn t been able to find his friend Jim. Oh, and by the way, Jim is kind of a xenophobic asshole.The way Trump tells it Jim is a friend who loves Paris and used to visit every year. Yet when Trump travels to the city Thursday for his first time as president, it s unlikely that Jim will tag along. Jim doesn t go to Paris anymore. Trump says that s because the city has been infiltrated by foreign extremists.Whether Jim exists is unclear. Trump has never given his last name. The White House has not responded to a request for comment about who Jim is or whether he will be on the trip.Source: Washington PostThis isn t the first time Jim has complained about all the brown people in Paris. In February, Trump told an audience that Jim loved Paris, but alas, he doesn t go there anymore because Paris is no longer Paris. While anecdotes, often exaggerated, have long been a tool for political orators, we can t think of anyone who has made up an imaginary friend. That s just weird.Featured image via Sean Gallup/Getty Images | 0 |
1,226 | Jane Goodall Says Donald Trump Reminds Her Of How Chimpanzees Act To Get Attention | The legendary anthropologist and expert on primates made some interesting remarks to The Atlantic prior to Trump officially being crowned as the Republican nominee at the GOP Convention in July.In Trump, Goodall sees a male chimpanzee trying to gain dominance by making as much noise as possible.In many ways the performances of Donald Trump remind me of male chimpanzees and their dominance rituals, Goodall said. In order to impress rivals, males seeking to rise in the dominance hierarchy perform spectacular displays: stamping, slapping the ground, dragging branches, throwing rocks. The more vigorous and imaginative the display, the faster the individual is likely to rise in the hierarchy, and the longer he is likely to maintain that position. Clearly, that was exactly the case within the Republican Party as Trump threw his shit at every single one of his GOP rivals and continued winning primaries in state after state despite being the most outrageous candidate in the field.Now he thinks he can do the same thing against Hillary Clinton to win the presidency in November. But first, Trump will have to debate Hillary, assuming that he doesn t pull out of the debates like the coward he is.Goodall plans to watch the debates with rapt attention because she thinks Trump will act like a chimpanzee named Mike.According to The Atlantic, Goodall said:In her book My Life With the Chimpanzees, Goodall told the story of Mike, a chimp who maintained his dominance by kicking a series of kerosene cans ahead of him as he moved down a road, creating confusion and noise that made his rivals flee and cower. She told me she would be thinking of Mike as she watched the upcoming debates.Indeed, Trump has made creating confusion and noise the centerpiece of his campaign, most recently by trying to blame Hillary Clinton for the rise of birtherism despite the fact that Hillary, nor her campaign, ever leveled such charges against President Obama. Trump has also made outrageous claims about Hillary s health and said that her Secret Service detail should disarm themselves to see how long she lasts before being killed.Trump hopes that being the loudest and most obnoxious candidate will secure victory on Election Day. But Americans really need to ask themselves: Do we want a firestarter chimpanzee at the helm or do we want a civilized human being. Do we want to revert back into acting like apes, or do we want to continue to evolve? The choice is ours.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | 0 |
1,227 | Raging Trump Supporter PUNCHES A 69-Year Old Woman In Her Face (VIDEO) | As is normal these days for Trump rallies, protesters and Trump supporters clashed outside just such a rally in Asheville, NC. Police arrested five people and are looking for one more a man who punched a 69-year old woman in the face.Shirley Teter has been protesting all her life, and Trump gave her another reason to protest. At 69, she s not in the best of health, and is actually on oxygen. Nevertheless, she heckled the deplorable Trumpkins outside the rally: Why did I get involved yesterday, at my age? Because I ran into another situation that was sickening my heart. She admits to telling one Trumpkin he d better learn to speak Russian, at which point he socked her. She fell on her oxygen tank and has sore ribs and a sore jaw, but nothing s broken. She does, however, have a question for all the Trump supporters whose sugar-glass fragile egos were bruised by Hillary s basket of deplorables comment.She wants to know whether people find a Trump supporter punching her in the face deplorable.Because really, who hits a 69-year old woman on oxygen in the face for heckling? And these people are upset that they re getting called deplorable? That is some damned deplorable behavior right there. There s no reason to hit someone over something they say, no matter how badly it makes your blood boil.Trump himself actually incites violence, and it seems these people think anything less than hitting people who don t bow and scrape before their king is being too politically correct. At another rally recently, a deplorable Trump supporter hit a protesting woman in the face and she is the person who was escorted out. That s not deplorable to these people? Or are they proud to be the scum of the Earth like this?Watch a report below: Featured image via screen capture from embedded video | 0 |
1,228 | CNN’s Resident Racist Just Told Us How He Thinks Obama Should Solve Violence In America (VIDEO) | CNN s supposed law enforcement expert, Harry Houck, is promoting a new video with what he no doubt thinks is an absolutely brilliant message. He wants President Obama to solve violence, and he even has a suggestion for how best to do it. There is a video floating around social media that calls on Obama to ban niggas, not guns, in order to stop escalating violence in America s cities. To a racist like Houck, this makes perfect sense.He posted a link to the video on his Twitter account, and said: He knows what he s talking about! Because the man who made the video, Tommy Sotomayor, is black, and therefore that makes this okay. Watch the video in all its racist, bigoted glory below:The video appeared on a Facebook page called Uncle Sam s Misguided Children about a week ago, but Houck seems to have just now noticed it, and it s awful message resonated with him, because of course. One only needs to look at his Twitter feed to see how racist he is. He s called for Donald Trump, Jr., to be the new mayor of New York City, and he s screamed, Death to political correctness! there when he hears the word, racism. He also uses his spot on CNN to say that black people are more predisposed to committing crimes, and that black victims of police brutality have nobody to blame but themselves for it (those who survive, anyway). He said that on CNN just two weeks ago, in fact, which threw CNN s panel at the time into an uproar.He s even tweeted a link to a white supremacist website. Yes, Houck is clearly a wonderful law enforcement expert who should definitely be taken seriously. Not. In truth, he needs to be removed from the air for promoting racial hatred.Featured image via screen capture | 0 |
1,229 | WATCH: Deranged Trump Fan Interrupts Church Service To Accuse Hillary Of Running A Child Sex Ring | If there s one thing that put the stupidity of Donald Trump s idiot supporters (and, to a slightly lesser extent, Jill Stein fans who also spent a lot of time pushing right-wing conspiracy theories) on full display, it s the Pizzagate nontroversy created by idiots for idiots in an attempt to damage Hillary Clinton. The story goes that Hillary Clinton and John Podesta secretly run a child prostitution ring out of the basement of a Washington D.C. pizza shop that doesn t even have a basement.While most would roll their eyes at such a ridiculous tale, one crazed Trump fan barged into the Comet Ping Pong earlier this month guns blazing and feverishly searched for the nonexistent basement or the secret tunnels in which Hillary Clinton was keeping children captive to sell to anyone who wanted to make sexy time with them. The shooter, who fortunately did not kill anyone, admits he got his news from the same place Trump does far-Right conspiracy theorist and professional liar Alex Jones of Infowars. In fact, Jones told his audience to investigate the restaurant the same thing the shooter says he was doing in a video that was deleted shortly after the Trump ally realized people actually are stupid enough to listen to him.The conspiracy theor was also pushed by the son of Trump s incoming national security adviser (and now-former Trump transition team member) Michael Flynn Jr.Now, another Trump fan has decided that the demonstrably false story is real to him, damn it! On Monday, a Philadelphia man barged into a Catholic church to accuse not only Hillary Clinton but Barack Obama of selling children for sex. Howard Caplan a man who became internet-famous by walking around with a ridiculous Hillary 4 Prison sign during the election season and who goes by Deplorable4L n Twitter posted a video of him interrupting the service to scream incoherently about pizza and pedophilia. Pizzagate is real! Pizzagate is real! Caplan yelled at shocked onlookers who were simply trying to enjoy church. The Catholic Church has been sexually abusing children thousands of them for decades. Pizzagate is real! While he is correct that there is an epidemic of child molestation in the Catholic church, Caplan somehow fails to see that even in the most deranged versions of the Pizzagate story, the Church is uninvolved.In November, Caplan and an army of other stupid people traveled to Washington D.C. to protest Comet Ping Pong. In an interview with the Philly Voice, he explained that the conspiracy goes above even Clinton, whom many believe to be the ringmaster of this fictitious child sex ring.Caplan explained that the emails are not the story. According to him, the real story is a child pedophilia ring that goes all the way up to Obama. Caplan claims to be a lifelong Democrat who converted to the Dark Side because he believes insane right-wing propaganda that only the dumbest people alive would believe. Now, he says he hopes Trump will take care of Hillary once and for all: I m hoping Trump s just saying in his mind, That s fine, we won t get you on the emails but we ll hopefully get you on this. This is way bigger than the emails anyway. If he s really saying that he s not going to prosecute her to let her ride off into the sunset, people aren t going to go for that. He will lose a lot of credibility. Sadly, this is not an isolated thing where one lunatic caused a scene. This conspiracy theory has gone mainstream among the Stupid Part of America. It s almost gotten people killed. And now, we will have four years with a President who genuinely believes all of it.Watch Caplan s outburst below:Getting a tour of @cometpingpong with James Alefantis. I'm sick that it's sideways. #pizzagate #littlelivesmatter https://t.co/x4KY2Mliqq FullyAwake12/4/16 (@Deplorable4L) November 23, 2016Featured image via Philly Voice/screengrab | 0 |
1,230 | Bernie HILARIOUSLY Trolls Paul Ryan On Twitter – All While Helping Down-Ballot Dems (TWEET) | Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is in full campaign mode, and it shows. He s also having a high old time trolling House Speaker Paul Ryan, who is under a seemingly crippling amount of stress due to his own party s buffoonish nominee, Donald Trump.Earlier in the week, Ryan spoke to a group of young Republicans in his home state of Wisconsin, and had dire warnings regarding what could happen if Democrats take back the Senate: that their worst nightmare would come true, and Bernie would be heading up the Budget Committee. Ryan said to the University of Wisconsin students: If we lose the Senate, do you know who becomes the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee? A guy named Bernie Sanders. You ever heard of him? Ryan s remarks were not missed by Bernie. He tweeted: I heard what @SpeakerRyan said: If the GOP loses the Senate, I ll be the Budget chairman. Sounds like a good idea. Here is the tweet:I heard what @SpeakerRyan said: If the GOP loses the Senate, I'll be the Budget chairman. Sounds like a good idea. https://t.co/9EFfzgimCX Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) October 19, 2016Aside from the obvious trolling, the best thing about the tweet is that it links to an opportunity to donate to Democratic candidates for the United States Senate. This is entirely possible, since Democrats only need to pick up five seats to take the Senate four if we take the White House, since the Vice President is the tie-breaker in votes.Hopefully, Donald Trump continues to tear the GOP apart, and Paul Ryan s warning becomes a glorious reality for Democrats and assorted left-wingers everywhere.Featured image via Darren McCollester/Getty Images | 0 |
1,231 | [WATCH] Donald Trump Finds YUGE Support From Unlikely Fan In SC: “I’m A Muslim…And I’m For Trump!” | As GOP candidate, Donald Trump walked through a packed group of supporters at a rally in SC, he was approached by a man who yelled out, I m a Muslim and I support this man all the way! The media has spent an enormous amount of time trying to convince voters that Trump will never get the Muslim vote because of the hate he has earned from the Muslim community, after saying we need to stop allowing un-vetted Muslim refugees to enter our country.Look for this exchange to be used in future Trump ads: | 0 |
1,232 | WATCH SWAMP MONSTER James Clapper Make False Claim That Trump is an “Intelligence Asset” for Putin [Video] | Watch some fake news from a swamp creature who should be in jail:Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper referred to President Donald Trump on Monday as an intelligence asset for Russian President Vladimir Putin. The term asset refers to people with countries or organizations being spied upon who serve as resources for outside spies.Clapper appeared on CNN to discuss Trump s national security strategy speech given Monday, where he referred to Russia as a rival but also said he wanted to form a partnership.The two leaders have also expressed recent gratitude to each other, with Putin calling and thanking Trump for sharing intelligence that helped foil a terror plot and Trump thanking Putin for his recent praise of the American economy.IS THIS GUY KIDDING:This is on the same day that we learn the following about the Obama administration:The Obama administration intentionally derailed investigations into the terrorist group Hezbollah s drug trafficking operation to secure the Iran nuclear deal, according to a new bombshell report.Politico spoke with several members of Project Cassandra, a joint effort between the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Pentagon that was founded in 2008 under the Bush administration to identify and prosecute a drug trafficking, money laundering, and smuggling operation run by the Iranian-backed militants.Over the next eight years, agents working out of a top-secret DEA facility in Chantilly, Virginia, used wiretaps, undercover operations, and informants to map Hezbollah s illicit networks, with the help of 30 U.S. and foreign security agencies.They followed cocaine shipments, some from Latin America to West Africa and on to Europe and the Middle East, and others through Venezuela and Mexico to the United States. They tracked the river of dirty cash as it was laundered by, among other tactics, buying American used cars and shipping them to Africa. And with the help of some key cooperating witnesses, the agents traced the conspiracy, they believed, to the innermost circle of Hezbollah and its state sponsors in Iran.Read more: WFB | 0 |
1,233 | Watch: Trump Supporting Coal CEO Upset Trump Is Wiping Out ‘Thousands’ Of Coal Mining Jobs | While on the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised to revive the coal industry and after he took power, he signed an executive order rolling back a temporary ban on mining coal and a stream protection rule that was imposed by the Obama administration. Trump vowed to bring back thousands of mining jobs in struggling rural areas. I made them this promise, Trump said, we will put our miners back to work. That was then and this is now.Coal CEO Robert Murray, a fierce supporter of Trump s, warns that if the Senate version of tax reform is enacted by the current occupant of the White House, he will be destroying thousands of coal mining jobs in the process.Murray said the Senate legislation will raise Murray Energy s taxes by $60 million a year, notwithstanding the other so-called benefits the Senate has proposed, CNBC reports. This means that very capital-intensive, highly leveraged employers, like coal-mining companies, will be forced out of business, with tragic consequences for our families and for many regions of our country, Murray said. We won t have enough cash flow to exist. It wipes us out, Murray told CNNMoney in an interview on Tuesday. This wipes out everything that President Trump has done for coal, said Murray, the head of one of America s largest coal companies.CNN reports:Murray warned that a bankruptcy of his Ohio-based company would hurt its 5,500 employees along with their families. Asked if other coal mining companies could go out of business, he said: Most certainly. Watch:Murray hosted a fundraiser for Trump during the campaign. And today, Murray warns that the GOP tax plan will wipe out coal mining jobs.Who saw this coming? Besides all of us. Trump supporters have been suckered.Image via screen capture. | 0 |
1,234 | Commandos storm plane in Philippines-U.S. hijack simulation | MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine commandos and law enforcers have practiced hostage negotiations and the storming of a commercial jet to free American passengers in a major joint exercise with U.S. counterparts to boost the country s counter-terrorism readiness. The Philippine defense ministry on Tuesday said some 1,200 uniformed and civilian Filipino and American personnel took part in the exercise Tempest Wind last week at a former U.S. air force base outside Manila and in Hawaii. Most of the Filipino civilian participants were not told it was a drill. The simulation was the latest exercise between the two longtime defense treaty allies at a critical time for the Philippines, which is facing its biggest internal security crisis in years as supporters of Islamic State try to gain a foothold in the south. Defence department spokesman Arsenio Andolong said civilian participants were told a plane from Sydney bound for Honolulu had been seized mid-air by eight Islamic State militants, and was making an emergency landing in Clark, north of Manila. He said the hijacking was made to appear realistic when officials from the U.S. State Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation started to provide technical intelligence about the hijackers and the flight manifest to Philippine authorities. Many of the participants were unaware of the drill until the last minute, thinking the hijacking was for real, Andolong told reporters. He said the operation was executed by Filipino forces guided by U.S. information and technical advice. The drill featured a negotiation phase, when Philippine authorities talked around the clock with hijackers for nearly 72 hours before commandos were sent in to neutralize all eight hijackers. In the scenario, some of the 182 passengers were killed. The drill gave both sides valuable lessons on dealing with such crisis, Andolong said. There were many operational and tactical gaps discovered. Even the U.S. found some of its protocols did not work the way it is expected. Militaries of both countries have for decades held training exercises in trans-national crime, disaster response and maritime security. Washington has provided more than $700 million in security aid to the Philippines over the past 17 years. Most recently, the United States has been providing technical support to Philippine ground and air forces, who have battled for four months to retake southern Marawi City from Islamic State loyalists. The joint exercises do not, however, have the support of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who has made clear his disdain for the rotating U.S. troop presence in his country during frequent tirades against the former colonial power. Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the hijacking exercise was the first of its kind involving multiple levels of security and civilian authorities. The drill was designed to provide realistic scenarios on terrorism that demanded both high-level engagements and responses on tactical level, he said. | 1 |
