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1,500 | MEDIA IGNORES! HOUSE DEM IT SUSPECTS Wanted Untraceable Payments…Then Millions Disappeared | The media has ignored the case of Muslim Brotherhood connected brothers who hacked the DNC and now it s looking like they worked their magic to make millions disappear! They had access to the Congressional IT system! Can you believe that? Maria Bartiromo couldn t believe it when this first broke:A Pakistani family under criminal investigation by the U.S. Capitol Police (see our previous report below) for abusing their access to the House of Representatives information technology (IT) system may have engaged in myriad other questionable schemes besides allegedly placing ghost employees on the congressional payroll.Imran Awan, his wife Hina, and brothers Abid and Jamal collectively netted more than $4 million in salary as IT administrators for House Democrats between 2009 and 2017. Yet the absence of signs of wealth displayed among them raise questions such as was the money sent overseas or did something other than paychecks motivate their actions?Capitol Police revoked the Awans access to the congressional IT system in February 2017 after a major data breach was detected. Their access had allowed them to read emails and files of dozens of members, including many serving on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.OUR PREVIOUS REPORT ON THIS THE MAIN STREAM MEDIA IS IGNORING THE CRIMINALITY OF THESE BROTHERS:3 MUSLIM BROTHERS Working For Dems In Congress CAUGHT Accessing Unauthorized Top-Secret Government Intel One Has Criminal Background May Have Ties To Muslim Brotherhood [VIDEO]3 Congressional IT employees have been fired for accessing members computer networks without permission. Maria s on the show, knows more about this. Can you fill me in a bit.Here are their names Stuart. let me tell you what the 3 people that were fired on Thursday: Abid, Imran and Jamal Awan. They were barred from computer networks at the House of Representatives on Thursday because they accessed Congressmen and Congress people s computer networks unauthorized. At a minimum they were fired. At a minimum we know that they accessed computers unauthorized and they did so in foreign intelligence, foreign affairs and intelligence committees. Okay? So they were getting very important information, government information. They accessed these computers. That is the least of it. There s also some talk that people are looking into what ties they have into terrorism. Are they impacted by the Muslim Brotherhood? Are they a part of the Muslim Brotherhood? One of them has a criminal background!How is it possible that 3 brothers are hired, Muslim brothers just saying, to work in Congress and deal with our most intelligent and sensitive information, number one? They were all making $160,000! Why were they paid so much? 22 years old one of the guys, the other was 25. They re making $160,000, $161,000 and $165,000. And one of them has a criminal background! I hear what you re saying, I mean, these intelligence committees handle our terror strategies right? They got in on Benghazi by the way.Yes, and they also worked for many Democrats in the House. They are thinking that they may be also one of the reasons Debbie Wasserman Schultz got hacked. There s so much more to come on this Stuart, it s an incredible story. I think it s amazing!Chiefs of staff for dozens of Democratic lawmakers who employed the four were informed last week that a criminal probe was underway into their use of congressional information technology systems, including the existence of an external server to which House data was being funneled, and into the theft of and overbilling for computer equipment.Their salaries and time were shared among dozens of Democratic members, including former Democratic National Committee Chairman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida.Chiefs of staff for dozens of Democratic lawmakers who employed the four were informed last week that a criminal probe was underway into their use of congressional information technology systems, including the existence of an external server to which House data was being funneled, and into the theft of and overbilling for computer equipment.Despite the generous salaries, the four were involved in multiple suspicious mortgage transfers and a debt-evading bankruptcy. Abid had more than $1 million in debts following a failed business called Cars International that he ran in Falls Church, Va., from November 2009 to September 2010. Business associates said in court documents that Abid had stolen money and vehicles from them.It s unclear how Abid found time to run an automotive business while working full-time for Congress. He had been on the congressional payroll since 2005. A congressional credit union repossessed two of his personal cars before the business folded.Abid filed for bankruptcy in 2012, but somehow managed to keep ownership of two houses while telling the bankruptcy court and creditors that he had no assets with which to pay them. He signed a sworn statement that he and his wife, Natalia Soba, were living apart and needed separate residences. My spouse and I are legally separated under applicable non-bankruptcy law or my spouse and I are living apart other than for the purpose of evading the requirements of 707(b)(2)(A) of the Bankruptcy Code, Abid claimed in bankruptcy documents. But both houses had been in the family for years.Abid s record includes numerous driving- and alcohol-related legal problems, including driving with a suspended or revoked license, court records show. He was found guilty of drunk driving a month before he started at the House, and was arrested for public intoxication a month after his first day.A spokesman for Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas told TheDCNF Friday that Jamal s employment with our office has been terminated. Hilarie Chambers, a spokeswoman for Rep. Sandy Levin who employed Abid told TheDCNF that after being notified by the House Administration Committee, this individual was removed from our payroll. We are confident that everything in our office is secure. Not every Democrat is willing to terminate their connection with these four:Some Democrats have not terminated their connection with the four, including Wasserman Schultz, who employs Imran and who resigned from her DNC post last year after a computer hack revealed embarassing emails. Derrick Robinson, spokesman for California Rep. Karen Bass, refused to comment on Alvi s employment status.For entire story: Daily Caller | 0 |
1,501 | Pressure builds on Trump at home over pledge for closer Moscow ties | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - During his presidential campaign, Republican Donald Trump praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “strong leader” with whom he would like to reset tense U.S.-Russian relations. But as Trump heads to his first face-to-face meeting as president with Putin on Friday at the G20 summit in Germany, he is under pressure at home to take a tough line with the Kremlin. Allegations of Russian meddling in last year’s U.S. election have alarmed both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, who are pushing to extend tough sanctions placed on Russia following its 2014 annexation of Crimea, a peninsula belonging to Ukraine. Lawmakers including Republican Senator Cory Gardner are also concerned Russia has prolonged the civil war in Syria by backing its President Bashar al-Assad, a strongman whose forces have used chemical weapons against insurgents and civilians. The chaos has fueled instability in the region and a flood of migrants to Europe. “President (Trump) needs to make it clear that the continued aggression by Russia around the globe ... is unacceptable, and that they will be held accountable,” said Gardner, who was among six lawmakers invited by the White House last month to discuss foreign policy with Trump over dinner. Meanwhile, the appointment of a special counsel who is investigating potential links between the Russian government and members of the Trump campaign has weakened the president’s ability to maneuver with Russia, foreign policy experts say. The U.S. intelligence community has concluded Russia sponsored hacking of Democratic Party groups last year to benefit Trump over his Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton. Russia has