1,235 | Senate confirms retired generals as first two Trump cabinet members | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate confirmed the first two members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet on Friday, voting overwhelmingly to approve two retired four-star Marine generals as his secretaries of defense and homeland security hours after Trump was sworn in as commander-in-chief. The Senate voted 98-1 to confirm James Mattis to lead the Pentagon, and 88-11 to confirm John Kelly for homeland security, a sprawling department responsible for everything from domestic antiterrorism to border security and disaster prevention. The Senate also voted 89-8 to clear the way for a vote on Monday on another member of Trump’s national security team, Republican U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo, his nominee to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Trump’s fellow Republicans, who hold a 52-seat majority in the 100-member Senate, have been sparring with Democrats over confirmations of nominees for cabinet posts and other senior positions. Republicans had hoped to confirm at least seven on Friday, but Democrats objected, complaining that Republicans were trying to force votes too quickly on nominees who were too slow to provide financial and ethics information. Republicans accused Democrats of playing politics and risking public safety by delaying national security team nominations that they knew would eventually go through. The CIA post is one of the most highly charged in Washington, amid controversy surrounding Russian attempts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election in Trump’s favor. The last CIA director, John Brennan, who had criticized Trump, resigned Friday. Trump belittled the agency as he questioned its conclusion that Russia was involved in cyber hacking that interfered with the vote, in which Trump, a New York businessman and reality television star, defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state. “We face threats foreign and domestic. It’s critical for the president to have a full national security team today, day one,” said Republican Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand was the only senator to vote against Mattis, a 66-year-old commander revered by Marines. She was also the only member of the Armed Services Committee to vote against him when the panel approved him by 26-1 earlier this week. Gillibrand has said she admires Mattis. But she objected to waiving a law on civilian control of the U.S. military to allow him to lead the Pentagon only 3-1/2 years after retiring from the Marines, instead of the seven required by the statute. The law had only been waived once before, in 1950, to allow George Marshall, the post-war Secretary of State, to serve as Secretary of Defense. Congress passed Mattis’ waiver last week, and Trump signed it just after he was inaugurated on Friday. Eleven Democrats voted “no” on Kelly, also 66. While the 40-year military veteran is also very popular, some Democrats said he had not done enough to assure them that he would oppose some of Trump’s most controversial proposals. For example, they said he had not rejected rounding up and deporting thousands of people who entered the United States illegally as children, but have been productive members of society. That group, known as “Dreamers,” were protected from deportation by an executive order signed by former President Barack Obama. Trump has promised to rescind many such orders. Trump said he was pleased that Mattis and Kelly were confirmed. “I call on members of the Senate to fulfill their constitutional obligation and swiftly confirm the remainder of my highly qualified cabinet nominees, so that we can get to work on behalf of the American people without further delay,” he said in a statement. | 1 |
1,236 | Obama to discuss Islamic State at CIA next week | ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama will convene a meeting of his National Security Council next week at the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters to review the fight against Islamic State militants, the White House said on Friday. The meeting, to be held on Wednesday, comes as the administration weighs a plan to increase the number of U.S. special operations forces deployed to Syria to try to advance recent gains against Islamic State. The top U.S. general, Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said he is working on options to present to Obama to increase U.S. forces in Iraq to bolster Iraqi forces preparing for a major offensive against the militant group in Mosul. Obama has held similar meetings, at the Pentagon and at the State Department, on fighting Islamic State, which holds areas of Syria and Iraq. “There’s no particular operational reason for him having it there,” White House spokeswoman Jen Friedman told reporters. “It’s just the next in a series of these meetings.” | 1 |
1,237 | Syrian migrant tells Germans: Cherish your democracy, go vote! | AACHEN, Germany (Reuters) - Social Democrat Martin Schulz on Saturday read out a message he received via Facebook from a young Syrian migrant who called on Germans to exercise their right to vote in Sunday s national election. In an open letter to the German people, Abdul Abbasi, a translator at a migrant legal clinic in Goettingen, talked of watching friends killed before his eyes while participating in pro-democracy demonstrations in Syria in 2012, Schulz said. Their goals and desires were things that are considered normal in Germany in 2017. They died because they wanted to live as free people ... they wanted the right to participate in the politics of their country, Abbasi wrote. The ability to vote and live in a democratic country is a dream of many in this world, he said. Go vote and protect your democracy, protect us from people who divide us into categories, fight against our ability to live together and want to divide the society. Abbasi was not immediately available to comment. His Facebook profile said he was from Aleppo, Syria, and was studying dentistry at the University of Goettingen. Schulz said the letter underscored the importance of voting at a time when the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is poised to become the first far-right party in the Bundestag since the end of World War Two. Abbasi posted the open letter in response to a Facebook posting in which Schulz called the AfD a danger to our democracy and said it has no business being in parliament . Founded in 2013 to oppose large bailouts of financially strapped euro zone countries, the AfD has gained popular support after Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2015 opened the doors to about a million migrants. It is now polling around 13 percent. What a wonderful letter, and what a challenge for us, Schulz told thousands of supporters gathered for his final campaign appearance. With support of around 21 percent, the SPD is running far behind Merkel s conservatives in the polls, which are at 34 percent. Electoral arithmetic might yet force Merkel to renew her coalition with the SPD, or she might opt for a three-way alliance with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and environmental Greens. | 1 |
1,238 | Iraq plans to take control of Kurdistan region's border 'in coordination' with Iran, Turkey | ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq plans to take control of the borders of its autonomous Kurdistan region in coordination with Iran and Turkey, the Iraqi Defence Ministry said on Friday. The statement did not give more detail or indicate specifically whether Iraqi forces were planning to move toward the external border posts controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) from the Iranian and Turkish side. The move to seize the border posts is a response to a Kurdish referendum on Monday that produced a vote in favor of secession from Iraq. Following the vote, Iraq, Iran and Turkey demanded that the KRG relinquish control over its external border crossings with Turkey, Iran and Syria. Backed by Ankara and Tehran, the Iraqi government has demanded that the Kurdish leadership cancel the result of the referendum or face the prospect of sanctions, international isolation and possibly a military intervention. Earlier on Friday, a ban imposed by Iraq s central government on international flights to Kurdistan went into effect after the KRG rejected a demand to hand over control of its international airports in Erbil and Sulaimaniya. The KRG also refused to relinquish control of its border crossings, Erbil-based TV Rudaw said on Friday, citing a Kurdish official. The Iraqi Defence Ministry said the implementation of central government decisions to take over management of all the border posts and airports was going as planned in coordination with the relevant authorities and neighboring countries, and there is no delay in the procedures . Iraqi state television said an Iraqi military delegation had visited the Kurdistan border from the Iranian side. An Iraqi force is also deployed on the Turkish side of the border as part of joint drills with the Turkish army. | 1 |
1,239 | Shooting Reported At Capitol; Gunman In Custody | At 2:40 PM today, an unidentified male entered the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center with a gun. The man was captured, and a police officer and female bystander were reportedly injured, but not seriously. The gunman was also injured and was taken to the hospital.The gunman reportedly tried to go through metal detectors with the weapon. When the detectors went off, and security confronted the man, he pulled out his gun, when he was shot by a police officer.The Capitol and buildings in the area were placed on lockdown for roughly half an hour, causing some confusion as there was a lockdown drill in the Capitol earlier this morning. The visitor center is still closed, but the House and Senate reopened for official business purposes only. Although Congress is not currently in session due to a break for Easter, Washington DC is flooded with tourists this time of year for its annual Cherry Blossom Festival.The incident was deemed as isolated by local police.The visitor center at the Capitol was built via an underground center with high security after two Capitol police officers were killed in 1998 by a paranoid schizophrenic who entered the building and opened fire in 1998. Similar incidents have historically occurred at the Capitol as it is a high target for gunmen who want to ensure they receive national media attention.In April 2015, a male entered the Capitol building with a gun and committed suicide.Details from the Capitol shooting today are still emerging as to who the shooter is, what is plans were, and what were his motives for trying to bring a gun into the Capitol.Featured image courtesy of Flickr | 0 |
1,240 | BLACK LIVES MATTER ORGANIZERS Hacked Messages Show Plans For “Shutting Down GOP Convention”… “Disrupting Trump” And “Martial Law” | This is just a preview of what these terrorists professional agitators, who ve actually met with our Community Organizer in Chief in OUR White House have planned for this summer. This is NOT your grandparents Democrat Party U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch is coordinating with Democratic activists to so disrupt the upcoming Republican and Democratic National Conventions that martial law will be declared.That s the stunning discovery revealed in a series of direct messages between three activists.On Friday, June 10, 2016, someone hacked into the Twitter account of #BlackLivesMatter (BLM) leader and former Baltimore mayoral candidate DeRay McKesson. McKesson later confirmed the hack to The Baltimore Sun.On June 11, 2016, a Twitterer who calls himself The Saint (@TheSaintNegro) tweeted a direct-message conversation on June 10 between KcKesson and another BLM leader Johnetta Elzie (Netta), in which the two discussed talking with Attorney General Loretta Lynch about plans to bring on martial law by causing chaos at the upcoming Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, PA, so as to keep Obama in office.Here s the conversation over the course of several days between black activists DeRay McKesson (DM) and Johnetta Elzie (JE), and between McKesson and a white ally named Sam (S):JE: Have you spoken with Mrs. Lynch [Attorney General Loretta Lynch] recently about the plan for the summer and fall leading up to the elections. DM: We spoke two weeks and they want us to start really pushing how racist Trump is now instead of waiting so the others can start getting the protesters ready to shut both conventions down. DM: If we can get both conventions shut down for messing over Bernie and for having racist Trump, then get martial law declared so Obama can stay in office we will win. Call you soon when I get to my dads so I can use his landline and we can talk more on this. DM: We have to make sure that we use our voices to keep people disrupting Trump all summer and through the fall so martial law can be declared . S: I wanted to touch base with you about the summer of chaos. So far we have over 2,000 people bused in from different cities and another 6,000 to 8,000 expected to drive into Cleveland for the Convention. S: They will not be ready for the crowds we are bringing and they will blame Trump for it, especially if we shut it down. The GOP will have to replace him at that point or we will continue the disruptions nationwide. DM: I will pass the info along. Good work, Sam. You never let us down. It s so important we stop Trump. He can not be president. He will destroy everything we worked so hard for and we can t trust . DM: today and he [Sam?] confirmed that there will be around 10,000 protesters disrupting the [Republican] convention. Plans are being made for other cities as well for upcoming Trump events. Ads have already been placed looking for people to help. I know you don t care for them [white people] but this is the time we need our white allies doing a lot of the work for us. They are the ones who listen the best. JE: That will put fear into the GOP and the country when they can t have their convention for all their racist supporting Trump. We ve worked too hard and closely with the Obama administration to have that racist ass take it all away and Hillary . You know I can t stand those white allies, but yo right this is the best to use them. They hang on every word you say and will do whatever is asked. I just hate all that kiss ass they try to do. Like that changes who they are. DM: We have a lot of white allies volunteering for Trump s campaign to pass along information to us before it s made public so we know when rallies are coming up before they are announced. That way we can plan major disruptions in those cities in advance. We just have to keep our names out of this and let these [white] people do the work for us by pushing how Trump s racist ways will destroy . JE: That s all those white people are good for in my eyes. I couldn t imagine even pretending to like that racist ass Trump even to get info on his events. I ll be glad when we shut his ass down. DM: With the support we have from Mrs. Lynch and the help we ve got from Sam and others it won t be hard to cause enough . Here are screenshots of The Saint s series of tweets: The authorities seem to be taking the plan to disrupt the Republican Convention seriously.As reported by Alice Speri for The Intercept, June 23, 2016, local police and federal agents from the FBI, DHS, and Secret Service are knocking on the doors of activists and community organizers in Cleveland asking about their plans for the Republican National Convention in July.On June 29, 2016, Deray McKesson sort of confirmed the plan when he went public with warnings about possible protests at the DNC and RNC, as reported by USA Today.In fact, a recent survey showed that as many as 67% of Democrats want Obama for a third term.Via: DC Clothesline | 0 |
1,241 | Merkel, Macron say no alternative to peaceful settlement in eastern Ukraine | PARIS (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron urged the parties involved in an increase of ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine to implement decisions they have already agreed upon as soon as possible. Ukrainian officials, security monitors and Kiev s foreign backers had warned on Wednesday that Moscow s decision to withdraw from a Ukrainian-Russian ceasefire control group could worsen the fighting in eastern Ukraine. Macron and Merkel said in their statement there was no alternative to an exclusively peaceful settlement and called for a return of the Russian officers to the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination. Russia had accused the Ukrainian side of obstructing their work and limiting access to the front line. In the light of the volatile security situation, they ask the sides for immediate and verifiable steps to remedy this situation, Macron and Merkel s statement said. It is necessary to implement agreements on disengagement and the withdrawal of heavy weapons behind the agreed withdrawal lines, withdrawal of tanks, artillery and mortars to the agreed storage sites . Other aspects of the Minsk agreements, like the withdrawal of foreign armed formations or the return of control over the Russian-Ukrainian border need to addressed seriously as well. Fighting in eastern Ukraine has escalated to the worst level in months, officials monitoring the conflict said on Tuesday. | 1 |
1,242 | 'Trump dossier' on Russia links now part of special counsel's probe: sources | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The special counsel investigating whether Russia tried to sway the 2016 U.S. election has taken over FBI inquiries into a former British spy’s dossier of allegations of Russian financial and personal links to President Donald Trump’s campaign and associates, sources familiar with the inquiry told Reuters. A report compiled by former MI6 officer Christopher Steele identified Russian businessmen and others whom U.S. intelligence analysts have concluded are Russian intelligence officers or working on behalf of the Russian government. A spokesman for special counsel Robert Mueller declined comment. The FBI also declined comment. Three sources with knowledge of Mueller’s probe said his investigators have assumed control of multiple inquiries into allegations by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in the election to benefit Trump, a Republican. Russia has repeatedly denied any meddling in the election. Two officials familiar with the investigations said that both Mueller’s team and the Senate Intelligence Committee are seeking any evidence that former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort or others who had financial dealings with Russia might have helped Kremlin intelligence agencies target email hacking and social media postings undermining Trump’s election opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton. On Wednesday, the Senate panel’s chairman Richard Burr told reporters that the issue of whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia remains an open question. “We have not come to any determination on collusion,” Burr said. Trump, who has called allegations of campaign collusion with Moscow a hoax, has faced questions about the matter since he took office in January. Trump was told by former FBI director James Comey that Steele’s report contained salacious material about the businessman-turned-president. Burr said on Wednesday that the Senate panel had made several attempts to contact Steele and to meet him and “those offers have gone unaccepted.” “The committee cannot really decide the credibility of the dossier without understanding things like who paid for it, who are your sources and sub-sources,” Burr said. Burr said the panel wanted to finish its investigation by the end of the year. Although several news organizations, including Reuters, were briefed on Steele’s dossier before the election in November, most decided not to report on the material because its inflammatory and sometimes salacious content could not be verified. In a report published in January four U.S. intelligence agencies said they took the dossier’s allegations seriously. Separately, three Russian businessmen, Mikhail Fridman, Petr Aven and German Khan have sued Washington investigations firm Fusion GPS and its founder, Glenn Simpson, with allegations that they were libeled in Steele’s dossier. A spokeswoman for Simpson and Fusion GPS declined to comment on the lawsuit filed on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Washington. The lawsuit said that Steele’s reports were “gravely damaging” to the businessmen because they accused them “of criminal conduct and alleged cooperation with the ‘Kremlin’ to influence the 2016 presidential election.” The information on Trump collected by Steele, whom officials say was one of MI6’s most respected Russia hands, was laid out last year in political “opposition research” initially financed by supporters of one of Trump’s Republican primary election opponents. After Trump won the Republican nomination in July, backers of Clinton picked up the support of Steele’s work. The lawsuit said the dossier’s allegations are false in implying an improper “ongoing” relationship between the businessmen, the Alfa Group financial company in which they were investors and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and that a Russian government official acted as middleman in such contacts. | 1 |
1,243 | T-REX SMOKES THE LEFTY MEDIA After Rude Questions On Trump: ”How’s your relationship with the President right now?” [Video] | It s no secret that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is a tell-it-like-it is kind of guy. So when he was bombarded with rude questions ( Are you committed to staying in your position as Secretary of State? How long will you stay for? How s your relationship with the President right now?) from the press during a welcome with the Qatari Foreign Minister, he resounded in true T-Rex style:TRANSCRIPT OF THE EXCHANGE BETWEEN THE PRESS AND TILLERSON:SECRETARY TILLERSON: His Excellency, welcome. FOREIGN MINISTER AL-THANI: Thank you very much.SECRETARY TILLERSON: Great to see you again at the State Department.FOREIGN MINISTER AL-THANI: Thank you for receiving us. Thank you and great to be here.SECRETARY TILLERSON: Thank you.QUESTION: Secretary Tillerson, have you committed to staying in your position as Secretary of State?SECRETARY TILLERSON: I m not going anywhere.QUESTION: How long will you stay for?SECRETARY TILLERSON: As long as the President lets me.QUESTION: How s your relationship with the President right now?SECRETARY TILLERSON: It s good.WE LOVE THIS GUY!!! | 0 |
1,244 | Trump studying executive action on healthcare, senator Rand Paul says | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Rand Paul said he spoke to President Donald Trump by phone about healthcare reform on Monday and told the president he thought Trump had the authority to create associations that would allow organizations to offer group health insurance plans. Paul, a Republican, told reporters that Trump was considering taking some form of executive action to address problems with the healthcare system after the Senate failed last week to pass a measure to reform the system. Allowing groups like AARP, which represents retirees, to form health associations could enable individuals and small businesses to form larger groups to negotiate with health insurance companies for lower rates. | 1 |
1,245 | Trump attacks 'fake news' following Kushner reports | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump attacked the news media and dismissed leaks from the White House as “fake news” on Sunday, following reports his son-in-law tried to set up a secret channel of communications with Moscow before Trump took office. Shortly after Trump’s remarks on Twitter, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly made the rounds of Sunday television news shows to praise any so-called back channel communications, especially with Russia, as “a good thing.” The Republican president returned to the White House after a nine-day trip to the Middle East and Europe that ended on Saturday to face more questions about alleged communications between Jared Kushner and Russia’s ambassador to Washington. “It is my opinion that many of the leaks coming out of the White House are fabricated lies made up by the #FakeNews media,” Trump wrote in a series of Twitter posts on Sunday. In a statement later on Sunday night, carried by the New York Times, Trump praised Kushner and the work he has done in the White House. “Jared is doing a great job for the country,” he said. “I have total confidence in him. He is respected by virtually everyone and is working on programs that will save our country billions of dollars. In addition to that, and perhaps more importantly, he is a very good person.” The White House faces mounting questions about potential ties between Russia and Trump’s presidential campaign, which are also the subject of criminal and congressional investigations. Trump officials were preparing to establish a “war room” to address an issue that has begun to dominate his young presidency. Aides said Trump was expected to meet with lawyers as early as Sunday, the New York Times reported. Two Republican U.S. senators played down the Kushner reports on Sunday, while the former director of national intelligence, James Clapper, took a darker view of such contacts with representatives of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “My dashboard warning light was clearly on and I think that was the case with all of us in the intelligence community - very concerned about the nature of these approaches to the Russians,” Clapper told NBC’s “Meet The Press.” Kushner, who is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, had contacts with Moscow in December about opening a secret back channel of communications, according to news reports published while Trump was away on his trip. The 36-year-old Kushner, a real estate developer with no previous government experience, had at least three previously undisclosed contacts with the Russian ambassador to the United States during and after the 2016 presidential campaign, seven current and former U.S. officials told Reuters. “Whenever you see the words ‘sources say’ in the fake news media, and they don’t mention names,” Trump wrote, “it is very possible that those sources don’t exist but are made up by fake news writers. #FakeNews is the enemy!” Contacts between Trump associates and Russian officials during the campaign coincided with what U.S. intelligence agencies concluded was a Kremlin effort through computer hacking, fake news and propaganda to boost Trump’s chances of winning the White House. White House officials defended the concept of secret communications channels without commenting specifically on the Kushner case. National security adviser H.R. McMaster told reporters on Saturday that so-called back-channeling was not unusual. Kelly, the homeland security secretary, carried the same message on Sunday. “It’s both normal, in my opinion, and acceptable,” he said on ABC’s “This Week” program. “Any way that you can communicate with people, particularly organizations that are maybe not particularly friendly to us, is a good thing.” Kelly told “Fox News Sunday” there was nothing wrong with the Trump transition team trying to build relationships with the Russians as they prepared to take over the White House. U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said such secret channels may be used in situations including peace talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan or for the release of American hostages. “But for people associated with the campaign after that campaign has ended and where the Russians during that campaign were helping you, to try to establish a back channel and hide it from your own government, that’s a serious allegation,” he said. Schiff was particularly concerned about a Washington Post report that the back channel would have been conducted at a Russian diplomatic facility to avoid monitoring in U.S. communications systems. “You have to ask, well, who are they hiding the conversation from?” he said on ABC. Schiff said he expected Kushner, who serves as an unpaid adviser to Trump, to appear before his committee and suggested his security clearance be reviewed. Kushner initially had come to the attention of FBI investigators last year as they began scrutinizing former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s connections with Russian officials, the two sources told Reuters. Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham told CNN he doubted the Kushner reports were accurate. Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, noted that Kushner has been willing to answer questions. “They reached out to us yesterday to make sure that we knew that was the case and I’m sure he’s willing to do so,” Corker said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Though he had not seen evidence of collusion when he stepped down on Jan. 20, Clapper said all the signs made an FBI investigation not only appropriate but necessary. “Russia, at least for my money, is our primary adversary,” he told NBC. “They are not our friends. They are in to do us in.” | 1 |
1,246 | Baby Dolphin Dies After Tourists Pass It Around For Photos (VIDEO/IMAGES) | Last week, a baby dolphin was found on at beach of the Santa Teresita resort, located in Argentina. Tourists saw the baby dolphin and did what tourists do they took pictures of the poor animal. It turns out that the baby dolphin died because the people on the beach kept out of the water too long.Here is the photo taken by one a person on the beach:https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10209159500094765&set=a.10201500166576214.1073741829.1537837065&type=3&theaterHere is video footage of the incident:The Wildlife Foundation in Argentina found photos and video of the tourists tormenting the dolphin. They took the opportunity to try to raise awareness about the type of dolphin and what people need to do when they find a dolphin on the beach. They write in a press release: [The]Franciscan or Plata dolphin is one of the smallest dolphins in the world, is between 1.30 and 1.70 m long. His skin, brown tones, reminiscent of the habit of the Franciscan monks, so it gets the common name. Only it is found in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. In our country lives mainly off the coasts of the province of Buenos Aires, where it is very likely that there are less than 30,000 individuals. Franciscan in a vulnerable to extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). No le saques fotos. Ayudalo a volver al agua Estas situaciones pueden llevar a su muerte https://t.co/TUDboTBzdZ pic.twitter.com/feZMG4oFCJ Vida Silvestre (@Vida_Silvestre) February 17, 2016The fact that this species of dolphin is endangered makes the dolphin s death just that much more tragic. This incident should help the public understand the urgent need to return these dolphins to the sea when they get close to the shore, the foundation said. The Franciscana, like other species, cannot remain for much time outside of the water, it has thick skin full of fat which regulates its body temperature, so taking it out of the water rapidly causes it to dehydrate and die. What those people did is absolutely horrendous. Hopefully, this tragedy will raise awareness about what people should do when they encounter beached marine life. Featured image from video screen capture | 0 |
1,247 | KELLYANNE CONWAY On Trump’s Terrorism Policy: We need “more careful and extreme vetting” [Video] | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cVugq2GbBk | 0 |
1,248 | MASHUP VIDEO: HILLARY PUTS ON PHONY SOUTHERN ACCENT FOR SOUTH CAROLINA DEMOCRATIC CHAIRMAN | Hillary has a history of pulling out the pandering Southern accent when in the South. I m from the South and find this so offensive as I m sure many others do. Southerners can smell a phony a mile away. Hillary Clinton sat down for a Chair Chat with the Chairman of the Democratic Party of South Carolina. During the interview, as in many of her speeches to people who live in the South, she put on a Southern accent that is absent from her speeches to Northerners. We made a mashup of some of the most painfully pandering moments, and ranked the intensity of her accent with cowboy boots (1 = lowest, 5 = strongest). | 0 |
1,249 | more footage of operation high jump with hitler | the moon that fell from heaven page link there is an intriguing text from anatolian myth with regards to the moon falling from heaven the moon god fell from the sky and fell upon the gate complex but no one saw him the storm god sent rain after him he sent rains after him fear seized him anxiety seized him the god hapantali went there he stood beside him and uttered over him the words of a spell the goddess kamrusepa looked down from the sky and said what in the world has happened here a good question from kamrusepa there then but the text is fragmentary and partial and the matter isnt really explained so anyway the first question then is were was this gate complex and why couldnt he the moon be seen having landed my consideration is that the gate complex is that of the cilician gates and that the moon can no longer be seen as he has infused the taurus mountains with silver that region did relate to the silver mountains as several sources mention and was a major centre for the trade in silver at kultepekanes the essence of the trade was to ship tin woolen textiles and lapis lazuli to anatolia to sell it there in order to acquire directly or indirectly silver and gold which was shipped back to assur tin essential for the anatoian production of bronze was imported in assur from susa perhaps by elamite caravans and ultimately originated from central asia assyrian trade colony at kanes there are a great many tablets related to this trade recovered from kultepe on these sometimes can be seen the taurus bull that bears upon its back the silver mountain also seen beneath on that example is the scorpion which was likely also an ideogram based upon the cilician gates and greater region also the symbol of ishara the goddess of the silver mountain and related to concept idea of the moon within the underworld her symbolic metal silver and purity through refinement the temple of ishara being at kanes or nesi to the hurrians there were a great many ideas bound up within this symbolism then including in cosmological terms the entrance into the underworld being above taurus in gemini and its opposite point of emergence in scorpio according to the intersection point of the galactic and ecliptic planes were this gets interesting is that there is a hurrian myth that relates to a conflict in the primeval period named the song of silver involving their tutelary god tessub and his ongoing issues with kumarbi god of destiny among tessub the sun god of the sky sauska ninevehs queen and all the gods no one worships him although his power is greater than their power his word is greater than their words his wisdom is greater than their wisdom his battle and his gory are greater than theirs it is silver the fine of whom i sing wise men tod me the story of the fatherless boy it did not exist long ago silvers father had disappeared and they do not know his spendor heroic men ran to battle abundance did not exist and grain did not grow only hunger the songs of the kumarbi cycle can contain veiled allegory regarding ethnic disputes such as i outlined here with regards to byblos and ebla it is likely the same in this case conflict with the region of nesa and the silver mountains this however relating to a much earlier period potentially also this relates to conflict from the heavens as silver could be named kubbabaranzu as noted here the association with anzu in conflict with tessub relating to the same with ninurta in the sumerian mythos and that seemingly from anatolia the identification of silver as dumu also correlates with the sumerian notion of the divine child as damu often seen as the basis for the cult of dumuzid were it was also the case that the city of dumuzid badtivira was the centre of the sumerian metallurgy industry silver is described in this text as a wannumiyas dumu which means a child whose father is dead or missing hittitologists generally translate this as orphan silvers consternation at being told by the orphan boy that he too was an orphan need not mean that he was discovering this for the first time the song of silver again is fragmentary but does seem to involve silver at some point establishing his power silver seized power with his hands silver seized the spear he dragged the sun and moon down from heaven the sun and the moon did reverence they bowed to silver the sun and the moon began to speak to silver o silver our lord do not strikekill us we are the luminaries of heaven and earth we are the torches of what lands you govern if you strikekill us you will proceed to govern the dark lands personally his soul within him was filled with lovehe had pity on them in dragging the sun and the moon down from heaven again it could be considered that is what had infused the mountains with gold and silver but also it could relate to the establishment of the cults of allani and ishara at the time of silver the spiritual qualities brought down to earth hopefully in the future more complete accounts of these texts will emerge as they are most intriguing and almost completely overlooked apart from specialists in the field which is a pity as they are more interesting than most edit on kamvamericachicagothursday by kantzveldt because no reason given | 0 |
1,250 | House Republicans Pave Way For Rampant Corruption Under Trump By Gutting Independent Ethics Panel | House Republicans just made it clear that they are for sale and intend to put ethics aside during Donald Trump s reign in the White House.On Monday night, Republicans voted 119-74 to cripple the independent Office of Congressional Ethics, which has been an outside watchdog working to root out corruption by members of Congress ever since a string of lobbying scandals rocked Capitol Hill. Under Speaker Nancy Pelosi s leadership, the panel was created as a non-partisan entity and has done a good job.But Republicans are gutting it because the panel has done its job too well so they passed an amendment which basically gives them direct oversight of the panel and the power to kill investigations they don t like. So if the panel is investigating a Republicans, they can kill it and then turn around and allow an investigation against a Democrat.According to CNN,The proposal would bar the panel from reviewing any violation of criminal law by members of Congress, requiring that it turn over any complaint to the House Ethics Committee or refer the matter to an appropriate federal law enforcement agency. The House Ethics Committee would also have the power to stop an investigation at any point and bars the ethics office from making any public statements about any matters or hiring any communications staff.And the ethics office would no longer be able to accept or investigate any anonymous reports of alleged wrongdoing by members of Congress.Republicans claim that the ethics panel abused its power and that it falsely accused members of Congress of committing ethics violations. These members allegedly had to spend a fortune to defend themselves. Frankly, it sounds like Republicans are just mad because they got caught putting their hand in the cookie jar and they are attacking the panel to make sure they can t be caught again.By gutting the independent panel and placing it under their supervision, Republicans just paved the way for their members to commit crimes at will. They could a take a bribe from a lobbyist and then vote to kill any investigation that arises. It will create a free-for-all for lobbyists at a time when Republicans intend to consider infrastructure spending, tax cuts, and massive defense spending.This especially concerns Norman Eisen and Richard Painter, who served as ethics attorneys under President Obama and President Bush, because the 115th Congress is setting itself up to be dogged by scandals and ethics issues for years and is returning the House to dark days when ethics violations were rampant and far too often tolerated. So not only will the White House be corrupt under Donald Trump, Republicans just guaranteed that the House of Representatives is going to be corrupt as well, proving once again that Republicans only care about using government to enrich themselves instead of helping the American people.Featured image via Zach Gibson/Getty Images | 0 |
1,251 | More company climate votes ahead, as Trump may loosen energy rules | BOSTON (Reuters) - Activist shareholders plan a record number of resolutions focused on climate change at U.S. company annual meetings in 2017, even as President-elect Donald Trump looks set to loosen environmental regulations. Based on filings so far, U.S. companies are on track to face roughly 200 resolutions on climate matters at their shareholder meetings next year, according to Rob Berridge, who follows the subject for Ceres, a sustainability advocacy group. There were 174 such resolutions this year, Berridge said, compared with 167 in 2015 and 148 in 2014. Many have been directed at big oil and gas companies, though other sectors have also been targeted, including technology and retail. Activist shareholders broadly aim to curb companies’ carbon emissions and make energy usage more efficient, or at the very least, to draw the attention of companies and investors to climate change as an urgent problem. They have had some limited success. Investors at Exxon Mobil Corp the world’s largest publicly traded oil producer, passed a measure this year that could lead to an environmental activist joining its board. “Our position is that the risk of climate change is clear and warrants action,” said Exxon spokesman Alan Jeffers. The rising number of shareholder votes reflects a growing concern among big investors about the environment, encouraged by steps by some boards to embrace reforms. Deadlines are fast approaching to get resolutions on the ballot for shareholder meetings to be held in the spring. The election victory of Trump, who is set to take over as U.S. president on Jan. 20, only seems to have added impetus. On the campaign trail, Trump dismissed human-caused climate change as a “hoax” and pledged to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency. He also threatened to withdraw the United States from the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement to combat climate change, although he appeared to step back from that position on Tuesday. He vowed instead to revive the U.S. coal industry, encourage oil drilling and to scale back regulation of the energy sector. “Despite what the administration may or may not do, I really believe that corporations understand the risks posed by climate change,” said Danielle Fugere, president of As You Sow, a California nonprofit campaign group. It sponsored 18 climate-related shareholder resolutions in 2016 and expects to file a bigger number next year. One resolution for 2017 calls on Anadarko Petroleum Corp to report on how it would address the risk of so-called stranded assets, such as high-cost deepwater project investments, that might be caused by a drop in demand for oil and gas. The idea won support from 42 percent of shares voted at the company’s 2016 meeting, up from 29 percent in 2015. Anadarko’s board last year called the idea “unnecessary and unproductive.” Spokesman John Christiansen said it is reviewing the proposal. To be sure, among S&P 500 companies, investor support for climate resolutions has been relatively weak, holding steady around 22 percent since 2014, according to research firm Fund Votes. But activists often won more backing for ideas such as urging companies to report on their strategy for dealing with climate change, according to the Sustainable Investments Institute, a research firm specializing in shareholder votes, supported by universities, pension funds and other institutional investors. Anne Simpson, director of sustainability for the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (Calpers), which manages about $300 billion, said it plans to file or back resolutions at U.S. oil and gas companies for 2017, though she declined to discuss specifics. Last year the boards of mining companies including Rio Tinto Plc and Glencore Plc endorsed resolutions Calpers submitted calling for reports on climate risk, and the measures passed by wide margins. More companies will likely embrace shareholder proposals to head off disruption caused by climate change, Simpson said. “Economics is driving this, not politics,” she said. | 1 |