denied those allegations while Trump has repeatedly dismissed the idea of any coordination between his campaign and Russia as a “witch hunt.” Still, just the optics of Trump meeting with Putin, a former KGB agent, are fraught with risk, foreign policy experts say. “If (Trump) smiles, if he wraps his arm around Putin, if he says, ‘I’m honored to meet you, we’re going to find a way forward,’ ... I think Congress is going to react extremely negatively to that,” said Julie Smith, a former national security aide in the Obama administration. Trump has signaled an interest in cooperating with Russia to defeat Islamic State in Syria and to reduce nuclear stockpiles. The White House has been mum on what Trump would be willing to give Russia in exchange for that help. But there has been speculation he could ratchet down sanctions, or even return two Russian diplomatic compounds in Maryland and Long Island. President Barack Obama seized those facilities and expelled 35 Russian diplomats just before he left office as punishment for the election hacks. While some administration officials, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, also support engagement, others, such as Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, have taken a hawkish line on Russia. The lack of a unified strategy has left U.S. allies anxious. And it has lowered expectations for American leadership to help resolve crises in Syria and Ukraine, where Russian cooperation would be critical. “Trump is like a horse with his front legs tied,” said a German diplomat, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. “He can’t make any big leaps forward on Russia. If he tried people would immediately suspect it was all part of some big conspiracy.” Trump’s administration is still reviewing its Russia policy, a process that may not be wrapped up for a couple of months, a U.S. official said. Speaking with reporters last week about Trump’s upcoming meeting with Putin, White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster said his boss would like “the United States and the entire West to develop a more constructive relationship with Russia. But he’s also made clear that we will do what is necessary to confront Russia’s destabilizing behavior.” Trump is just the latest president to grapple with the complicated U.S.-Russia dynamic. George W. Bush and Obama sought to improve the U.S. relationship with Russia early in their administrations only to see relations deteriorate later. Among the concerns for this president is Trump’s apparent lack of interest in policy details and his tendency to wing it with foreign leaders. McMaster told reporters that Trump has “no specific agenda” for his meeting with Putin and that topics would consist of “whatever the president wants to talk about.” Michael McFaul, who was U.S. ambassador to Russia under Obama, said he feared Trump might be headed to the meeting without clear objectives. “I hope that he would think about first: what is our objective in Ukraine? What is our objective in Syria? And secondarily, how do I go about achieving that in my meeting with Putin?” McFaul said. Other Washington veterans say Trump won’t be able to make meaningful progress with Russia on anything until he confronts Putin about the suspected election meddling. “(Trump) really has to raise the Russian election hacking last year, and has to say something like, ‘Vladimir, don’t do this again. There will be consequences,’” said Steve Pifer, a long-time State Department official focused on U.S.-Russia relations. So far Trump has shown little inclination to do so, a situation that has heightened speculation about the potential impact from his coming encounter with the Russian leader. “The shadow of all these investigations hangs over this,” said Angela Stent, a professor at Georgetown University and former National Intelligence Officer for Russia. | 1 |
1,502 | Russian court rejects Siemens claim that Crimea turbines sale was invalid | MOSCOW (Reuters) - Moscow s Arbitration Court on Thursday rejected a claim by Germany s Siemens that the sale of its turbines which were delivered to Crimea was invalid. In August, the same court rejected a request by Siemens to seize its gas turbines, which had turned up in Crimea contrary to EU sanctions. Russia is under Western sanctions for its involvement in the Ukraine crisis, including Moscow s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Reuters was the first to report this year that Russian firms had shipped the Siemens turbines to Crimea, which has been subject to EU sanctions on energy technology. | 1 |
1,503 | Latest Houthi missile 'bears hallmarks' of Iran arms attacks: U.S. | UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said a missile fired by Yemen s Houthi group toward Saudi Arabia on Tuesday bears all the hallmarks of previous attacks using Iranian-provided weapons as she pushed the U.N. Security Council to act. Saudi air defenses shot down the ballistic missile and there were no reports of casualties or damage. In contrast, a U.N. human rights spokesman said coalition air strikes had killed at least 136 noncombatants in war-torn Yemen since Dec. 6. Saudi-led forces, backing Yemen s government, have fought the Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen s more than two-year-long war. Iran has denied supplying the Houthis with weapons, saying the U.S. and Saudi allegations are baseless and unfounded. We must all act cooperatively to expose the crimes of the Tehran regime and do whatever is needed to make sure they get the message. If we do not, then Iran will bring the world deeper into a broadening regional conflict, Haley told the council. Haley said she was exploring, with some council colleagues, several options for pressuring Iran to adjust their behavior. However, Haley is likely to struggle to convince some members, like veto powers Russia and China, that U.N. action is needed. Russia s Deputy U.N. Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov told council on Tuesday: We need to abandon the language of threats and sanctions and to start using the instruments of dialogue and concentrate on broadening cooperation and mutual trust. Most sanctions on Iran were lifted at the start of 2016 under the nuclear deal brokered by world powers and enshrined in a U.N. Security Council resolution. The resolution still subjects Tehran to a U.N. arms embargo and other restrictions that are technically not part of the nuclear deal. Haley said the Security Council could strengthen the provisions in that resolution or adopt a new resolution banning Iran from all activities related to ballistic missiles. Under the current resolution, Iran is called upon to refrain from work on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons for up to eight years. Some states argue that the language of the resolution does not make it obligatory. We could explore sanctions on Iran in response to its clear violations of the Yemen arms embargo, Haley said. We could hold the IRGC (Iran s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) accountable for its violations of numerous Security Council resolutions. A separate U.N. resolution on Yemen bans the supply of weapons to Houthi leaders and those acting on their behalf or at their direction. | 1 |
1,504 | Bernie Sanders Takes On Walmart In This Speech And It Is Glorious (VIDEO) | During a campaign event at Iowa s Wesleyan University, Bernie Sanders spoke to the audience about how Walmart and other large corporations benefit from a rigged economy. Sanders begins by saying that Walmart is very appreciative of all the support they receive from taxpayers: Just to give you an example of what a rigged economy is all about. I mentioned the Walton family the wealthiest family in the world being very appreciative that you are supporting them. They re very happy about that. And they asked me to send you their thanks. Sanders continues, saying: They re only worth 60 of 70 billion dollars and they do appreciate you paying taxes to help them subsidize their workers. This is how we re going to pay to put 13 million Americans back to work rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure. There has been a lot of criticism of Sanders that says that he does not have a plan to pay for the programs he is proposing. That is absolute nonsense. Here is a comprehensive funding plan for every policy Sanders has proposed.And to the right-wingers who shout the obnoxiously classist claim that people only support Sanders because he wants to give them free stuff, that s actually the opposite of what Sanders wants. What he wants is for corporations to stop getting free stuff from tax payers. As Sanders points out in the speech: Three major profitable corporations not only pay nothing in federal income taxes, they actually got a rebate from the IRS. Three major corporations made over $100 billion in profit, paid nothing in taxes, and in fact, got a rebate from the I.R.S. Right now we have a rigged economy where there is socialism for the rich, and unregulated capitalism for the rest.Sanders concludes his speech, saying that closing these loopholes will help fund one of his most inspiring programs. That s how were going to pay to rebuild our infrastructure and put millions of people back to work. You can watch the speech below.Featured Image Credit: Screenshot via YouTube | 0 |