1,252 | Goldman-run funds most popular with Republican candidates, disclosures show | NEW YORK (Reuters) - Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz has in the past week been answering questions about a loan he got from Goldman Sachs in 2012. But he is far from alone among Republican candidates in having a financial relationship with the Wall Street investment bank in recent years. A Reuters analysis of the financial disclosures of the 12 Republicans left in the race to be the party’s candidate in the November presidential election shows that funds run by Goldman have been a favorite investment destination for them. It shows that the Republican candidates and their spouses collectively held 57 Goldman investments, that is more than double the 28 they had from the second most popular source, Vanguard Group, which is one of the world’s largest investment management firms. For a graphic of the Goldman and Vanguard investments by the candidates and their spouses, see tmsnrt.rs/23cVSNJ Last week, the New York Times reported that Cruz, whose wife Heidi Cruz is on leave from her job as a managing director at Goldman’s wealth management arm, had borrowed as much as $500,000 from Goldman to help him in his successful campaign for a Senate seat in 2012 and didn’t disclose it in campaign finance reports. Cruz, who is currently second to Donald Trump in a Reuters/Ipsos poll of Republican voters and is ahead in polls for the Iowa caucus on Feb. 1, has paid back the loan in full. Cruz told reporters last week that the loan didn’t violate any campaign financing rules, and if his disclosure to the Federal Election Commission wasn’t complete then it was a technical and inadvertent error and he would offer to amend the filing. Eight of the Republican presidential hopefuls, Trump, Cruz, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, John Kasich, Carly Fiorina, Chris Christie, and Jim Gilmore said in financial disclosures that were largely filed between June and August last year that they had owned Goldman funds or Goldman stock, and in some cases both. The disclosures mostly cover the period from the beginning of 2014 to the middle of last year. Reuters was unable to determine if they still own the funds. There is no indication that there is anything improper about the way the candidates came to invest with Goldman. Goldman declined to comment on the Reuters analysis. It’s not clear from the candidates’ financial disclosures whether Goldman is managing anyone’s portfolio or whether the aspirants simply bought Goldman products on their own. Goldman also declined to discuss how the candidates came to own the funds, other than to point out that most of them are available through other firms as well as through Goldman. Spokespeople for Cruz and Bush declined to comment. Representatives for the other six candidates owning Goldman products did not respond to requests for comment. Four candidates, Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, and Rick Santorum had no Goldman funds, according to their financial disclosures last year. The popularity of the Goldman funds shows that the candidates are prepared to trust Goldman to manage their money even as some of them have criticized the investment bank for having too much influence in Washington. Cruz told Bloomberg earlier this year, for example, that Goldman got “special favors” from government. Senator Bernie Sanders, who is fighting Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, said last Friday that it is time to “shut the revolving door” between Goldman and the government that has seen many senior former Goldman officials end up in top federal jobs in Washington. He made the statement the day after Goldman had agreed to pay more than $5 billion to settle claims from the federal government, New York and Illinois states, and other agencies, that it misled mortgage bond investors during the financial crisis. Goldman declined to comment on the criticism from Cruz and Sanders. Sanders didn’t own any Goldman funds, based on his filings. It is unclear precisely how much the candidates owned in each fund as the disclosures only provide wide ranges for asset values, for example from $1,001 to $15,000 or $1,000,001 to$5,000,000. In many cases, there is no indication about when they acquired the funds or whether they held onto them, though a small number of the investments are marked as sold in the disclosure forms. Three Republican candidates in particular have owned multiple Goldman funds: former Hewlett-Packard Co (HPQ.N) (HPE.N) CEO Fiorina and her husband Frank owned 21, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and his wife Mary Pat held 14, while Ted and Heidi Cruz also had 14. Family connections and other close links may have played a role in the investments, which are mainly managed by the firm’s Goldman Sachs Asset Management arm. Heidi Cruz began working for Goldman in 2005, and was most recently a managing director of private wealth management for the firm in Houston. Carly Fiorina may not have such a close family connection to Wall Street but she does have long-term ties with Goldman. The firm was Hewlett-Packard’s financial advisor for its brutal and ultimately successful struggle to buy rival PC company Compaq in 2002 when Fiorina was HP’s CEO. And Christie’s wife, Mary Pat, worked on Wall Street as a managing director at alternative asset manager Angelo, Gordon & Co until leaving her job last year. Many of the funds that the Republican candidates have invested in at Goldman, Vanguard and other fund companies are plain vanilla U.S. stock and fixed-income funds available to other investors. Some have made more exotic choices. Ted and Heidi Cruz, for example, owned several high-yield funds, an Asian equity fund, an investment in Goldman Sachs shares, and what appears to be an emerging markets debt fund. Many of the funds have lost value in the past year in line with the recent plunge in the value of stocks and many other financial assets. Fiorina owned a group of private equity and specialist investment funds that are usually only available to high net-worth individuals or institutional investors. They included: private equity funds that sponsor the leveraged buyout of companies, mezzanine funds that lend to companies, with some specializing in companies in financial distress, and specialized real estate funds. For some of the candidates, the funds are only a small part of their overall wealth – Trump, for example, has his real estate empire and owned many individual stocks, and Fiorina also owned a large portfolio of stocks. The second most popular firm, Vanguard, is best known for providing low-fee index funds that match market moves, and their funds are particularly popular with mom-and-pop investors across the country, with little of the controversy that critics of Wall Street would see in a Goldman relationship. (Reporting by Luciana Lopez and Grant Smith in New York; Editing by Martin Howell) SAP is the sponsor of this coverage which is independently produced by the staff of Reuters News Agency. | 1 |
1,253 | Catalans occupy voting stations to defy Madrid's order to stop referendum | BARCELONA (Reuters) - Supporters of Catalan independence began occupying polling stations on Friday, setting up a possible confrontation with police who have been ordered to clear them out by Sunday morning to ensure a referendum cannot go ahead. The central government, which has sent thousands of police reinforcements to stop people voting and has attempted to dismantle the infrastructure needed to conduct the referendum it says is illegal, insisted it would not go ahead. Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont told Reuters in an interview, however: Everything is prepared at the more than 2,000 voting points so they have ballot boxes and voting slips, and have everything people need to express their opinion. Bands played at a closing rally for the referendum campaign in Barcelona where people constructed the slogan Referendum is democracy in big white letters on a stage in front of a cheering crowd, many draped in the red-and-yellow Catalan flag. People preparing to camp out in polling stations in order to defy court orders to close them were also in high spirits. At one Barcelona school, Hector, a 43-year-old local, said five or six families would be spending the night. We want to make sure the school is open for activities and at night when they might come to clear us out or empty it, there will be families sleeping or people in the street, he said, adding that they planned to play ping-pong and cook a fideua seafood dish on Saturday. The head of the Catalan regional police ordered officers to evacuate and close polling stations by 6 a.m. on Sunday, before the voting is due to open at 9 a.m. In an internal memo published by La Vanguardia newspaper, the police chief said force should be used only as a last resort. At all times, before using force, you must take into account what might be the consequences of this police action and avoid the escalation of this situation, especially when there are children, elderly or other vulnerable people amongst the crowd, the document, whose authenticity was confirmed by a police spokeswoman, said. So far, the Catalan police, known as the Mossos, a force that is held in affection in the region, particularly after the Islamist attacks in August, have shown a friendly face. The Mossos have come to see what we are doing and they ve seen we re having a party, said 45-year-old Ferran Taberner who was at the school with his daughter. If it gets complicated we ll stay inside peacefully and they won t move us. Organizers said 60,000 people had registered to participate in the mass school sleepover which they say will show peaceful resistance , even if they are prevented from voting. I don t believe there will be anyone who will use violence or who will want to provoke violence that will tarnish the irreproachable image of the Catalan independence movement as pacifist, Puigdemont said. At a news conference, regional officials displayed one of the white plastic ballot boxes bearing the crest of the regional government. Puigdemont has said more than 6,000 were being kept in a secret place. Police have confiscated thousands of voting slips, and courts have fined and threatened to arrest regional officials. Catalonia s High Court ordered Google (GOOG.O) to delete a smartphone application that the Catalan government was using to spread information about the vote. A company spokeswoman said Google removes content when it receives a court order. Madrid, which claims the authority of a constitution that declares the country to be indivisible, remained implacably opposed to the vote, but also expressed the hope Sunday would be peaceful. I insist that there will be no referendum on Oct. 1, government spokesman Inigo Mendez de Vigo said, adding that organizers would face criminal charges for trying to hold it. In a sign that large crowds are expected on the streets on Sunday, department store chain El Corte Ingles said it would shut three stores in central Barcelona. The central government said airspace above the city would be partly restricted. Credit rating agency S&P said that while it did not it expect Catalonia, a wealthy region that borders France, to secede from Spain, protracted tensions between Madrid and Barcelona could have a negative impact on the country s economic growth outlook. | 1 |
1,254 | China's Xi meets military in first event since new leaders unveiled | BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping met senior military leaders on Thursday and pressed them on his goal of having world class armed forces by the middle of the century, his first publicly announced meeting with them since a new leadership was unveiled. Xi, who is also head of the military and the ruling Communist Party, has made military modernisation a key policy platform, with advanced new equipment like stealth jets and aircraft carriers either already in service or development. The armed forces have also been a focus of Xi s fight against deep-seated corruption, with dozens of senior officials investigated and jailed. In his first publicly reported meeting with top officers since Wednesday s unveiling of his new Standing Committee, a seven-man body that is the height of power in China, Xi pushed home his modernisation message. The military must ensure it is a world-class service by 2050, Xi said, in comments carried by state media, a goal he set last week at the opening of a key party congress. The armed forces must fully recognize the bright prospects for a strong military , Xi told them. Put into practice one hundred percent military construction. Though China has not fought a war in decades, it has been taking an increasingly assertive stance in the disputed East and South China Seas, as well as over self-ruled Taiwan, claimed by Beijing as its own, rattling nerves around the region. China says that it has only peaceful intentions, but that it needs a modern military to protect its interests and citizens around the world and that it will never compromise on China s sovereignty and territorial integrity. | 1 |
1,255 | Jeb Bush endorses Ted Cruz for Republican nomination | WASHINGTON(Reuters) - Former candidate Jeb Bush endorsed Ted Cruz for the Republican presidential nomination on Wednesday, saying the U.S. senator from Texas represents the party’s best chance of winning the White House. In a statement, the former Florida governor called Cruz a consistent, principled conservative who has demonstrated an ability to appeal to voters and win primary contests. “Washington is broken, and the only way Republicans can hope to win back the White House and put our nation on a better path is to support a nominee who can articulate how conservative policies will help people rise up and reach their full potential,” Bush said. The 63-year-old Bush, whose father and brother served as president, dropped out of the presidential nomination fight after losing badly in South Carolina on Feb. 20. The endorsement comes as establishment Republicans scramble to stop front-runner Donald Trump from winning the nomination because of his divisive proposals like a plan to deport 11 million illegal immigrants. Cruz has run in second place behind Trump and could conceivably win enough Republican delegates to take the nomination. Ohio Governor John Kasich’s lone path to the nomination is to extend the nomination race until the party’s national convention in July. The idea is to deny Trump the required 1,237 delegates needed and force party leaders to consider someone else. A source close to Bush said Bush picked Cruz because he has the most viable path to the nomination and has shown that he can win states. The source said Bush considers a push for a contested convention to be a “hail-Mary strategy at best.” In the weeks after he withdrew, Bush met in Miami with former rivals Cruz, Kasich and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. Rubio dropped out of the race after losing Florida last week. Bush spoke by phone to Cruz on Monday. In his statement, Bush resumed his sharp criticism of Trump, saying Republican voters must move to overcome “the divisiveness and vulgarity” that Trump has brought into the political arena “or we will certainly lose our chance to defeat the Democratic nominee and reverse President (Barack) Obama’s failed policies.” “To win, Republicans need to make this election about proposing solutions to the many challenges we face, and I believe that we should vote for Ted as he will do just that,” Bush said. In a statement, Cruz said Bush’s endorsement “is further evidence that Republicans are continuing to unite behind our campaign to nominate a proven conservative” to defeat Democratic favorite Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 election. | 1 |
1,256 | Bernie Sanders Just Got One Of The Most Important Endorsements Of His Campaign, So Far | Bernie Sanders just picked up one of the most important endorsements of his campaign. No, it isn t a politician, pundit, or, celebrity. It is Eric Garner s eldest daughter, Erica Garner. She, like too many others, is a family member of one of the victims of police brutality, and the racism that drives it. Her father s death helped catalyze the Black Lives Matter movement. Erica Garner has since worked as an activist. She is the founder of the Garner Way Foundation.Garner s endorsement comes in the form of a powerful essay, published in the Washington Post. In the endorsement, she writes about her disillusionment with a system that has for so long been able to pretend that the life of her father, her own, and all people of color s lives have mattered.She writes that: If our lives really mattered, we d have equal access to decent jobs, good schools and affordable housing. If our lives mattered in this country, we d have equal access to clean air, clean water and real investment in black neighborhoods. If black lives mattered in America, those who routinely brutalize us wouldn t be the ones paid, with our tax dollars, to keep us safe.I trusted establishment Democrats who claimed to represent me, only to later watch them ignore and explain away the injustice of my father s death. I trusted the system; then I watched as politicians on both sides of the aisle from Chicago s Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel to Michigan s Republican Gov. Rick Snyder disregard the will of the people they were elected to represent and abdicate their responsibility to protect them. I ve watched as our system criminalizes blackness while allowing Wall Street to bilk the American people with impunity. Sanders has met with quit a few family members of family members of high-profile victims of anti-black state violence. After taking a tour of the neighborhood Freddie Gray lived in, Sanders was disturbed, if unsurprised, by the deplorable economic conditions that people survive in. Anyone who took the walk that we took around this neighborhood would not think you are in a wealthy nation. You would think you are in a third world country, Sanders said after the tour.Then of course, there is the chance meeting with the mother and sister of Sandra Bland that occurred, and was not initially reported to the media, where Sanders promised to keep saying Bland s name. Sanders was the only candidate to say her name during the first Democratic debate. The lawyer for Walter Scott s family publicly endorsed Sanders.In her endorsement, Garner lays out who she think s will be the best candidate to serve black people, by saying: Who will address the criminalization of our people? Who understands that we re experiencing an economic crisis made worse by structural barriers to jobs and education? Who will bring us closer to real safety, freedom and power? Who has clearly shown us where they stand?The answer is someone who started this work well before campaign season, who understands our deaths as tragedies not political talking points and someone who will speak out against the wars being waged against our communities. Not someone who only pays attention to our concerns when it s time to collect our votes. Not someone who gives us bread crumbs and expects us to be full.Black Americans all Americans need a leader with a record that speaks for itself. And to me, it s clear. Of all the presidential candidates, Sen. Bernie Sanders is our strongest ally. Earlier in January, Eric Garner s mother, Gwen Carr, endorsed Hillary Clinton. Her endorsement was put our in the form of a press release by the Clinton campaign. In the press release, Carr writes: Hillary seems to be the only candidate right now who s talking about how we can be strategic in trying to solve this problem. That s why I m endorsing her for president. In contrast, Garner sees Sanders as similar to President Obama. She writes that President Obama was decried as being too extreme and too inexperienced. I remember another candidate who dared me to believe in hope and change. His opponents said he wasn t ready for leadership. They said he couldn t win. He said, Yes, we can. And we did. I still believe we can. That s why I endorse Bernie Sanders for president. There has been a stark generational divide between Clinton and Sanders supporters, this divide between two different members of the Garner family fits that pattern and shouldn t shock anyone. Both candidates have had some trouble when it comes to racial justice issues. Sanders has had trouble recognizing the non-economic ways that violence is inflicted on people of color. Clinton, (somewhat unfairly) has had to distance herself between the policies that her husband, former president Bill Clinton, ushered in in the 1990 s. Those policies led to the dismantlement of welfare as it was known, and in some ways helped create our current era of mass incarceration. Both candidates have put out criminal justice reform packages. Here is Clinton s and here is Sanders .For some, the idea that anyone who works within the current political system will truly be an ally for people of color may be seen as wishful thinking. The politics of any movement that built on a collection of diasporic communities can be hard to nail down. Black Lives Matter is no different. But one thing is for sure, for many the black vote is no longer a guarantee for the Democratic Party. That isn t to say that people of color are jumping ship to vote for Republicans. However, with snake people, especially those in more radical activist communities, you have to earn people s votes, and support. Garner feels that Sanders has earned the title of being people of color s strongest ally. That status has a lot to do with Sanders reaction to criticism of his racial justice package.Whether that proves to be true or not, only time will tell. Regardless of who is the eventual nominee, the public must continue to work towards pushing candidates to do more than pay lip service to traditionally marginalized communities. Change does not always come easy, but it does come when people remain persistent that their communities matter. You can read Garner s full endorsement here.Featured Image Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr | 0 |
1,257 | #LockHimUp Former Oversight Chair Jason Chaffetz: If Comey’s Leaked Memos Contained Classified Information, He Should Have Handcuffs On And Go To Jail | President Donald Trump targeted former FBI Director James Comey Monday for allegedly including classified information in personal memos describing his conversations with the president.James Comey leaked CLASSIFIED INFORMATION to the media. That is so illegal! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 10, 2017Comey s removal of classified information from his office could put him in breach of FBI protocols that clearly state FBI agents will not reveal, by any means, any information or material from or related to FBI files or any other information acquired by virtue of my official employment to any unauthorized recipient without prior official written authorization by the FBI. Comey admitted he took his personal memos with him after being fired in testimony before Congress on June 8 and directed a friend of his to leak some of its contents to a New York Times reporter to rebuff some of Trump s claims. The Daily CallerThe former congressman from Utah, Jason Chaffetz, recently left the Washington DC cesspool and is now employed by FOX New. Chaffetz appeared on FOX and Friends this morning where he addressed the new Comey issue.Former Oversight Chair Jason Chaffetz recounted a discussion he had with FBI Director James Comey on the phone. Comey is usually a jovial, open person on the phone , but when Jason Chaffetz brought up the memos he got very silent.Chaffetz then made a surprising statement to the Fox and Friends hosts: If Comey s Leaked Memos Contained Classified Information, He Should Have Handcuffs On And Go To JailChaffetz recounts a discussion he had with former FBI director, James Comey, on the phone. "You cannot take classified information & release it, if you do you should have handcuffs on you & go to jail."-Chaffetz on James Comey pic.twitter.com/gQdSBQGwaK Corryn (@Corrynmb) July 10, 2017 | 0 |
1,258 | 'Dreamer' immigration bill not on U.S. Senate agenda this month | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate will not consider an immigration bill as part of year-end legislation but will turn to a measure protecting immigrant youths known as “Dreamers” in January, No. 2 Senate Republican John Cornyn said on Monday. Cornyn also said that if Congress cannot meet an early March deadline for passing legislation providing the protections against deportation for undocumented immigrants who were brought illegally into the United States as children, President Donald Trump could consider extending the deadline. In interviews over the past several days, both Republican and Democratic lawmakers and aides said that talks on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) have been quietly making progress. “The president has given us enough time to deal with this before March and so I think that’s plenty of time and I expect us to meet it,” Cornyn told reporters. “If we can’t, then the president could extend the deadline if he chose to do so. But this is something we’re going to turn to, I’m sure, in January.” Tensions between Republicans and Democrats over the issue of legislative protections for Dreamers increased this fall after Trump took a hard line on the conditions for a deal. An intense lobbying campaign has been underway to urge lawmakers to find a permanent legislative fix after the Republican president ended the DACA program in September. He gave Congress until early March to come up with a legislative replacement. On Capitol Hill, advocates have handed out buttons to lawmakers and aides with the number “122,” referring to the estimated number of Dreamers each day who already are losing the temporary legal status they had under DACA. Immigration advocates have erected a huge monitor on the National Mall. Situated at the base of the U.S. Capitol for lawmakers and tourists alike to see, it broadcasts videos of Dreamers pleading for help. Meanwhile, seven DACA beneficiaries from Mexico, Argentina and Colombia were in the fourth day of a hunger strike to draw attention to the issue. Republican Representative John Carter, a veteran of past immigration debates, said he worried Democrats want to go way beyond the scope of DACA and the approximately 800,000 Dreamers who at one time or another were covered by Democratic former President Barack Obama’s executive order. “They’re talking Dream Act,” Carter said referring to the legislation offered by Democratic Senator Dick Durbin and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. “And that number is about 2 million people. That’s too much.” Past legislative attempts to allow Dreamers to get work permits and drivers licenses, open bank accounts and “come out of the shadows” have stalled as conservative Republicans and lobbying groups objected to giving “amnesty” to anyone who entered the United States illegally - even those who had no choice in the matter and have grown up here. Democratic Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham, who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said Republican demands for additional resources for immigration enforcement throughout the United States and not just at the border are a major problem. Her concern is that the Trump administration might use the money to hire more federal agents to nab undocumented relatives of Dreamers. “If you’re going to come in and go to hospitals and go to courtrooms and go to schools” in search of family members, “I’m not going to do that,” she said in an interview. | 1 |
1,259 | BREAKING: SUPREME COURT Delivers Major Blow To Obama’s Carbon Emissions Scam | Some great news on the carbon emissions rule! The Supreme Court agreed to stop enforcement until legal challenges are resolved. This power grab is something that s not good on any level and in spite of the statement that it would create job it s a job killer! Just ask anyone connected to the coal industry.A divided Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to halt enforcement of President Barack Obama s sweeping plan to address climate change until after legal challenges are resolved.The surprising move is a blow to the administration and a victory for the coalition of 27 mostly Republican-led states and industry opponents that call the regulations an unprecedented power grab. By temporarily freezing the rule the high court s order signals that opponents have made a strong argument against the plan. A federal appeals court last month refused to put it on hold.The court s four liberal justices said they would have denied the request.The plan aims to stave off the worst predicted impacts of climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions at existing power plants by about one-third by 2030.Appellate arguments are set to begin June 2.The compliance period starts in 2022, but states must submit their plans to the Environmental Protection Administration by September or seek an extension.Many states opposing the plan depend on economic activity tied to such fossil fuels as coal, oil and gas. They argued that power plants will have to spend billions of dollars to begin complying with a rule that may end up being overturned.Implementation of the rules is considered essential to the United States meeting emissions-reduction targets in a global climate agreement signed in Paris last month.Read more: CNBC | 0 |
1,260 | Russia says ready to work with North Korea to resolve missile crisis | MOSCOW (Reuters) - Moscow is prepared to work with Pyongyang to try to find a peaceful resolution to the North Korean missile crisis, the Russian Foreign ministry said on Friday. The comments came in a statement issued by the ministry after a meeting between Russian ambassador-at-large Oleg Burmistrov and Choe Son-hui, director-general of the North American department of North Korea s foreign ministry. Choe also met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov, the ministry said. The Russian side confirmed its readiness to combine efforts in the interests of finding ways to solve the problems in the region by peaceful, political and diplomatic means, it said. | 1 |
1,261 | J.K. Rowling Slaps Down Racist Twitter Reply, Throws Shade Worthy Of A Standing Ovation | A lot of people have a lot to say about the role of Hermione Granger, of the famed Harry Potter series, now being played by black actress Noma Dumezweni in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. However, none more than Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling herself who has slapped down all criticism calling critics idiots and a bunch of racists, because they are.In the latest bout of criticism being thrown at Rowling, one Potter fan decided they would tell her how to cast her own film. You know, because they know best. This person named Dan took to Twitter and said: It is not about racism. It is just about consistency of the movie. How come you cannot find even a good white actress @jk_rowling it is not about racism. It is just about consistency of the movie. How come you cannot find even a good white actress Dan (@Dan49905785) June 10, 2016First sign you re a Twitter troll? You can t even take the time to upload a selfie it would take three seconds to take and upload. However, Rowling wasn t going to let this clear racism slide, even though she was clearly being trolled.Not even giving a clear f*ck what this racist, not racist person has to say, Rowling threw the ultimate shade right back when she said: We found the best actress and she s black. Bye bye, now. We found the best actress and she's black. Bye bye, now. https://t.co/1fGmP5znHP J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 10, 2016Good for you, Rowling. That s the only response that is needed.Featured Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | 0 |
1,262 | NBC Gets Brutal With Donald Trump, Releasing The Video He Never Wanted Us To See (VIDEO) | NBC s Today show took the gloves off against Donald Trump on Wednesday morning, rolling a video compilation that will no doubt leave the vainglorious candidate red-faced with rage.Fresh from his victory in Florida, which ended the campaign of home-town candidate Marco Rubio, Trump moves a step closer to becoming the presumptive Republican candidate for President. But NBC rained on his parade by releasing the video he never wanted us to see. The compilation underscores the lack of integrity of the candidate.In the video, Trump is being asked about a powerful new ad against him, funded by the Our Principles PAC, in which women read out the toxic comments Trump has made against other women.Introducing the segment, host Matt Lauer takes a clip of Trump speaking on Good Morning America on Tuesday, and follows up with his statements on Today just a few minutes later, revealing how the candidate gives a totally different story in each interview. This is what happened: He talked to ABC first. Here s what he said when asked about that ad, Lauer states, rolling the footage.We see Trump on Good Morning America, stating that: Well, you know, I have seen it. And it was a Romney deal, Lauer then moves to the second clip, saying: Just a couple minutes later, he appeared live on this show. Here s what he had to say, In the next clip, filmed literally minutes after his previous statement, Trump has a completely different story. Honestly, I have not seen the ad. So I would have to see it. I have heard about the ad, but I have not seen the ad. So, just minutes apart, Trump has gone from saying that not only has he seen the video, but claiming to know that Mitt Romney is behind it to revealing that he hasn t even seen the footage.So far the Trump campaign has made no formal response to the video, but it is highly embarrassing for the candidate who claims to be bringing a fresh, plain-speaking approach to politics. But of course, it s no surprise to anyone actually bothering to fact-check Donald Trump. After all, a recent study by Politico which analyzed more than 40 hours of footage from the Trump campaign found that candidate lies on average every five minutes. That might entertain some who are viewing this election campaign as if it were a reality show, but if Trump makes it to the White House, those voters will be join their fellow Americans in a reality most will find unbearable. Featured image via screengrab | 0 |
1,263 | HILLARY TO OBAMA: “call off your f–king dogs” | According to insider, and author Edward Klein, Hillary took on Barack Obama over his involvement in exposing her email scandal several months ago. Many Americans are wondering if Obama is stonewalling the FBI s investigation, or if in fact, he is encouraging the investigation, hoping it will take her down. This isn t the first report of Hillary behaving in a manner that is, shall we say, un-presidential? According to White House insiders, it seems that Bill has been on the receiving end of Hillary s rage more than once as well An enraged Hillary Rodham Clinton blew up at President Obama, demanding he call off your f king dogs looking into her emails during a tense Oval Office meeting, according to a new book.The book, Unlikeable: The Problem with Hillary, says the former first lady was furious at what she believed were damaging leaks by Obama aides that led to investigations of her use of a private email server as secretary of state. So she went right to the top to settle the matter.Clinton requested a meeting with Obama, against the advice of hubby Bill Clinton, believing she was being persecuted for minor, meaningless violations, author Edward Klein writes.Clinton initially took a friendly approach during the meeting and Obama reacted as if he didn t know what she was talking about, the book claims. He was almost being deliberately dense, a Clinton source said. It really angered her. Clinton lost her temper and called the president by his first name in an emotionally driven break with White House decorum, according to the book. What I want for you to do is call off your f king dogs, Barack! Clinton allegedly barked at Obama, according to Klein s account, which cited sources close to Clinton and Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett.The president was so stunned by Clinton s disrespectful demands, he needed a moment to compose himself, the book claims.Obama then responded, There is nothing I can do for you one way or another. Things have been set in motion, and I can t and won t interfere. Your problems are, frankly, of your own making. If you had been honest . . . Klein reports Clinton interrupted, There are always haters out there to get the Clintons. The Democratic 2016 front-runner is said to have later regretted her tirade against the president not for the disrespect she showed, but for the weakness she displayed.Nick Merrill, Clinton s spokesman, called Klein s account bulls t. Another book? Someone should do a book about Ed, said Merrill. They could call it Bulls t: The Problem with Anything Ed Klein Writes. The only true thing about him is his consistent and utter lack of a relationship with the facts, Merrill said. He has more hair than credibility, and the man is bald. So we re not going to get down in the gutter with him and his outrageous fabrications. Via: NYPHillary s on a mission to be a softer, warmer, funnier candidate but according to a new book, the real Hillary Clinton is so volatile and prone to violent outbursts that she terrorizes staff, Secret Service agents and even her own husband. Hillary Clinton has a long history of being domestically violent with Bill, Stone writes. Hillary has beaten Bill, hit him with hard objects, scratched and clawed him, and made him bleed. | 0 |
1,264 | Trump Has Total UNHINGED Scatter-Brained Mental Meltdown For The Entire World To See | Donald Trump is desperate to distract everyone from keeping up with his Russia scandal.In yet another early morning Twitter rant, Trump blew several fuses and made it clear that he must not be allowed to continue being president any longer.First, Trump attacked Jeff Sessions and demanded he persecute Hillary Clinton.Ukrainian efforts to sabotage Trump campaign quietly working to boost Clinton. So where is the investigation A.G. @seanhannity Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017Then he attacked the acting head of the FBI.Problem is that the acting head of the FBI & the person in charge of the Hillary investigation, Andrew McCabe, got $700,000 from H for wife! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017Trump then attacked Republicans and demanded they pass his terrible Trumpcare bill, and went on to compare Obamacare to torture.Big day for HealthCare. After 7 years of talking, we will soon see whether or not Republicans are willing to step up to the plate! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017ObamaCare is torturing the American People.The Democrats have fooled the people long enough. Repeal or Repeal & Replace! I have pen in hand. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017Trump even delusionally claimed that Jared Kushner proved that there was no collusion with Russia.Jared Kushner did very well yesterday in proving he did not collude with the Russians. Witch Hunt. Next up, 11 year old Barron Trump! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017Except that he offered no proof whatsoever and his testimony, which was not under oath, has been torn apart.Trump also threatened the European Union for protecting their own workforce.Working on major Trade Deal with the United Kingdom. Could be very big & exciting. JOBS! The E.U. is very protectionist with the U.S. STOP! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017And then he returned to ranting about healthcare with one final tweet.This will be a very interesting day for HealthCare.The Dems are obstructionists but the Republicans can have a great victory for the people! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017Donald Trump is not fit to serve as president. The 25th Amendment needs to be invoked or Congress needs to impeach him. He should be in prison or a mental institution, not in the White House with access to nuclear weapons.Featured image via Steve Pope/Getty Images | 0 |
1,265 | Kelly confirms he's been asked to be U.S. homeland security secretary: Fox News | (Reuters) - Retired Marine Corps General John Kelly, reached while traveling in Australia, has confirmed that he has been asked to serve as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s homeland security secretary, Fox News reported on Wednesday. Fox quoted Kelly as saying he had been asked to be homeland security secretary and would consider it an honor. | 1 |
1,266 | VIOLENT DEMOCRATS Punch And Harass TRUMP Supporters…Burn Flags At Fundraiser [Video] | The left showed its true colors last night with serious violence and anti-American flag burning. Donald Trump held a fundraiser at the Minneapolis Convention Center that began and ended with violence and destruction. These people must not understand that punching people and burning American flags wins you ZERO support.It s one thing to be on opposite sides of an issue and opposite parties but THIS is shameful and hateful behavior by Hillary s henchmen.Protesters blocked the entrance hoping Trump couldn t get in: Then DURING THE TRUMP FUNDRAISER in Minneapolis, the crowd of Hillary supporters were banging on doors and windows as the crowd inside the convention center held their event but then the Trump supporters had to walk through a gauntlet to leave. You will be shocked to see the terrified Trump supporters being hit and yelled at:Some protesters got aggressive at the end of the night as Trump supporters left Minneapolis fundraiser. @StarTribune pic.twitter.com/gNcZGYhqBm Renee JonesSchneider (@reneejon) August 20, 2016TRUMP SUPPORTERS WERE PUNCHED, VERBALLY ABUSED AND HAD GARBAGE THROWN AT THEM:Trump supporters run gauntlet to get into Minneapolis Convention Center pic.twitter.com/Ax8lfdqIUR Jaime DeLage (@JaimeDeLage) August 20, 2016HILLARY SUPPORTERS BURNING THE AMERICAN FLAG:Flag burning outside the Minneapolis Convention Center as #DonaldTrump supporters leave event. pic.twitter.com/ZU7XSuTALL Jaime DeLage (@JaimeDeLage) August 20, 2016PROTESTERS JUMPED ON THE HOOD OF A CAR IN TRUMP S MOTORCADE:Protesters, earlier tonight, trying to stop #Trump s motorcade after his fundraiser in the convention center pic.twitter.com/UUguW2viZ1 Emma Sapong (@EmmaSapong) August 20, 2016 | 0 |
1,267 | Germany must ready for turbulent times under Trump: foreign minister | BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany must brace itself for turbulent times under U.S. President Donald Trump, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Sunday, adding that free trade and trans-Atlantic cooperation to fight extremism and terrorism were key for Berlin. Steinmeier, who in August said Trump was a “Hassprediger” or “hate preacher”, wrote in the mass-circulation Bild newspaper that some members of the new U.S. administration understand the importance of allies like Germany. “I know, we must prepare ourselves for turbulent times, unpredictability and uncertainty,” Steinmeier said. “But I am convinced that we will find in Washington attentive listeners, who know that even big countries need partners in this world.” Trump unsettled German leaders with remarks such as that Britain will not be the last country to leave the European Union and with threats to impose high tariffs on imports from China and Mexico. Their response after he took office on Friday has been mixed. Chancellor Angela Merkel, who attended the opening of a museum outside Berlin as Trump was being sworn in on Friday, has said she would seek compromises with Trump on issues like trade and military spending and that she would work on preserving the important relationship between Europe and the United States. Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said on Friday Germany should prepare for a rough ride under the new U.S. president and that Europe would have to craft a new economic policy geared toward China should Trump pursue protectionism. Trump has also criticised Merkel’s decision in 2015 to throw open Germany’s borders to asylum seekers, and has said he believes the NATO military alliance is obsolete. German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said in an interview with the Handelsblatt newspaper to be published on Monday: “NATO is not a (business) deal. You can’t buy trust.” Under fire from Trump for not meeting NATO’s goals of spending two percent of national output on defence, Germany said this week it would meet that goal and demanded that the new U.S. administration map out a consistent foreign policy. Von der Leyen said that European countries should be ready to modernise the almost 70 years old military alliance and split its financing in a fairer manner. | 1 |