1,505 | Kentucky Republicans Propose Bill To Delay School Year To Accommodate Creationist Museum | Kentucky Republicans have decided to put the profits of a creationist museum ahead of the education of their state s children, and that just about says it all.At the very start of 2016 s legislative year, Kentucky conservatives introduced a bill, SB-50, that would keep schools closed until the end of August in order to allow the state s brand new Noah s Ark museum to eke out a few more weeks of the tourist season. Priorities!Writer Dan Arel has been following the situation, in all its mind-numbing stupidity, for the better part of a year. He writes:As I reported back in August of 2015, Kentucky Sen. Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, and Sen. Chris Girdler, R-Somerset had proposed such a bill to help extend the vacation season to bring more attention to the forthcoming Ark Encounter. Grant County is set to become a major tourist destination due to the presence of the Ark, Thayer said. But there won t be many families from Kentucky visiting in August if we continue with the current calendar. And while other states have set their school schedule around economic issues, you d be hard-pressed to find a state do that to satisfy the bottom-line of a single man.Meet Ken Ham, the right-wing creationist famous for his creation museum and infamous for getting absolutely demolished in a debate with Bill Nye. He and his giant Ark have Kentucky s Republican-led legislature wrapped around his finger.Lately, Ham has been so busy hurling hatred at gay people that one might forget that he makes most of his money by running a religious-based creation museum and associated ministry in Kentucky. In the past few years, Ham has set his sights on expanding his museum to feature a life-sized mock up of Noah s Ark. After a ton of fundraising and a few charges of tax fraud Ham opened his Ark in November, 2015.To give you an idea of how obnoxious Ham can be, this is how he chose to announce his big Grand Opening ceremony set to begin this summer: We are so excited that the construction progress and schedule landed on this 7/7 date. Genesis 7:7 states that Noah and his family entered the Ark. So it s fitting we allow the public to enter the life-size Ark on 7/7. Ham s enablers in Kentucky want to extend the park s vacation season to September. They hope this will bring in more money, but what they don t mention is that almost none of it would be coming back to the state. Ham, for all of his religious-speak, is primarily a huckster. He continues to label his for-profit ministry a tax-exempt church, and therefore pays little to no taxes. Keeping kids out of school so their parents can buy tickets for Ham s park does nothing but make students in the state more ignorant, residents poorer, and Ham richer.Schools, obviously, are not happy, either. As Ham continues to count his dollars, teachers and principals are left scrambling for a way to salvage the potentially lost time. One principal was hopeful that the bill wouldn t pass, but conceded if it did, it would be a disaster. It may help tourism, however, I think it could potentially hurt many Kentucky children. Given the fundamentalism promoted by Ham s anti-intellectual museums, it s safe to say the principal is being too generous. This has all the makings of an educational disaster.Feature image via Christian Post screengrab | 0 |
1,506 | U.S. senator says panel could take up Russia sanctions bill this summer | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee said on Thursday the panel could take up a bill as soon as this summer to impose new sanctions on Russia over its alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Senator Bob Corker said the panel could move forward on sanctions after hearing from U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Some members of the committee, particularly Democrats, had wanted to act more quickly on sanctions over Russian activities that U.S. intelligence agencies concluded were intended to help get Republican Donald Trump elected. Corker said he expects Tillerson to report to the committee within weeks about the Trump administration’s policy toward Russia and the situation in Syria. Corker said he would be willing to consider a sanctions bill soon after that if, as he expected, Tillerson does not demonstrate to the panel that there has been significant change by Russia in Syria, where Moscow has been supporting President Bashar al-Assad in that country’s six-year-old civil war. “I’ve committed to mark up Russia sanctions legislation in the event, the probable event, that the secretary of state cannot show us that there’s a change of trajectory,” Corker said at a committee business meeting. A mark up is a session in which a committee debates legislation and possible amendments. Later in the meeting, the panel overwhelmingly passed legislation to condemn Russian activities including its effort to influence other countries’ elections, aggression in Ukraine and support for Assad. That measure did not include sanctions. Corker and other senators had suggested it would be prudent to wait on sanctions at a delicate time in dealings with Moscow, especially over Syria. Democrats were not pleased at the delay, but said they were willing to wait to hear from the Trump administration. “I do look forward to Mr. Tillerson explaining to us the administration’s Russian policy and what he has seen its impact to be,” said Senator Ben Cardin, the committee’s senior Democrat. If the panel eventually approves sanctions legislation, it would require passage in the full Senate and the House of Representatives before it could go to Trump to sign into law. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded in January that Moscow tried to tilt the 2016 election in Trump’s favor, including by hacking into the emails of senior Democrats. Russia has denied the allegation. Trump has denied any collusion between his campaign and Moscow, but Federal Bureau of Investigation and congressional probes into the matter have dogged the early months of his presidency. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said it gives many committee members “great pause” that the Trump administration has not acted against Russia for its efforts to influence the election. The United States, under Democratic former President Barack Obama, imposed sanctions on Russia over its actions in Ukraine and in December imposed fresh sanctions and ordered the expulsion of Russian suspected spies over the election meddling. | 1 |
1,507 | NYPD Cop Secretly Records His Boss Ordering Him To Racially Profile Black Men (AUDIO) | It s always depressing when allegations that police target African-Americans are confirmed not just by eyewitness accounts, but with audio or video evidence. Recently, a NYPD officer provided Gawker with chilling audio that sounds a whole lot like his boss pressuring him into profiling black men.Michael Birch recorded the audio in 2012 when he was called to a performance evaluation meeting with his commanding officer and a lieutenant in August 2012. He told the publication that he was expecting to hear that he wasn t generating enough activity which meant he would be ordered to arrest more people and issue more summonses but the conversation just turned completely weird to him when he was flat-out told to racially profile. Who commits the crimes in the city? commanding officer, Constantin Tsachas, who was recently cleared for a promotion from captain to deputy inspector,asks in this rather damning clip.Birch answers that it s mostly teenagers, anywhere between the ages of 15 and 19, mostly male blacks and Hispanics. Asked who he is stopping, Birch explains that he stops everybody.. Fifty-four [TABs] up to 8/20, the commanding officer says. Twenty-five of those are female. Half. Like I said, I stop everybody, Birch replies. I m not targeting anybody. You just told me who the bad guys are, his CO presses. Yeah, I know that. But there s also other people who are committing violations as well, Birch says. I m not saying that there s not violations being made. In other words, people from all demographics break the law. That should have been good enough for the commanding officer, but then the conversation went completely off the rails:CO: The male blacks, that you told me commit the crimes Birch: Plenty of people that I write summonses to are male blacks and male Hispanics.CO: You stopped two male blacks.Birch: Not for the whole year. You re telling me for the whole year I only stopped two male blacks on summonses?CO: 8/20. From January 1st to August 20th. Fifty-four TABs: two male blacks, seven Hispanics, seven other, ten white, three Asian. So where are you targeting the perps that you just told me?Birch: Like I said, if I don t see a perp jumping over the turnstile, what am I supposed to do to him?CO: These people are not going to pop.Birch: How do I know that? A female Hispanic that I stopped in Sheepshead Bay did pop, actually, for a warrant, and I arrested her. Female Hispanic. The Hispanics that we re supposed to be going after. That are committing the crimes. The people that I CO: Did you think that she was going to pop?Birch: Did I think she was going to pop? I didn t put no thought into it. If you come up for a collar, I m taking you in. Pop is a term for when a warrant pops up and leads to an arrest. TAB is a term for a court summons resulting from a transit violation. The conversation continues, getting worse as it progresses:CO: Here s what I see. You just described to me who s committing the crimes. You re fully aware of it. But you re not targeting those people.Birch: I am. I m targeting everybody.CO: Two male blacks.Birch: Whoever is out there. If I CO: So you only saw two male blacks jump the turnstile?Birch: If you re saying that s what s in front of you, then yes, that s all I saw, is two male blacks for the whole year jumping the turnstile. If you re saying that s what s in front of you, I m not disputing that. If that s what I got there.CO: That is what you have. That is not disputed here.Birch: I m saying, we re also talking Hispanics as well. I stopped a lot of Hispanics, too.CO: Seven male Hispanics. But more than half are female.Birch: And like I said, everybody s committing violations in front of me. I was shocked, Birch said of the meeting. I was not only shocked, I was mad. My last name is Birch. I look white. They didn t realize I was a Puerto Rican kid, and they re just saying this to me like it s OK. It s OK, we re amongst friends. I don t want to be stopped because I m Puerto Rican, he says. I want to get stopped because I did something wrong. Birch is suing the department to combat what he sees as a larger trend of policing that disproportionately affects minority New Yorkers, Gawker reports. The targeting of minorities by the NYPD has caused so many problems throughout our city yet the NYPD continues to promote officers who engage in these activities, his lawyer told the publication. It s very hard to have a job where the whole public is against you, including your bosses. And when you actually try to do something right, they don t care, Birch says. I can t wait to get away from this place. Birch is evidence that good cops do exist. The problem is that, unlike him, most good cops stay silent as bad actors disgrace the profession, unfairly targeting people who are not white. Thank you for stepping forward, Officer Birch. Hopefully, your example will lead other good cops to call out the bad ones.Hear the audio for yourself below:Featured image via YouTube | 0 |
1,508 | BAD NEWS For Trump: His White Voter Base Just Abandoned Him | It looks like Donald Trump is going to be a one-term president.Of course, that s assuming he isn t impeached or indicted before his four-year term comes to an end. But even if Trump does avoid those scenarios, he cannot avoid the wrath of voters in 2020.And it turns out that Trump s own voter base is turning against him.During the 2016 Election, 66 percent of white voters without a college degree voted for Trump, which speaks volumes about the importance of a good education.In June, 53 percent of those voters still supported Trump and approved of his job performance.The latest Quinnipiac poll, however, has bad news for Trump and the Republican Party.Trump s support among white voters without a college degree has slipped to under 50 percent.Indeed, only 43 percent now approve of the way he is doing his job. And his numbers are cratering among white men and women. Right now, 47 percent of white men still approve of Trump, but that s down from the 62 percent who voted for him. Trump s number among white women are even worse as a whopping 64 percent disapprove of him.In a statement about the poll numbers, assistant director of the Quinnipiac poll had a laundry list of reasons why Trump s numbers have fallen through the floor. It s hard to pick what is the most alarming number in the troubling trail of new lows for President Donald Trump. Profound embarrassment over his performance in office and deepening concern over his level-headedness have to raise the biggest red flags. The daily drip drip of missteps and firings and discord are generating a tidal wave of bad polling numbers. Overall, the poll showed that only 33 percent of Americans approve of Trump while 61 percent disapprove.This is a disaster for Republicans that will only get worse as long as Trump remains in office. And it s unlikely that Republicans will keep Trump off the ballot in 2020 because they don t want to anger the extremists in their party. And that could have a down-ballot effect that really comes down like a sledgehammer on the GOP. If Republicans don t lose the Senate and House in 2018, they almost certainly will in 2020 with a VERY unpopular Trump on the ballot.It s also a major blow to Trump s fragile ego. He still thinks everyone loves him and he will likely think the same going into the 2020 Election. And then he will be totally humiliated when he becomes the one-term president that President Obama never was despite how desperately Republicans tried to sabotage him.Featured image via Steve Pope/Getty Images | 0 |
1,509 | Republicans hold on to state legislative edge in U.S. election | (Reuters) - Republicans will continue to dominate state legislatures in the wake of Tuesday’s election, which kept their party in control of Congress and put Donald Trump in the White House, legislative analysts said on Wednesday. After an election in which more than 80 percent of 7,383 state legislative seats nationwide were up for grabs, Republicans and Democrats were likely to control the same number of chambers they had previously, according to the bipartisan National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), which is still compiling voting results. Republicans, who have dominated control of legislatures since the 2010 mid-term election, held the majority in 67 of the country’s 98 partisan legislative chambers, while Democrats had 31 going into the election. Nebraska’s single chamber is nonpartisan. “Neither party can sort of boast of having a big night down on the state level,” NCSL elections analyst Tim Storey said. “Republicans will remain in a dominant position in terms of policy making.” In Kentucky, Republicans took over the House of Representatives for the first time since 1921, while defeating longtime Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo, according to the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee. That result leaves Republicans in control of all 30 legislative chambers in the U.S. South for the first time in history, Storey said. Republicans also wrested control of the Iowa Senate and the Minnesota Senate from Democrats, according to NCSL. Democrats hit their target in the New Mexico House of Representatives, gaining a majority of seats, and took over both chambers of the Nevada Legislature. In Hawaii, the only Republican in the Senate was ousted, making the Democratic-controlled chamber the first all one-party state legislative chamber since 1980. One chamber, the Connecticut Senate, came out of the election tied. Democrats retained control of the Illinois Legislature but lost their veto-proof majority in the House after Republican Governor Bruce Rauner and his top donors invested tens of millions of dollars in a bid to weaken long-serving Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan. The control of the New York Senate was still undetermined, NCSL said. Missouri’s legislature and governor’s office will be totally under Republican control after Eric Greitens won the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Governor Jay Nixon. Vermont will be split with the election of Republican Phil Scott as governor. Republicans extended their majority of U.S. governorships in Tuesday’s vote. | 1 |