1,268 | NRA Breaks Silence On Orlando By Claiming ‘Political Correctness’ Caused The Massacre | As is typical for the NRA whenever there s a high-profile shooting, they waited days before issuing a real statement on Orlando. They likely do this so they can craft a statement that makes themselves and all gun owners out to be the real victims, instead of calling the shooting what it was and using their considerable clout to work on doing something real about it.In the case of the Orlando massacre, they re saying Obama s politically correct refusal to actually go after radical Islamic terrorists is what caused this. Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA), wrote an op-ed that was published in USA Today about the whole tragedy. As expected, he toed the party line instead of saying something of substance. But the real gem was the second paragraph: The terrorist in Orlando had been investigated multiple times by the FBI. He had a government-approved security guard license with a contractor for the Department of Homeland Security. Yet his former co-workers reported violent and racist comments. Unfortunately, the Obama administration s political correctness prevented anything from being done about it. Funny thing is, he just debunked the NRA s whole argument that this is Obama s fault right there. By mentioning how Omar Mateen was on the FBI s radar for possible ties to terrorist groups, Cox completely destroyed his own argument. Mateen was able to get his guns legally despite having been the subject of two FBI investigations for ties to radical Islamic groups because of the NRA, not Obama, and certainly not political correctness. Mateen had no criminal record and already had a concealed carry permit as a licensed security officer. It s not clear whether he was on any terror watch lists, but even if he had been, he may still have been legally able to buy guns. Senate Republicans might have been able to stop this, but instead, they killed a bill that would have prevented suspected terrorists from buying guns last year, on the grounds that it would only hurt innocent Americans who happen to end up on that list for no reason.They ll do anything to maintain their A+ ratings with the NRA. Who cares who dies? The NRA s blessings are the only things that matter here.For its own part, the NRA-ILA once wrote about a study saying criminals don t get their guns legally anyway. The implication there is that we can t stop criminals from getting guns, so everything we could do to prevent even some criminals from getting guns is pointless.In fact, the NRA s policies actually serve to arm criminals, potential terrorists and other violent people more easily. John Fugelsang said it perfectly with this tweet:Guns don t kill ppl, but NRA ppl who own Congress ppl make it very easy for deranged ppl to get guns & kill innocent ppl. John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) June 14, 2016But we don t need a tweet to prove this. The Coalition To Stop Gun Violence has a list of all the ways the NRA s work actually arms dangerous people:For details on just how the NRA accomplishes each of these items, click on the link above.The laxness that allowed Mateen to get his guns exists because of the NRA s more guns everywhere crusade. The massacre at the Pulse nightclub didn t happen because Obama is too weak and politically correct to do something about radical Islamic terrorism. It happened in large part because the NRA created the very environment that allowed Mateen to get his guns. To blame Obama and his political correctness is a gross and disgusting insult to everyone who has died at the hands of someone with a gun. Guns don t kill people, people kill people, is what the NRA s entire agenda boils down to. But a gun makes it far, far easier for a murderer to murder. The NRA is cold and callous, and Cox s attempt to twist this into a problem of political correctness is absolutely vile.Featured image by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images | 0 |
1,269 | Trump to host Libyan Prime Minister Sarraj at White House on Friday | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will host Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj at the White House on Friday for talks on counterterrorism cooperation and ways to expand bilateral engagement, the White House in a statement on Wednesday. | 1 |
1,270 | Factbox: Trump on Twitter (Aug 2) - Small business owners | The following statements were posted to the verified Twitter accounts of U.S. President Donald Trump, @realDonaldTrump and @POTUS. The opinions expressed are his own. Reuters has not edited the statements or confirmed their accuracy. @realDonaldTrump : - Small business owners are the DREAMERS & INNOVATORS who are powering us into the future! Read more and watch here:bit.ly/2uYZdol [0938 EDT] - It was my great honor to pay tribute to a VET who went above & beyond the call of duty to PROTECT our COMRADES, our COUNTRY, & OUR FREEDOM! [1009 EDT] -- Source link: (bit.ly/2jBh4LU) (bit.ly/2jpEXYR) | 1 |
1,271 | U.S. lawmakers want say on any Trump Russia sanctions move | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican and Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives called on Wednesday for the right to review any effort by President Donald Trump to ease sanctions on Russia, as a growing number of lawmakers worried over past contacts between his aides and Moscow. Three Republican and four Democratic members of the House introduced the “Russian Sanctions Review Act,” a companion bill to a measure introduced in the Senate by a separate group of Republicans and Democrats last week. Prospects for both bills are uncertain for now, although that could change if the Trump administration were to move to ease sanctions imposed on Moscow. Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was forced out on Monday after revelations he had discussed the issue of sanctions with the Russian ambassador to Washington before Trump took office last month, and had then misrepresented to Vice President Mike Pence what he talked about. The affair has thrown a spotlight on U.S. relations with Moscow, which Trump has long said he would like to improve. One sponsor of the House bill, Representative Steny Hoyer, the number two Democrat in the House, said the bill’s backers would discuss with House leaders whether they would allow the legislation to come up for a vote. Trump’s fellow Republicans control majorities in both the Senate and House. To date, congressional leaders have not moved to advance any new legislation related to sanctions on Russia. Both bills are modeled on a 2015 law that let Congress review the Iran nuclear agreement between the United States and other major powers negotiated by former President Barack Obama’s administration. Among other things, the measures would require the Trump administration to submit to Congress a description of any proposed easing of sanctions on Russia, and to certify that Moscow had stopped supporting actions to undermine the government of Ukraine or cyber attacks on the United States or its people. The loudest protests about contacts between Trump aides and Russia have come from Democrats, despite their insistence that investigating Russian influence on the U.S. election should not be a partisan issue. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia sought to tilt the 2016 election in Trump’s favor by hacking and leaking Democratic emails. The Republicans who co-sponsored the House bill did not attend a news conference about it on Wednesday. Hoyer nonetheless said he expected the bills would be backed by enough lawmakers in both houses of Congress to withstand any potential veto by Trump. | 1 |
1,272 | HILLARY 2016 FAN JAMES TAYLOR: “Every day that Barack Obama and Michelle Obama are in the White House is a day that I am thankful for” | Time to exhale James Barack Obama supporter James Taylor doesn t just think the U.S. president is great he believes Obama is the greatest of all-time. I ve been watching politics since (Dwight) Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, and Obama is my favorite, favorite president, Taylor said in an interview Wednesday. I am just thankful for every day that he s in office. I am so proud that he represents my country and I think he represents me I think he represents the America that I know. Taylor, 67, is a recipient of the National Medal of Arts. The pop icon performed America the Beautiful at Obama s second inauguration in 2013. I had a really tough time during the Cheney-Bush years, I did, and I had a hard time accepting that that administration represented me because I don t think they did, Taylor said.The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer also called Obama s family precious and said he appreciates the U.S. leader because he s sane and balanced. He promised to give us a health care system, it s a work in progress, but he has put us on a road to that, Taylor said. I m so grateful for what he s done for gay rights and for the emancipation of gay people. Particularly from my point of view, I think that was so overdue and so important, and so important for America to be ahead of the curve on this. Taylor criticized Congress in Obama s defense. I ve never seen a Congress that has been so obstructive and so contrary and so committed to doing anything that will foul up this administration. I just think it s an absolute scandal that he has had so little cooperation, he said. So anyway, you hit a nerve and I ll go on forever. But I ll just say it a third time: Every day that Barack Obama and Michelle Obama are in the White House is a day that I am thankful for. Obama isn t the only politician Taylor is supporting: The singer said he s on the Hillary Rodham Clinton train, too. And aside from the fact that she s a woman running, she s the right person. The whole point black or white, male or female, gay or straight, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, atheist it doesn t matter what these other connections are, he said. Our country needs to come together and the question is, Is this public servant someone who will bring us together? And I think she is. Taylor will release a new album, Before This World, on June 16, and will perform a concert for SiriusXM at The Apollo in New York City on the same day. He will also launch a U.S. tour in July.Via: AP News | 0 |
1,273 | Uruguay vice president quits amid probe into use of public funds | MONTEVIDEO (Reuters) - Uruguay s Vice President Raul Sendic presented his resignation on Saturday amid accusations that he misused public funds while heading state oil company Ancap. He first made the announcement at a special meeting of the Frente Amplio (FA) governing party. I presented to the plenary of the FA my irreversible resignation from the vice presidency. I also told President Tabare Vazquez, he wrote in a tweet. The party s ethics committee has ruled that Sendic used his Ancap credit cards to buy personal items including books and furniture. He headed the oil company from 2008 to 2009 and 2010 to 2013. No criminal charges have been filed against Sendic. | 1 |
1,274 | Spanish Supreme Court frees Catalan parliament speaker on bail | MADRID (Reuters) - A Spanish judge on Thursday freed on bail the Catalan parliament s speaker and four lawmakers while authorities continue to investigate their roles in Catalonia s banned independence drive. The Supreme Court had summoned them to answer charges of rebellion after they enabled an Oct. 27 declaration of independence that prompted the Spanish government to dissolve the Catalan parliament and sack the regional administration. Speaker Carme Forcadell will be transferred to the Alcala Meco prison outside Madrid and kept there until she pays 150,000-euro bail, court sources said. The four lawmakers must pay bail of 25,000 euros while a fifth was released without bail. Judge Pablo Llarena wrote in Thursday s ruling: All the accused ... have expressed that either they renounce future political activity or, those that remain active, will in future renounce any actions outside the constitutional framework. The judge s decision to reject prosecutors requests to jail them gives the separatists, whose leader Carles Puigdemont went into self-imposed exile in Belgium last week, some breathing space as lower courts have been steadily tightening the legal noose. Eight former members of the Catalan government and the leaders of the two main pro-independence grassroots groups remain in custody awaiting trial at the High Court on charges of rebellion and sedition. On Thursday, the High Court rejected an appeal presented by their lawyers for their release, a court spokeswoman said. The High Court last week issued an arrest warrant on rebellion charges for Puigdemont, the former regional government president, and four former members of his cabinet who are with him in Brussels. After the ruling, Puigdemont tweeted: Carme Forcadell will spend the night in prison for allowing a democratic debate. For allowing speaking and voting! That s Spanish democracy for you. The Catalan independence push has deeply divided Spain, dragging it into its worst political crisis since the return of democracy four decades ago and fuelling anti-Spanish sentiment in Catalonia and nationalist tendencies elsewhere. The struggle has also divided Catalonia itself, and cracks have begun appearing within the pro-independence movement. On Tuesday, Puigdemont s PDeCAT party failed to agree on a united ticket to contest a regional election with another secessionist party, making it difficult for the pro-independence camp to govern Catalonia after the vote and press ahead with its bid to split from Spain. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called the election following the independence declaration, which the Constitutional Court ruled was against the constitution. Forcadell earlier told the Supreme Court that the declaration was not legally binding, according to court sources, in a comment that could undermine the secessionist push. At the time she described Rajoy s actions as a coup and an attack against democracy . The Supreme Court on Thursday took a softer tone than the High Court did in its own ruling that jailed the former government members. Citizens supporting an idea of independence is legitimate, Judge Llarena wrote. But, he added: It can be excluded that the accused aspired to gain independence through legal means. The Supreme Court decided on Thursday to take over two other cases against Forcadell and the lawmakers currently overseen by a Catalan court, suggesting its judges were looking to centralize all legal proceedings involving the independence vote under one roof. The Supreme Court, which handles cases against defendants with parliamentary immunity, has legal powers to also take over the Spanish High Court case involving the government members but so far has made no statement on its intentions. | 1 |
1,275 | Beijing police detains teacher related to alleged abuse at RYB kindergarten | BEIJING (Reuters) - The police of Beijing s Chaoyang district have detained a teacher on suspicion of abuse at a RYB kindergarten, the police said in an statement posted on its official Weibo account. The Chaoyang police have also arrested another person for disrupting social disorder by spreading false information about the alleged kindergarten abuse and causing odious social influence, it said in a separate Weibo posting. | 1 |
1,276 | Trump to announce terrorism list decision on North Korea next week: White House | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump will announce his decision next week on whether to put North Korea on a U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, the White House said on Thursday. “I believe the president will be making an announcement ... on that at the first part of next week,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said at a news briefing. | 1 |
1,277 | Ackman, Valeant pledge reforms after spiking drug prices | WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Activist investor William Ackman promised U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday that he will urge the board of Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX.TO) to reduce the high prices of four life-saving drugs that are now at the heart of two congressional probes. Speaking before the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Ackman revealed that Valeant’s board will hold a conference call on Thursday to discuss the costs of heart medications Isuprel and Nitropress, as well as Cuprimine and Syprine, two drugs that are used to treat a genetic disorder that causes copper to build up in the body’s organs. Valeant raised the price of Isuprel by about 720 percent and Nitropress by 310 percent, after acquiring them in 2015. The other two were raised by 5,878 percent and 3,162 percent, respectively. “My recommendation is going to be to reduce the prices,” Ackman testified. The Senate Special Committee on Aging is one of two U.S. congressional panels investigating sky-rocketing price increases of certain decades-old drugs acquired by companies including Valeant and Turing Pharmaceuticals, a company founded by Martin Shkreli. Ackman, a major Valeant shareholder, appeared Wednesday alongside the company’s outgoing Chief Executive Michael Pearson and Howard Schiller, a board member and former chief financial officer. Ackman joined the board last month as Valeant faced mounting scrutiny by members of Congress, prosecutors and regulators over its drug pricing, business practices and accounting - issues that have caused its share price to plummet almost 90 percent since August. Valeant has about $30 billion of debt and has been negotiating with creditors, some of whom issued notices of default after it missed a deadline for the filing of its financial results. Ackman said Wednesday that one of his top priorities is to protect the company from bankruptcy. Later, in response to a question from Reuters, he expressed confidence that the company will recover. “There is not going to be any bankruptcy of Valeant,” he said. “We were in a death spiral, and we have taken steps to deal with the banks. We are going to file our 10K on time. We brought in a new CEO.” Pearson, Ackman and Schiller all told lawmakers on Wednesday they regretted Valeant’s pricing decisions. “The company was too aggressive and I, as its leader, was too aggressive in pursuing price increases on certain drugs,” he said. But many lawmakers on the panel appeared skeptical. They questioned Valeant’s business model of investing little in research and development, and the company’s practice of acquiring decades-old drugs and raising the prices. Senator Claire McCaskill, the panel’s top Democrat, angrily asked each of the panelists at one point if they could recall one drug that Valeant didn’t raise the price on. “Not in the United States,” Pearson responded, while Schiller was only able to come up with the name of one drug Valeant acquired after its purchase of Salix. “That is not social good, that is social bad,” McCaskill said. Lawmakers also questioned whether Valeant’s patient assistance and rebate programs are truly helping patients and hospitals afford the medications. Senator Susan Collins, the panel’s chairman, said her committee’s investigation has thus far been unable to find a single hospital that has received a discount. “I can assure you that many of the large hospital systems are getting discounts on the heart drugs,” Pearson said. Pearson is expected to step down in the coming weeks to make way for the incoming CEO, Joseph Papa, previously of Perrigo Company (PRGO.N). Wednesday’s hearing also featured testimony from doctors and a patient with Wilson’s Disease who was forced to stop using Syprine because of the price spike. Dr. Frederick Askari of the University of Michigan told the panel that the cost of Syprine is now so high that it has become less expensive to get a liver transplant and a life-time supply of anti-rejection medications. The patient, Berna Heyman, testified that Valeant refused to help her when she called to complain about the prices. Later, after speaking with the media, the company changed its tune, offered to help, and even sent flowers. “I refused the flowers,” she said. | 1 |
1,278 | This Newspaper Is Filing A Lawsuit Against A Republican Lawmaker For Calling Them ‘Fake News’ | Donald Trump better watch out because news organizations aren t going to take being called fake news anymore.If the Daily Sentinel files a defamation lawsuit against a Republican Colorado state senator it could trigger an avalanche of lawsuits by news organizations across the country.On Wednesday, the Sentinel published an opinion piece demanding that GOP state Senator Ray Scott allow an open records bill to pass the committee he chairs.Public records laws are important tools for combating misinformation and getting to the truth. But the state has no obligation to provide electronic records in useful formats that easily lend themselves to analysis.Senate Bill 40 would change that. The bill requires records custodians to provide records in digital forms if kept that way and requested as such. If a government agency keeps records in an Excel spreadsheet, for example, it should deliver them via open records request in the same format not paper copies or PDFs, which aren t searchable, sortable or easy to aggregate.But first SB40 has to get past the same Senate committee that killed a similar version last year. The State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee was supposed to consider the bill on Monday but Republican Sen. Ray Scott of Grand Junction, who chairs the committee, said it wouldn t be heard as scheduled. SB 40 deserves a fair hearing before the full Senate, the Sentinel continued. We call on our own Sen. Scott to announce a new committee hearing date and move this bill forward. Open records shouldn t be a partisan issue. We have a difficult time understanding why anyone would oppose easier access to government data, which belongs to the public. Well, Scott didn t like being called out so he responded by accusing the Sentinel of being fake news. The very liberal GJ Sentinel is attempting to apply pressure for me to move a bill, Scott wrote. They have no facts, as usual, and tried to call me out on SB 40 know as the CORA bill. They haven t contacted me to get any information on why the bill has been delayed but choose to run a fake news story demanding I run the bill. You may have a barrel of ink but it just splashed in your face. We have our own fake news in Grand Junction.. The very liberal GJ Sentinel is attempting to apply (more: https://t.co/VYmpfgM6X9 ) Ray Scott (@SCOTTFORCOLO) February 9, 2017Once again, a Republican attacked the media by calling them fake news in response to a story they don t like.As we have seen on the national level, news outlets have begun directly calling out Donald Trump whenever he refers to a media outlet as fake news. But the Daily Sentinel is going a step further, and if they succeed, Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway, and other Republicans should be more careful about what they say. Setting aside for the moment the mischaracterizations and mistakes in Sen. Scott s tweet, (though it is true we were not able to reach him about why he canceled the hearing) the concern for me is the allegation that the Sentinel peddles fake news, wrote Sentinel publisher Jay Seaton. His tweet is patently, provably false. Worse, he made his false statement knowingly for the purpose of diminishing the only real asset this newspaper has: its credibility. Seaton is letting things cool down for the moment, but is planning on filing a defamation lawsuit against Scott.This would be a huge deal since the Sentinel would be the first news outlet to sue a lawmaker for calling them fake news. Keep in mind that Donald Trump has repeatedly called CNN, the New York Times and other mainstream media outlets fake news on Twitter and during press conferences. So have other members of his administration in response to stories they don t like.Imagine if all of these news outlets got together and filed a massive defamation lawsuit against Trump.It would be monumental and Trump would be in serious trouble, too, because he would have to prove his fake news claims in court. Meanwhile, the media has demonstrated on multiple occasions that Trump is wrong whenever he accuses them of running fake news stories.In short, Donald Trump should really stop calling the media fake news. They have a case against him and if this lawsuit by the Daily Sentinel moves forward and succeeds, more lawsuits of this nature could be forthcoming and Trump would be the top target.Featured image via Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images | 0 |