1,510 | Trump ‘travel ban bands’ take to stage in Texas capital | AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Bands with diaspora from the seven Muslim-majority countries on U.S. President Donald Trump’s original travel ban took to the stage in Austin to build resistance against executive orders critics see as perpetuating bigotry. For many musicians in the “ContraBanned” showcase that went from Friday night to early Saturday at the South by Southwest music festival, the show put a human face on the countries that have become a focal point of current U.S. politics. “I understand the travel ban was done with the impression for securing a place of safety for Americans. I feel it is short-sighted and perpetuates the xenophobia that exists in this country,” said Bassel Almadani, frontman and vocalist for the soul and funk band of Bassel & The Supernaturals. Almadani, raised in the U.S. Midwest from parents born in Syria, has relatives who have given up hope on leaving the country ripped apart by a civil war due to Trump’s proposed bans. He has been trying to use his act to raise awareness about the six-year civil war that has set new standards of savagery in its impact on civilians, leaving an estimated half a million people dead. The Trump administration has said its executive orders are common sense approaches that will protect the American people. Attention from the bans has opened the door for Almadani to play in places like churches in Kansas where congregants want to learn more. “For a good five years there, I thought I was pulling teeth to get that conversation moving,” Almadani said in an interview. “It wasn’t until the immigration ban went into place that people became more intent on the issue and more supportive of the cause.” Before the so-called “travel ban bands” took the stage in Texas, the U.S. government said it would appeal against a federal judge’s decision that struck down parts of the Trump travel ban on the day it was set to go into effect. The acts included people Kayem, a Libyan-American from Chicago and the sister group Faarrow, born in Mogadishu, Somalia and relocated to Canada from a refugee camp. London-based, Iranian born artist Ash Koosha would not attend after trouble securing a visa. South Sudanese-Canadian artist Emmanuel Jal said the showcase dubbed “music of the banned nations” could change hearts and minds. “The people who voted for Trump voted out of fear. Let us fight with love because love will win,” he said. | 1 |
1,511 | the sugar industry funding research to sugarcoat the truth | back pain pain in the side
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there are many types of herbal teas which are good for our body such as chamomile tea marshmallow tea and parsley tea these herbal reduce infections and prevent kidney stone whats more it eases your symptoms and shortens the duration you should use at least twice a day to get effectively baking soda
this is probably the first time you heard about baking soda which may treat kidney infection but it is true baking soda replenishes bicarbonate levels in the kidney put one teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water and drink it several times per day garlic
garlic is related to passing salt in the urine therefore it is good for diuretic properties potentially garlic can help your body prevent heart disease and skin problems garlic contains allicin that avoid bacterial and infection
resources | 0 |
1,512 | BILL O’REILLY RELEASES Never Before Seen Pictures Of Obama In Muslim Dress…Says They Prove “Deep Emotional Ties To Islam” [VIDEO] | Barack Hussein Obama has not exactly done a stellar job convincing America he s a Christian. He spent his entire career as Christian in a church that preached hate against America and the white man. His own preacher, the racist Reverend Wright admitted that Obama only became a Christian to help himself become better integrated with the people who he was trying to embed himself with as a Community Organizer. Even the casual observer couldn t help but notice that while Obama s been in office, he s done everything but backflips to defend the Islamic faith, while bashing Christianity. Bill O Reilly shared photos of Barack Obama in traditional Islamic dress on his program Wednesday night claiming they were from his half-brother Malik s wedding.The Fox News host said it was very difficult to verify the exact location of the photographs a similar set of which were first released back in 2004 by Malik and previously published on DailyMail.com but claimed they were taken in Maryland in the early 1990s. According to his half-sister, Barack Obama attended his half-brother s wedding in the early 1990s. Malik Obama was a Muslim, said O Reilly. The Factor has obtained pictures allegedly from that wedding, which we believe was held in Maryland. Malik was married in 1981 for the first time and President Obama was his best man at that ceremony. He now has multiple wives.O Reilly used the photos in a monologue alleging the President s deep emotional ties to Islam have stopped him effectively combating ISIS while also saying he believes the photos prove that President Obama is not a devout Christian. He did this while attacking President Obama hours after he revealed he would not be withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, saying: President Obama, as we all know, will not even use the words Islamic terrorism. Again today when telling the nation that America will maintain eight-thousand troops in Afghanistan, the president did not accurately describe the situation there, putting forth that it was more about politics than Islamic terror. O Reilly claims the President Obama s failure to identify the terrorist threat facing America has allowed ISIS to run amok in the Middle East, a mistake he claims the Commander-in-chief will not acknowledge. There is no question the Obama administration s greatest failure is allowing the Islamic terror group ISIS to run wild, murdering thousands of innocent people all over the world, including many Muslims, said O Reilly. Mr. Obama has never, never acknowledged that mistake, nor does he define the ISIS threat accurately. That group is killing innocent people in order to impose a radical version of Islam on the world. The jihad is solely based on theology, perverted as it may be. Obama s refusal to use the phrase Islamic terrorism , preferring instead to say militants or simply terrorists has long been a sore spot for his Republican detractors, including Donald Trump.O Reilly also said of Obama after sharing the photos: I believe he s a Christian. I m not one of these guys who says he s a Muslim. But I don t think he s a devout Christian. He went on to say during the program: I base my analysis on the fact that in my opinion and I could be wrong, but I m not President Obama s sympathetic treatment of Muslims put the country in danger because he has not elevated the risks that we have to the level it should be. And he allowed ISIS to be created because of his foolish decision to withdraw troops in Iraq and to pretty much run wild for five years. So another president, angry about the jihad, would not have done that. O Reilly s guest, Obama: From Promise to Power author David Mendell, jumped in at that point to say: I think President Obama is very sympathetic to all cultures, all religions. He grew up in a multiplicity The host cut him off though to ask: Is that good for a commander in chief to be very sympathetic to all cultures and all beliefs when thousands of people are being murdered? O Reilly then closed out the segment by stating: He s the commander in chief of the United States, and his main charge is to protect us. It s not main charge as to be touchy-feely to all different cultures. Via: Daily Mail | 0 |
1,513 | is donald trump autistic | yet another proof of wrong touchscreen calibration page now i dont agree with their claim about such equipment not needing a calibration touchscreen devices need it but this really had to be done on purpose to favor one side and not the other coincidence you say if someone can grab it and upload it to youtube that would be great it may disappear from chan i dont have the link for that thread there but judging by the names on the screen its from virginia yet another place somehow ats will not let me upload a gif but here damn ive jumped the bandwagon mods or hoax it that video isnt from a reply to jedi_hamster aah then so am i damn and i promised myself to stay out of this political garbage i now know why edit on by eartoccupant because no reason given damn ive jumped the bandwagon mods or hoax it that video isnt from hi jh how do you know its not from just curious as i am not in that neck of the woods thanks now i dont agree with their claim about such equipment not needing a calibration touchscreen devices need it but this really had to be done on purpose to favor one side and not the other coincidence you say if someone can grab it and upload it to youtube that would be great it may disappear from chan i dont have the link for that thread there but judging by the names on the screen its from virginia yet another place direct link edit this video was actually taken back in in virginia during the congressional elections see it on youtube here the reason listed for the issues that arose in the video was a calibration error not entirely out of the realms of possibility given the number of touchscreen devices used during the elections across the united states that year edit on by kelbtalfenek because more information and a quote | 0 |
1,514 | Turkey summons U.S. envoy over Washington street brawl | ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey summoned the U.S ambassador on Monday to protest the treatment of Turkish security officials in the United States during a visit by President Tayyip Erdogan last week, the foreign ministry said. A brawl erupted between protesters and Turkish security personnel outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence during Erdogan’s visit to Washington to meet U.S. President Donald Trump. Turkey blamed the violence on demonstrators linked to the militant Kurdistan Workers Party while Washington’s police chief described the incident as a “brutal attack” on peaceful protesters. The U.S. State Department said in a statement the conduct of Turkish security personnel during the incident was “deeply disturbing.” It confirmed the U.S. ambassador in Ankara had been summoned by the Turkish government to discuss the “violent incidents.” The Turkish foreign ministry said it summoned the U.S. ambassador to protest “aggressive and unprofessional actions” by U.S. security personnel to the security team of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. “It has been formally requested that the U.S. authorities conduct a full investigation of this diplomatic incident and provide the necessary explanation,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. It said that lapses of security experienced during Erdogan’s stay in Washington were caused “by the inability of U.S. authorities to take sufficient precautions at every stage of the official program,” adding that incidents would not overshadow what was otherwise a “very successful” visit. Police have said 11 people were injured, including a Washington police officer, and two people were arrested for assault. At least one of those arrested was a protester. Washington said last week it was voicing its strongest possible concern to Turkey over the brawl. U.S. Senator John McCain, one of the leading foreign policy voices in Congress, on Thursday called for the expulsion of Turkey’s U.S. ambassador. | 1 |
1,515 | Trump says he is only in early stages of considering lifting Russia sanctions | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he is only in the early stages of considering whether to lift U.S. sanctions on Russia, as British Prime Minister Theresa May, other foreign officials and U.S. lawmakers cautioned that such a move would be premature. With Trump expected to speak by phone on Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time since taking power a week ago, speculation has been rife that he is close to lifting sanctions imposed by then-President Barack Obama over Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula in 2014. Such a move would likely cause consternation among European allies as well as many in the U.S. Congress who are also troubled by Russia’s intervention in the Syrian civil war and by U.S. intelligence agencies’ finding that Moscow meddled in the U.S. election campaign. “As far as the sanctions, (it is) very early to be talking about that,” Trump said, while insisting that he wanted to follow through on his campaign pledge to pursue better relations with Russia. His caution on the Russian sanctions came in response to a question at a joint news conference at the White House with May, the first foreign leader to visit the president since his inauguration. May made clear Britain wants to continue sanctions until Putin carries out the requirements in a ceasefire agreement arranged in Minsk, Belarus, in 2014. This view is shared by European allies who fear Putin could become more expansionist if he feels Trump will not intervene. “We believe the sanctions should continue until we see the Minsk agreement fully implemented. And we’ve been continuing to argue that inside the European Union,” May said. The boisterous Trump and reserved May took pains to demonstrate a readiness to maintain the “special relationship” between the United States and Britain, something that is particularly important for May as she steers Britain out of the European Union. They posed for photos before a bust of Winston Churchill in the Oval Office and Trump accepted an invitation from Queen Elizabeth to visit Britain later this year. The two leaders held hands briefly as they walked down the White House colonnade to their news conference in the East Room. Later, they lunched on beef shortribs in the State Dining Room. At the news conference, Trump showed flashes of the pugnacious willingness to dispense with formality that helped him win the Nov. 8 election, registering his displeasure when a British reporter asked him what he had to say to those who are “worried about you becoming the leader of the free world.” “This was your choice of a question?” Trump said with a half smile. Then, nodding toward May as laughter erupted, he added: “There goes that relationship.” On ties with Moscow, Trump has long bucked establishment Washington thinking by voicing a belief that, as he said on Friday, it would be a “tremendous asset” to have a positive relationship with Russia. A long-time Putin critic, U.S. Senator John McCain, who like Trump is a Republican, urged Trump not to lift the sanctions, saying that he should “reject such a reckless course.” “If he does not, I will work with my colleagues to codify sanctions against Russia into law,” said McCain, a long-time Putin critic. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, the top U.S. elected Republican, told Politico of the sanctions that “I think they should stay.” Former NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen, now an adviser to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, urged caution against reversing sanctions without winning concessions from Moscow, saying that, “easing sanctions will only embolden Russia’s aggression in the region, putting the security interests of Ukraine and the United States in jeopardy.” The White House encounter between Trump and May was heavily scrutinized for signs on how the relationship would develop between the leaders of two key members of the NATO alliance, who are markedly different in style but who both owe their rise to power to a tide of anti-establishment feeling in their countries. “I’m not as brash as you might think,” Trump said at the news conference. “I’m a people person and I think you are too, Theresa. I think we’re going to have a fantastic relationship.” Trump, a wealthy real estate developer and former reality TV star, had never held public office when he was elected in November. May stepped in to lead Britain after the June referendum Brexit vote to leave the EU that prompted her Conservative predecessor, David Cameron, to resign. It was notable that Trump did not give much in the way of vocal support for NATO, which he has previously declared obsolete. It was left up to May to issue support for NATO in her opening remarks at their news conference, and to encourage Trump’s backing.”On defense and security cooperation, we are united in our recognition of NATO as the bulwark of our collective defense,” she said. “Today we’ve reaffirmed our unshakeable commitment to this alliance – Mr. President I think you confirmed that you are 100 percent behind NATO.” (This version of the story has been refiled to clarify in 14th and 15th paragraphs on McCain’s remark on Trump and lifting of sanction; clarifying to show that comment “if he does not” refers to rejection of “a reckless course.” | 1 |