1,279 | Trump Jr., Kushner met with Russian lawyer: New York Times | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s eldest son, son-in-law and former election campaign manager met with a Russian lawyer linked to the Kremlin soon after Trump clinched the Republican presidential nomination last year, the New York Times reported on Saturday. The meeting at Trump Tower in Manhattan on June 9, 2016, was the first confirmed private meeting between members of the president’s inner circle and a Russian national, the newspaper reported, citing confidential government records and interviews with people familiar with the documents. Donald Trump Jr. confirmed the get-together in a statement, describing it as “a short introductory meeting” that focused mainly on the issue of child adoption. He said he also asked Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and then-campaign manager Paul Manafort to take part in the meeting. A lawyer for Kushner said Trump’s son-in-law “briefly attended” the meeting. A federal special counsel and several congressional committees are investigating possible contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian representatives, as part of a larger probe into allegations that Moscow meddled in the 2016 presidential election. The Times article appeared a day after Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the allegations of election meddling during the summit of leaders from the Group of 20 major economies in Hamburg, Germany. Donald Trump Jr. said the meeting was held primarily to discuss a popular program to help Americans adopt Russian children, which the Russian government had ended. “But it was not a campaign issue at that time and there was no follow up,” he said in the statement. “I was asked to attend the meeting by an acquaintance, but was not told the name of the person I would be meeting with beforehand.” Kushner attorney Jamie Gorelick said Trump’s son-in-law “briefly attended” the meeting, adding that Kushner had over 100 calls or meetings with representatives from more than 20 countries during the campaign and post-election transition. “As Mr. Kushner has consistently stated, he is eager to cooperate and share what he knows,” Gorelick said in a statement. A spokesman for Manafort did not respond to a Reuters query. The Times said the Russian lawyer at the meeting, Natalia Veselnitskaya, is known for campaigning against a U.S. law that blacklists suspected Russian human rights abusers. The law enraged Putin, who retaliated by halting American adoptions of Russian children, the newspaper reported. The Times said the adoption issue is a frequently used talking point for opponents of the U.S. law. | 1 |
1,280 | U.N. experts on women and children's rights decry Myanmar atrocities | GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N. committees for women s and children s rights called on Myanmar s authorities on Wednesday to immediately stop violence in northern Rakhine state, which hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled in the past six weeks. We are particularly worried about the fate of Rohingya women and children subject to serious violations of their human rights, including killings, rape and forced displacement, the committees on the elimination of discrimination against women and on the rights of the child said in a statement. Such violations may amount to crimes against humanity and we are deeply concerned at the state s failure to put an end to these shocking human rights violations being committed at the behest of the military and other security forces. | 1 |
1,281 | CAN YOU GUESS Whose Famous Voice Narrates Trump’s First TV Ad? [Video] | A new Donald Trump commercial hits Hillary Clinton on her immigration policy BUT can you guess whose voice it is? In Hillary Clinton s America, the system stays rigged against Americans, begins the voice over in the ad, which is called, Two Americas: Immigration. The actor narrating Trump s ad has a very recognizable voice! Did you guess Bruce McGill? His name may not be too familiar, but McGill s face certainly will be. The 66-year-old San Antonio native is a Rizzoli & Isles regular, and most famously appeared as D-Day in Animal House:Funny enough, in 2001 McGill appeared in the Will Smith bio flick Ali as a Spanish-speaking Hispanic immigration official. Here s a still of McGill in Legally Blonde 2 to make you say, Ahh, yeah, that guy . | 0 |
1,282 | Pentagon warns against impact of extending temporary U.S. funding bill | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter voiced opposition to extending a temporary government funding bill well into next year, saying it would negatively impact the military, including in the fight against Islamic State. Washington has been operating since Oct. 1 under a stopgap spending bill, known as a “continuing resolution,” to keep most federal programs running. It expires on Dec. 9. House and Senate leaders are negotiating the end date for a new temporary funding bill. “The most problematic shortfalls DoD (Department of Defense) will face in a long-term CR (continuing resolution) are in the operations and munitions accounts that fund counterterrorism operations and assistance in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, among other priorities,” Carter wrote in the letter to top Congressional leaders. Carter said the Pentagon had never been under such a situation during a presidential transition, calling it “unprecedented and unacceptable.” | 1 |
1,283 | OBAMA’S “VERY PICKY” About This One Thing In The White House…Trump Has A Different Outlook | According to the New York Post:President Obama is very particular about his shower head. One thing that we were very aware of is the new president wanted a special shower head, Stephen Rochon, the White House chief usher told CNN on Sunday, recalling when the Obamas moved into 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. And so we had to scramble to make sure we had the perfect rain shower head for President Obama. President-elect Trump has said he won t be giving the famous address a makeover.Trump will move into the White House Jan. 20, Inauguration Day.We re so lucky to have Trump in the Oval Office to clean up the mess from the past 8 years! He s going to slash and burn in his first 100 days in office. Honestly, who else is counting the minutes until Trump is inaugurated? We re ready! VIA: NYP | 0 |
1,284 | (Video) Yes! Cong. Chaffetz Announces Support For Cong. Trey Gowdy For Speaker! | What a fantastic choice!!! Congressman Trey Gowdy would be a fantastic Speaker of the House to replace John Boehner. It s like night and day! Gowdy is a man with loads of character! | 0 |
1,285 | Abbas: Palestinians will go to Security Council over full U.N. membership | CAIRO (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Wednesday the Palestinians will go to the United Nations Security Council over full U.N. membership after the U.S. decided to recognize Jerusalem as Israel s capital. Abbas, who spoke at an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, did not elaborate on how the Palestinians intended to become a full member state. | 1 |
1,286 | THIS Is How Far The Left Will Go To Protect Hillary Clinton…Sick! | Jeffrey Toobin chimes in to protect Hillary Clinton and it is in very poor taste but mostly untrue. The reason Mr. Toobin s claim is untrue is that Amb. Stevens asked for more security 600 times! He knew the dangers but was not putting anyone at risk it was the State Department that failed him by not adding more security!During one of the breaks in Hillary Clinton s testimony on Benghazi, Jeffrey Toobin insinuated that Ambassador Chris Stevens purposely put himself in harm s way.Stevens travelled to Benghazi from Tripoli on September 10, 2012 and planned to stay until September 14, 2012. Stevens only had two Diplomatic Security personnel with him.Committee member Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) said that Stevens had asked Clinton and her State Department multiple times for extra protection. Clinton said that Stevens did not have her personal email account but had the means to call or email any relevant person at the State Department. He had the email and he had the direct line of everybody that he worked with for years. He had been posted with officials in the State Department. They had gone through difficult, challenging, dangerous assignments together. He was in constant contact with people. Yes, he and the people working for him asked for more security. Some of those requests were approved, others were not, Clinton said.Toobin said to CNN s Wolf Blitzer that Stevens purposely put himself and the security team in dangerous situation. Yes, Mr. Toobin, blaming the victim is in very poor taste: | 0 |
1,287 | Tennessee House Speaker Warns Interns To Stay Far Away From Sleazy Male Lawmakers | Apparently, male Tennessee Republican lawmakers are so sleazy and horny that the female House Speaker has warned interns to stay far away from them.In the wake of state GOP Rep. Jeremy Durham resigning his position as Majority Whip after getting caught creepily sexting female interns, House Speaker Beth Harwell is instructing the Director of the Internship program to institute new rules to keep interns safe from the wandering eyes of male lawmakers. As a precautionary measure, I have instructed the Director of the Internship program that interns are not to attend receptions or events related to the legislature, and they are not to give their cell phone numbers to members, she announced on Monday.Harwell also announced the formation of a committee to review the 20-year-old sexual harassment policy that somehow hasn t been changed over the years. If any personnel have suggestions for improvement, I urge them to give the committee their recommendations, Harwell said. At the conclusion of this review, the members will go through sexual harassment training. But Talking Points Memo reports that Democrats are criticizing the new rules because they appear to be blaming the female interns for the behavior of male lawmakers instead of focusing on keeping the lawmakers in check. Signaling out one group of women and asking them to change their behavior is a completely inadequate and inappropriate response to a problem with alleged behavior by a lawmaker, Rep. Mike Stewart said.Stewart does have a point. At the very least, new restrictions could be instituted regulating how lawmakers interact and behave around female interns. Instead of focusing on just the interns, focus on the lawmakers equally.As for Durham, Harwell and other GOP leaders have called for him to reign his seat entirely. If the rumors I continue to hear regarding Representative Durham are true, Representative Durham needs to focus on his family and receiving the help he needs, Harwell said.GOP Chairman Ryan Haynes also called for Durham to step down. In light of these recent revelations, I do think it is important that Representative Durham step down from his position as a member of this body so that the legislators can continue to focus on the important work that Tennesseans expect us to focus on. Seriously, Tennessee. You need to get your act together because this is just embarrassing. Featured image from Twitter | 0 |
1,288 | NED RYUN ON WHITE HOUSE LEAKS: “This is not whistleblowing. This is weaponizing classified info to undermine a duly-elected President” [Video] | This is spot on! Ned Ryun joined Tucker Carlson to discuss the latest leak regarding AG Jeff Sessions. Do we even have evidence that the source is in fact telling the truth? WaPo went ahead and reported it anyway. Ryun s right when he discusses the Deep State and Mueller subverting the will of the American voter:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s8sCWnogt4This is dangerous territory and is so harmful to our president and his agenda. Tucker Carlson had more to say on this: What are these transactions? Basically any commercial activity that Trump or his family and associates conducted over the last decade that might pertain to Russia or anyone who has ever lived in Russia. Let s be clear about the politics here. This is a massive threat to the White House. A determined prosecutor can prove almost anything he wants. A prosecutor with no time limit or budget or accountability to voters? There is nobody more dangerous than that. The investigation has been slammed by very reputable lawyers who happen to be Democrats! This needs to end ASAP! | 0 |
1,289 | Why The Secret Service Is Investigating Glenn Beck (VIDEO) | The United States Secret Service is investigating conspiracy theorist and right wing radio host Glenn Beck. The probe is in relation to a statement Beck made on his nationally syndicated radio show while broadcasting from the CPAC conference.The agency is required to investigate any and all threats related to the people it is protecting, in this case it happens to be comments Beck made about Donald Trump, who Beck is opposed to. From CBS Dallas:During his radio show Friday morning, Beck and his producers were talking about the other candidates saying they would support Donald Trump if he becomes the Republican nominee.His producer mocked Beck after Beck mentioned being in the shoes of Trump s rivals: Was it gigantic shoes? asked the producer Stu Burguiere. If I was close enough and I had a knife. Really. I mean the stabbing just wouldn t stop, Beck responded, appearing to direct his comments at Burguiere.Beck s comments were blasted out by the conservative Daily Caller, which is run by Fox News host Tucker Carlson.But unlike so many other inflammatory statements from Beck, this may actually be a mistake. Beck was apparently talking about his producer, Stu Burguiere. Burguiere posted on his Facebook page after the incident noting, If you were listening, you know that Glenn actually threatened me, not Donald Trump, so I am in the odd situation of defending my boss for threatening my life. The comments may have been seen as more credible because Beck has been a critic of Trump, claiming that his preferred candidate, Ted Cruz, is more qualified and destined for the presidency than Trump. Beck has accused Trump of being a huckster and a phony.It seems fitting that a conservative media outlet s sloppy reporting led to federal law enforcement being called in on another conservative media icon.Beck has for years promoted conspiracy theories about President Obama, Democrats, and other progressives. He also claimed that Obama hates white people and that he has been using the power of the government to give black people reparations. Beck s theories were so out there that advertisers began abandoning his afternoon show on Fox News, and the network soon dropped him. Now he broadcasts online and on a few niche cable networks, while still retaining his radio show but even that is dwarfed by more successful hosts like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.Featured image via Flickr | 0 |
1,290 | Senate Republicans shove tax bill ahead as Democrats fume | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republicans rammed forward President Donald Trump’s tax-cut bill on Tuesday in an abrupt, partisan committee vote that set up a full vote by the Senate as soon as Thursday, although some details of the measure remained unsettled. As disabled protesters shouted: “Kill the bill, don’t kill us,” in a Capitol Hill hearing room, the Senate Budget Committee, with no discussion, quickly approved the legislation on a 12-11 party-line vote that left Democrats fuming. Republican committee members quickly left the room after the vote as Democrats complained about a lack of discussion on a bill that would overhaul the U.S. tax code and add an estimated $1.4 trillion to the $20 trillion national debt over 10 years. After the vote, Trump told reporters: “I think we’re going to get it passed,” adding that it would have some adjustments. Republicans are hurrying to move their complex tax legislation forward, hoping to avoid the protracted infighting that doomed their effort to repeal Obamacare four months ago. Since Trump took office in January, he and fellow Republicans in command of both chambers of Congress have approved no major legislation, a fact they want to change before facing voters in the 2018 congressional elections. If the Senate approves its tax measure later this week, it would need to be reconciled with a version already approved by the House of Representatives before anything could be sent to the White House for Trump to sign into law. Republican leaders conceded that they had yet to round up the votes needed for passage in the Senate, where they hold a narrow 52-48 majority. “It’s a challenging exercise,” Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said at a news conference. Democrats have called the Republican tax plan a giveaway to corporations and the rich. The Senate bill would slash the corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent after a one-year delay. It would impose a onetime, cut-rate tax on corporations’ foreign profits, while exempting future foreign profits from U.S. taxation. Tax rates for many individuals and families would also be cut temporarily before rising back to their previous levels in 2025. Key tax breaks would also be curbed or eliminated, making the bill a mixed bag for some middle-class families. Some taxes paid by wealthy Americans would be repealed. Wall Street moved higher on the news that the bill would move to a full Senate vote, with the benchmark S&P 500 .SPX index closing up a little over 1 percent. As written, the bill would widen the U.S. budget deficit by an estimated $1.4 trillion over 10 years. Republicans maintain that gap would be narrowed by additional economic growth. Senator Bob Corker, one of few remaining Republican fiscal hawks in Congress, said he worked out a deal satisfying his concerns that the tax cuts add too much to the national debt. He said the bill would be modified to automatically raise tax revenues if growth targets were not reached. “We got a commitment that puts us in a pretty good place,” he said. Although details were not immediately available, Corker said he expected more information to come out on Thursday as part of the bill. The concession immediately drew a detractor as Republican Senator John Kennedy told reporters he “would rather drink weed killer than vote for the thing,” adding: “I don’t like voting for automatic tax increases.” The Corker concession was one of several lingering uncertainties in the bill that Senate aides said would be nailed down as the measure neared a floor vote. Republican Senator Susan Collins, who remains undecided on how she will vote on the bill, said “productive discussions” continued and that she would offer an amendment preserving the $10,000 deduction for property tax payments. The deduction is in the House bill, but not the Senate version. Republican Senator Ron Johnson voted for the bill in the Budget Committee, even though he had said it did not cut taxes deeply enough for some non-corporate businesses. The final version could address his concerns. Aides said tax writers were working to change the tax rate for non-corporate businesses, preserve an individual deduction for property tax payments, and incorporate Corker’s tax revenue idea. Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley told MSNBC that the Corker concession was “an absolute gimmick” that could be undermined later. “It’s just a justification to let those who have argued that they don’t believe in increasing the deficit actually vote for a bill which does exactly that,” Merkley said. As the tax fight played out, a new battle opened on another front as Democratic congressional leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi skipped a White House meeting with Trump to discuss spending, immigration and other issues after Trump criticized them on Twitter. Lawmakers must renew government funding before it expires on Dec. 8 or risk a shutdown. Democrats hope to use their leverage on the budget issue to renew protections for young immigrants who entered the country illegally as children. | 1 |