1,516 | Kaspersky says it obtained suspected NSA hacking code from U.S. computer | SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Moscow-based antivirus software maker Kaspersky Lab said on Wednesday that its security software had taken source code for a secret American hacking tool from a personal computer in the United States. In September, U.S. officials ordered Kaspersky’s products removed from government computers, saying the firm was vulnerable to Kremlin influence and that using the software could jeopardize national security. After that announcement, the Wall Street Journal reported on Oct. 5 that hackers working for the Russian government appeared to have targeted a National Security Agency (NSA) worker by using Kaspersky software to identify classified files in 2015. The New York Times reported on Oct. 10 that Israeli officials reported the operation to the United States after they hacked into Kaspersky's network. The Russian government has denied any involvement. Kaspersky began an internal inquiry in a bid to restore trust. On Wednesday, it said it had stumbled on the code in 2014 when the consumer version of its popular software flagged a zip file as malicious on a U.S. computer. While reviewing the file’s contents, a Kaspersky analyst discovered it contained the source code for a hacking tool later attributed to what Kaspersky calls the Equation Group. The software removed the file and the analyst reported the matter to Chief Executive Eugene Kaspersky, who ordered that the copy of the code be destroyed, the company said. Kaspersky said it assumed the 2014 source code episode was connected to the NSA’s loss of files described in media reports. “We deleted the archive because we don’t need the source code to improve our protection technologies and because of concerns regarding the handling of classified materials,” said Kaspersky spokeswoman Sarah Kitsos. Source code, which is normally hidden and gives instructions to computers, would have posed no danger to the Kaspersky customer. Former employees told Reuters in July that the company had on rare occasions removed uninfected files. Kaspersky spokeswoman Yuliya Shlychkova on Wednesday said removals of such uninfected material happen “extremely rarely.” Kaspersky said no third parties saw the code, though the media reports said the spy tool had ended up in the hands of the Russian government. Kaspersky denied the Journal’s report that its programs searched for keywords including “top secret.” The company said it found no evidence that it had been hacked by Russian spies or anyone except the Israelis, though it suggested others could have obtained the tools by hacking into the American’s computer through a back door it later spotted there. The NSA declined to comment on Kaspersky’s review. The new 2014 date of the incident is of interest because Kaspersky only announced its discovery of an espionage campaign by the Equation Group in February 2015. At that time, Reuters cited former NSA employees who said that Equation Group was an NSA project. Kaspersky’s Equation Group report was one of its most celebrated findings, since it indicated that the group could infect firmware on most computers. That gave the NSA almost undetectable presence. Shlychkova said the American machine’s files were found before the big Equation Group announcement but after Kaspersky had discovered Equation software on a machine in the Middle East. She said that occurred in March 2014. Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who led calls in the U.S. Congress to purge Kaspersky products from federal government networks, on Wednesday sent a letter to DHS acting Secretary Elaine Duke and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, urging the U.S. government to declassify information about Kaspersky products. The step was necessary, Shaheen wrote, “to allow the American people to make informed decisions about risks to their privacy and security.” Also on Tuesday, Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill sent a separate letter to DHS asking what was being done to ensure federal agencies were complying with the ban on Kaspersky products. Kaspersky’s consumer anti-virus software has won high marks from reviewers. The company said Monday it would submit the source code of its software and future updates for inspection by independent parties. | 1 |
1,517 | Young blacks more open to Bernie Sanders' White House bid | ORANGEBURG, S.C. (Reuters) - If Democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders has a chance of drawing African-American voters away from rival Hillary Clinton in South Carolina’s presidential nominating contest on Feb. 27, his best opportunity will be among the young. African Americans support former Secretary of State Clinton by more than a 3-to-1 margin nationwide, but among young blacks 18 to 29 years old, that margin shrinks to 46 percent for Clinton versus 33 percent for Sanders, according to recent Reuters/Ipsos polling. African Americans overwhelmingly back Democrats, but opinion polls in the run-up to the Nov. 8 presidential election show younger blacks more apt to reject an establishment candidate. They seem less inclined than their parents to reward Clinton for the outreach of her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and more drawn to Sanders’ outspoken views on reducing income inequality, cracking down on Wall Street, and cutting the cost of college. Reuters/Ipsos polling last year showed that 36 percent of blacks between 18 and 29 years old thought the country was on the “wrong track,” compared with 23 percent of blacks who were at least 60 years old. For Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont who describes himself as a democratic socialist, this trend could help him chip away at Clinton’s firewall of minority voters in the southern states, after his strong showings against her - especially among the young - in the early Democratic Party contests of Iowa and New Hampshire, both more than 90 percent white. The voting-age population in South Carolina, one of the next stops on the primary trail, is about 67 percent white and 27 percent black, the U.S. Census Bureau says. In Orangeburg, South Carolina, students at the historically black schools of South Carolina State University and Claflin University appeared split this week over which of the two candidates to support. Students praised Clinton’s work on behalf of women and minorities and her years of Washington experience. But many said they also were intrigued by Sanders’ plans to raise taxes on wealthier people and Wall Street firms, provide universal healthcare and offer free public college tuition. “The history is important. But at the same time ... you still need a plan,” said Travis Pascoe, 25, a second-year graduate student at Claflin. He said Sanders’ plans for reducing inequality by taxing the wealthy and expanding Medicare to cover all Americans should resonate with the black community. “I think that would help the black community because we’re the least privileged,” he said. Eight of 16 students interviewed were undecided voters. Of the eight students whose minds were made up, four students said they planned to vote for Clinton. Ethel Hillman, 25, a freshman who served