1,291 | WATCH: Trump Surrogate Omarosa Says Detractors Will Be Forced To ‘Bow Down To President Trump’ | This sounds exactly like what a dictator would do to humiliate his opponents.Because according to former Apprentice star and director of Trump s pathetic African-American Outreach effort Omarosa Manigault, Trump has plans for dealing with those who have criticized or opposed him should he become president.In a promo for PBS upcoming Frontline documentary that examines the lives of the Republican nominee and Hillary Clinton, Manigault makes an appearance to sing the praises of her boss and to fire a warning shot towards his detractors. Donald Trump is running for president because he believes that he can help turn the nation around, Manigault said. More importantly, every critic, every detractor will have to bow down to President Trump. Here s the video via YouTube.This is just another sign that Donald Trump intends to rule like a dictator rather than a leader who gets his power by virtue of the people. America is NOT a monarchy. People do not bow down to the president. But that is apparently what Trump has in mind for anyone who has ever criticized him, insulted him, crossed him, or stood in his way.And that makes his close ties to Russian president Vladamir Putin all the more alarming, which is why legendary ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov has warned that Trump is acting an awful lot like a Soviet dictator. And he would know since he defected from the Soviet Union 42 years ago precisely because of the kinds of policies Trump is advocating for now such as oppression of people based on race and religion, building walls, and being a psychopath in general.Trump has even called for gun nuts to assassinate Hillary Clinton and has encouraged his supporters to chant in favor of locking her in prison. Assassination and imprisonment are exactly what dictators do to their political opponents.This is why Americans must exercise their right to vote this November because if Trump comes to power that right may not exist much longer.Featured image via screen capture | 0 |
1,292 | TWITTER USERS Post Hilarious Responses To Russia’s Ban On Gay Images Of Putin | Here s the original post by the Washington Post:It s now illegal in Russia to share an image of Putin as a gay clown https://t.co/trihoOp6nt Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 5, 2017Here are some of the hilarious responses:Huh. Is this illegal? pic.twitter.com/ZIK2xBHslt Jessica (@NoFascistsPls) April 5, 2017Like this? pic.twitter.com/YNa6CB61ML B3r$A (@ScamGoggles) April 6, 2017What about this pic.twitter.com/LlA6cEV6KT Jessica (@NoFascistsPls) April 5, 2017Really? Because I like this one. pic.twitter.com/ZiEVbUddqr Lisa Stewart (@holachola) April 6, 2017Or this? pic.twitter.com/29syZcNkbt Jessica (@NoFascistsPls) April 5, 2017Well, the demand for gay Putin clowns just went up. I m gonna capitalize on this meme. pic.twitter.com/iD2wST92q9 Tyler (@Dy5function) April 5, 2017Here ya go.Courtesy of https://t.co/tJWNKZbBEv pic.twitter.com/Bi0VGOKe4a Stranger Thingamabob (@MikeyMooseNC) April 5, 2017 | 0 |
1,293 | Men found at northern Japan marina say they are from North Korea: police | TOKYO (Reuters) - Police in northern Japan have found eight men near a boat at a seaside marina who said they were from North Korea, and appear to be fishermen whose vessel ran into trouble, rather than defectors, a police official said on Friday. The incident comes at a time of rising tension over North Korea s nuclear arms and missile programs after President Donald Trump redesignated the isolated nation a state sponsor of terrorism, allowing the United States to levy further sanctions. Japanese police took the men into custody after a resident of Yurihonjo, a city in the prefecture of Akita, told police of the presence of individuals of unknown nationality, the official, Yoshinobu Ito, told Reuters. The men, who said they were North Koreans, appear to be fishermen whose wooden boat, found nearby, had trouble and went adrift, Ito said. Police and authorities were now dealing with the matter, he added. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, asked if the possibility the men were spies had been ruled out, told a news conference authorities were handling the matter carefully. Japan is studying plans to cope with a possible influx of tens of thousands of North Korean evacuees should a military or other crisis break out on the peninsula, as well as how to weed out spies and terrorists among them, a domestic newspaper said. Last week, the Japan Coast Guard rescued three North Korean men on a capsized boat in the Sea of Japan, off central Japan. The men said they were fishermen and were later sent home aboard a North Korean vessel. Twelve more crew went missing. Last week a North Korean soldier dramatically defected to the South after being shot and wounded by his country s military as he made his getaway across the border in the heavily guarded Demilitarized Zone between the two countries. | 1 |
1,294 | REP STEVE SCALISE Scolds Obama Crony For “Obit” Tweet About GOP Leaders | WHAT S WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE? Clinton Crony Ben Rhodes tweeted out a wish for death to McConnell, Ryan and Pence:Rhodes is a former Obama administration official with the National Security Council.Republican Steve Scalise was shot last year when a crazed Democrat attacked Republicans practicing for a baseball game He was near death and had months of recovery before he could come back to D.C. It goes without saying that the Ben Rhodes tweet was very insensitive and helps no one in any way to bridge the gap between Democrats and Republicans. The Democrats continuously show themselves to be hateful and snarky Not a good look for anyone.Scalise responded to the Rhodes tweet with a short and sweet tweet that got the point across:You may want to reconsider your rhetoric. https://t.co/VQVWej6n00 Rep. Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) December 21, 2017But the lefty lunatics started coming after Scalise. No kidding!GOP. Whip offended by implication fellow Republicans leaders are not immortal https://t.co/LnwO2caZ1h Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) December 21, 2017Sicko! | 0 |
1,295 | TSA: US Residents from 9 States Will Need Passports for Domestic Flights | This latest move by America s notorious Transportation Security Authority (TSA) seems to be step one in a move towards a national ID Card, complete with biometrics and embedded RFID technology.By forcing residents of nine states to get passports in order to board domestic flights, the TSA is de facto pushing those states towards the implementation of a new state-of-the-art ID card system.This will help to give real teeth to the The Real ID Act It s just the next phase in the further militarization of US society.Forbes reports You may have thought you don t need a passport because you don t travel outside the United States. But for residents of nine states, that will change at the beginning of 2018 for any commercial flight, whether international or domestic.Nine states will no longer allow travelers to board an airplane with just their state issued driver s licenses as of January 22, 2018. To get past TSA security checkpoints, another form of identification will be required: passport, permanent resident card/green card or a military ID.The Real ID Act of 2005 states that state-issued IDs from these nine states do not meet the minimum security standards of the federal government:With just a few months until the Real ID Act goes into full effect, it is time to start planning now and look into getting your passport. Here is the airport signage, placed around the security checkpoints in airports to remind U.S. travelers of what;s to come (with my emphasis): Starting January 22, 2018, you will need a driver s license or ID from a state compliant with the REAL ID ACT, a state that has an extension for compliance, or an alternate ID to fly. For REAL ID information, and a list of acceptable IDs, visit tsa.gov. Some states have started working on offering federally approved issued IDs that would not require a passport for domestic air travel. Check with your local government office to see if there is a different type of ID you can apply for, and the TSA website to clarify this situation. Because on January 22, 2018, the enforcement for those nine states will go into effect, and by 2020, even more people will end up needing a passport, as confirmed by the official website of the Transportation Security Administration.To repeat, if you re going to take a flight and you have a state-issued ID from one of those nine states listed above, unless your state has made federally approved changes before January, you should use a passport to go anywhere across the country, as all domestic travel is included in these new standards. (States other than those nine will not be affected.)Continue this story at ForbesREAD MORE TSA NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire TSA FilesSUPPORT 21WIRE SUBSCRIBE & BECOME A MEMBER @ 21WIRE.TV | 0 |
1,296 | Former FBI chief Mueller appointed to probe Trump-Russia ties | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department, in the face of rising pressure from Capitol Hill, named former FBI chief Robert Mueller on Wednesday as special counsel to investigate alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election and possible collusion between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Moscow. The move followed a week in which the White House was thrown into uproar after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. Democrats and some of the president’s fellow Republicans had demanded an independent probe of whether Russia tried to sway the outcome of November’s election in favor of Trump and against Democrat Hillary Clinton. Trump, whose anger over the allegations has grown in recent weeks, took the news calmly and used it to rally his team to unite, move on and refocus on his stalled agenda, a senior White House official said. “We are all in this together,” Trump told his team, the official said. Trump said in a statement after the Justice Department announcement he looked forward to a quick resolution. “As I have stated many times, a thorough investigation will confirm what we already know - there was no collusion between my campaign and any foreign entity,” he said. Mueller said in a statement tweeted by CBS News: “I accept this responsibility and will discharge it to the best of my ability.” Trump, who said in a speech earlier on Wednesday that no politician in history “has been treated worse or more unfairly,” has long bristled at the notion that Russia played any role in his election victory. The Russia issue has, however, clouded his early months in office. Moscow has denied the conclusion by U.S. intelligence agencies that it meddled in the campaign. Pressure on the White House intensified after Trump fired Comey, who had been leading a federal probe into the matter, and allegations that Trump had asked Comey to end the FBI investigation into ties between Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and Russia. That raised questions about whether the president improperly attempted to interfere with a federal investigation. The issue spilled over onto Wall Street on Wednesday, where the S&P 500 and the Dow had their biggest one-day declines since September as investor hopes for tax cuts and other pro-business policies faded amid the political tumult. The Justice Department announcement came after the market close. “My decision (to appoint a special counsel) is not the finding that crimes have been committed or that any prosecution is warranted. I have made no such determination,” Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said in a statement announcing the special counsel. “I determined that a special counsel is necessary in order for the American people to have full confidence in the outcome,” he said. Trump heard about Mueller’s appointment from his White House lawyer Don McGahn about 25 minutes before it was made public, the senior White House official said. Trump assembled his inner circle in the Oval Office - Vice President Mike Pence, chief of staff Reince Preibus, economic adviser Gary Cohn, senior strategist Steve Bannon, and others - and gave them a pep talk, dictating the statement that was soon released. Trump told them the appointment would allow them to refer questions to Mueller, giving them space to focus on policies such as tax reform. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill generally welcomed the Justice Department action and praised Mueller for his integrity, but House and Senate Republican leaders said they would go on with their own investigations of the Russia matter. “A special counsel is very much needed in this situation and Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein has done the right thing,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. Republican House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte said he was confident Mueller “will conduct a thorough and fair investigation.” A discordant note was sounded by Republican Representative Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House of Representatives Oversight Committee, who praised Mueller’s credentials but said: “I don’t think they should have appointed someone.” “I have not seen any evidence of actual collusion. Where is the actual crime that they think they need a special prosecutor to prosecute,” Chaffetz told Fox News. Mueller, 72, was decorated as a Marine Corps officer during the Vietnam War. A former federal prosecutor, he is known for his tough, no-nonsense managerial style. Appointed by Republican President George W. Bush, he became FBI director one week before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He was asked by Democratic President Barack Obama in 2011 to stay on for two more years and was replaced by Comey in 2013. Mueller was credited with transforming the FBI, putting more resources into counterterrorism investigations and improving its cooperation with other U.S. government agencies. Although Mueller will serve at the pleasure of Rosenstein, the job comes with independence and autonomy. Some past independent investigations have stretched for years. Kenneth Starr, who investigated former President Bill Clinton, probed allegations surrounding Clinton’s past real estate deals but later expanded the inquiry into his relations with then-White House intern Monica Lewinsky, leading to Clinton’s impeachment by the House. The White House was conducting interviews on Wednesday of candidates to replace Comey as head of the FBI. A senior administration official said former Democratic vice presidential candidate and Senator Joe Lieberman, one of those interviewed by Trump, was among the leading candidates. Trump’s spokesman, Sean Spicer, said others being interviewed were acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating and former senior FBI official Richard McFeely. | 1 |
1,297 | Oklahoma lawmakers approve bill to revoke licenses of abortion doctors | (Corrects first paragraph of April 22 item to show that bill has not been sent to the governor and adds third paragraph to explain status) By Heide Brandes OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - An Oklahoma bill that could revoke the license of any doctor who performs an abortion may soon head to the governor, with opponents saying the measure in unconstitutional and promising a legal battle against the cash-strapped state if it is approved. In the Republican-dominated legislature, the state’s House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a Senate bill late on Thursday. Governor Mary Fallin, a Republican, has not yet indicated whether she will sign it. The Senate needs to approve minor changes to the bill before it can go to the governor, lawmakers said. Under the bill, doctors who perform abortions would risk losing their medical licenses. Exemptions would be given for those who perform the procedure for reasons including protecting the mother or removing a miscarried fetus. “This is our proper function, to protect life,” said Senator Nathan Dahm, the Republican who authored the bill. A handful of representatives argued against the bill, saying it violated the Constitution by prohibiting a doctor from performing a medical procedure that was legal under law. “Oklahoma politicians have made it their mission year after year to restrict women’s access vital health care services, yet this total ban on abortion is a new low,” said Amanda Allen, senior state legislative counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights. The lobbying group and several other abortion rights organizations have promised court challenges if the bill is enacted. Supporters of the bill said it will help protect the sanctity of life. “If we take care of morality,” bill supporter David Brumbaugh, a Republican, said during deliberations, “God will take care of the economy.” | 1 |
1,298 | U.S. government watchdog to review Mar-a-Lago trips, Trump hotel profits | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. government watchdog has agreed to review how classified information is kept secure at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, the agency said on Monday, after Democratic lawmakers raised concerns about the issue last month. The Government Accountability Office’s review will examine whether Secret Service agents subject Mar-a-Lago guests to any security screening, and evaluate the expenses incurred by government employees who travel with Trump to Mar-a-Lago, according to a letter the agency sent the lawmakers on Friday. The GAO will also check whether Trump has made any payments to the U.S. Treasury from profits at his hotels, the letter said. Trump’s lawyer pledged at a Jan. 11 news conference to donate Trump Hotel profits from foreign governments to the Treasury. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump’s handling of U.S. security information at Mar-a-Lago came under congressional scrutiny in February after photos taken by private guests in the club’s public dining area showed Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reviewing documents following a North Korean missile launch. The White House denied afterward that any classified material was present in the dining room. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said on Monday the GAO would be able to conduct an “independent review” of how Trump spends his weekends at the resort, which the Republican president has dubbed his “Winter White House.” In a Feb. 16 letter, Cummings and Democratic Senators Tom Udall, Elizabeth Warren and Sheldon Whitehouse asked the GAO to assess whether Trump and his staff had violated security protocol when hosting foreign dignitaries and handling classified information at the Florida resort. Udall said on Monday the American people “deserved to know who has access to the president, how much it’s costing to protect him and whether the Trump Organization is benefiting from that protection.” He introduced a bill on Friday that would require the White House to publish logs of people who meet with Trump there and at other locations. The GAO is expected to begin the review in a few months. | 1 |
1,299 | NATO mulls 'offensive defense' with cyber warfare rules | TARTU, Estonia (Reuters) - A group of NATO allies are considering a more muscular response to state-sponsored computer hackers that could involve using cyber attacks to bring down enemy networks, officials said. The United States, Britain, Germany, Norway, Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands are drawing up cyber warfare principles to guide their militaries on what justifies deploying cyber attack weapons more broadly, aiming for agreement by early 2019. The doctrine could shift NATO s approach from being defensive to confronting hackers that officials say Russia, China and North Korea use to try to undermine Western governments and steal technology. There s a change in the (NATO) mindset to accept that computers, just like aircraft and ships, have an offensive capability, said U.S. Navy Commander Michael Widmann at the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, a research center affiliated to NATO that is coordinating doctrine writing. Washington already has cyber weapons, such as computer code to take down websites or shut down IT systems, and in 2011 declared that it would respond to hostile cyber acts. The United States, and possibly Israel, are widely believed to have been behind Stuxnet , a computer virus that destroyed nuclear centrifuges in Iran in 2010. Neither has confirmed it. Some NATO allies believe shutting down an enemy power plant through a cyber attack could be more effective than air strikes. I need to do a certain mission and I have an air asset, I also have a cyber asset. What fits best for the me to get the effect I want? Widmann said. The 29-nation NATO alliance recognized cyber as a domain of warfare, along with land, air and sea, in 2014, but has not outlined in detail what that entails. In Europe, the issue of deploying malware is sensitive because democratic governments do not want to be seen to be using the same tactics as an authoritarian regime. Commanders and experts have focused on defending their networks and blocking attempts at malicious manipulation of data. Senior Baltic and British security officials say they have intelligence showing persistent Russian cyber hacks to try to bring down European energy and telecommunications networks, coupled with Internet disinformation campaigns. They believe Russia is trying to break Western unity over economic sanctions imposed over Moscow s 2014 annexation of Crimea and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. They (Russia) are seeking to attack the cohesion of NATO, said a senior British security official, who said the balance between war and peace was becoming blurred in the virtual world. It looks quite strategic. Moscow has repeatedly denied any such cyber attacks. The United States, Britain, the Netherlands, Germany and France have cyber commands special headquarters to combat cyber espionage and hacks of critical infrastructure. Estonia, which was hit by one of the world s first large-scale cyber attacks a decade ago, aims to open a cyber command next year and make it fully operational by 2020, with offensive cyber weapons. You cannot only defend in cyberspace, said Erki Kodar, Estonia s undersecretary for legal and administrative affairs who oversees cyber policy at the defense ministry. Across the globe this year computer hackers have disrupted multinational firms, ports and public services on an unprecedented scale, raising awareness of the issue. NATO held its biggest ever cyber exercise this week at a military base in southern Estonia, testing 25 NATO allies against a fictional state-sponsored hacker group seeking to infiltrate NATO air defense and communication networks. The fictional scenarios are based on real threats, said Estonian army Lieutenant-Colonel Anders Kuusk, who ran the exercise. NATO s commanders will not develop cyber weapons but allied defense ministers agreed last month that NATO commanders can request nations to allow them use of their weapons if requested. | 1 |
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