in the military before going to college for social work, said she and many of her fellow students were voting for Clinton. She described Sanders as too aloof. “He’s not socially connected, I would say, to the black community,” she said. “He cares from a distance.” South Carolina State’s student center, which houses a bowling center and dining area, has quotes on walls from prominent black leaders, including President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, singer Michael Jackson and educator Booker T. Washington. On one wall is a memorial to students killed in the 1968 “Orangeburg massacre,” when protesters were shot by state highway patrol officers on campus amid tensions over racial discrimination. For Sanders, minority voters have been a lingering weakness. He struggled early in his campaign to appeal to black voters. Protesters from the Black Lives Matter movement interrupted his speeches, viewing him as out of touch with black issues. To counter that perception, Sanders touted his college civil rights activism, did publicity events with rapper Killer Mike, and on Wednesday met black civil rights leader Al Sharpton in Harlem. Like Clinton, Sanders has sent surrogates to historically black colleges. The writer and activist Cornel West spoke at South Carolina State on Sanders’ behalf, and actress Angela Bassett spoke there in support of Clinton. Where Sanders is fighting for inroads into the black electorate, Clinton finds a comfort zone. Her campaign has said it believes its road to the nomination would become smoother once it moves south, to places where she and her husband, the former president, have ties to minority leaders. Clinton picked up the endorsement of the Congressional Black Caucus political action committee on Thursday. As the stakes mount in South Carolina, Representative Jim Clyburn, one of the state’s most influential Democrats, said he was considering endorsing a candidate. He did not endorse in Hillary Clinton’s 2008 primary race against Obama, and previously said he would not weigh in this year. His wavering was echoed in the views of several students on the campus of South Carolina State. “I’m kind of caught between Bernie Sanders and Hillary,” said Kelsie Bryant, 19, a sophomore education major at South Carolina State. She said it was important to have a woman president, and she was worried Sanders was too old. But she said his meeting with Sharpton sent a positive signal about his outreach to blacks. Cetris Brooks, 21, a senior biology major at South Carolina State, said that ultimately she was “a little bit more trusting” of Clinton because of what the former first lady meant to her family. She said her parents had long supported Clinton, and her uncle knew the former president. (This version of the story corrects paragraph 11 number of students backing Clinton to four instead of three, adds “political action committee” to paragraph 21) (Additional reporting by Chris Kahn; Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Howard Goller) SAP is the sponsor of this content. It was independently created by Reuters’ editorial staff and funded in part by SAP, which otherwise has no role in this coverage. | 1 |
1,518 | Islamic State to fight 'till the end' in Raqqa: U.S. coalition spokesman | KOBANI, Syria (Reuters) - Islamic State fighters in the Syrian city of Raqqa are expected to fight to the death, but some local militants have surrendered recently as U.S.-backed forces close in on their last strongholds, a U.S. coalition spokesman said on Wednesday. Colonel Ryan Dillon said officials in the Raqqa Civil Council, which is to govern the city after IS has been driven out, were working to negotiate the safe passage of thousands of civilians being held hostage. But the coalition would not support any negotiated withdrawal of fighters, he said. The coalition would not be party to a negotiated settlement. (But) we re jumping ahead of anything that s being discussed right now ... as (the council) try to get civilians out, he told Reuters by phone. Up to 400 militants are believed to remain in a small part of Raqqa surrounded by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, he said. The foreign fighters (in IS), we fully expect them to fight till the end - there s a hardcore of (foreign) fighters. But we have seen a rate of four to five ISIS fighters surrendering a week, including emirs - local leaders within Raqqa - over the past month, Dillon said, using another acronym for Islamic State. The SDF said on Sunday it expected Raqqa s capture to be announced within days. Islamic State took over the city in 2014 as it seized swathes of Syria and Iraq. Raqqa served as the group s de facto Syrian capital, from where Islamic State plotted deadly attacks abroad. | 1 |
1,519 | ORLANDO ‘KNOWN WOLF’ Watched by FBI, Worked with DHS, Amid Crisis Actors, Drills & CI’s | Shawn Helton 21st Century WireOrlando s Pulse nightclub shooting is said to be the largest mass shooting in American history and in less than 24 hours, investigators already determined the incident to be an ISIS-related attack prior to a full forensic analysis.In this report we will attempt to answer a number of questions about a number of anomalies and unlikely coincidences surrounding this global media event.We re told that this tragic attack was carried out by an international security firm employee turned radicalized gunman but is there more to the story? SELFIE OBSESSED SHOOTER Omar Mateen is the alleged Orlando nightclub shooter (Image Source: nbcnews)QUESTION: Is this is another, in a long line of Daily Shooter events designed to evoke an emotive, polarized and highly politicized response, rather than a rational and reasoned one?The Orlando ShootingIn the early hours of Sunday, June 12th, Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, also listed as Omar Mateen by media outlets, was said to have killed 49 people, wounding some 53 others at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in what is being described as the deadliest mass shooting in America.According reports, Mateen is also said to have pledged allegiance to ISIS via a 911 call while carrying out the apparent large scale mass shooting and hostage situation, having been utterly cool and calm as suggested by some larger media outlets upon finishing his rampage.RELATED: (VIDEO) Active Shooter and Terror Drills: The Truth WILL Shock YouAdditionally, Mateen, was first stated to have used an AR-15 rifle, along with a small handgun (legally obtained through two security licenses). However, reports later changed and updated the alleged shooter s weapons of choice to the Sig Sauer MCX .223 caliber rifle and a Glock 17 9mm semi-auto pistol.The following is an extensive Rand Corporation evaluation of the NYPD and it reveals the following statistics as they relate to firearm accuracy: According to a 2008 Rand Corporation study evaluating the New York Police Department s firearm training, between 1998 and 2006, the average hit rate during gunfights was just 18 percent . When suspects did not return fire, police officers hit their targets 30 percent of the time.21WIRE, was able to track down an individual trained in all types of firearm training, who also questioned the alleged shooter s ability to to be so accurate, confirming the study above.Continuing the Orlando shooting timeline We were then told Mateen, took club goers hostage while carrying out the alleged terror related shooting around 2am.The shooting occurred at Pulse nightclub a popular LGTB venue, was thought to have had some 300 people inside of the club during the time of the shooting. We ve also been told that authorities were unable to stop the gunman for until 3 hours after the initial attack.The Washington Post reported: Three hours after Mateen first began shooting, they breached the building detonating an explosion on an exterior wall and ramming it with an armored vehicle. Traumatized club-goers escaped into the night, and then the gunman appeared in the opening, heavily armed and seemingly ready for what is known in law enforcement as suicide by cop. While some 30 lives have said to have been saved, how many were injured due to the explosive charge set of by police during the breach?According to a timeline of events, police were able to notify 24 of the victims families just two hours after the shooting at 7:30 am. This appears to be a significant detail when you consider the meticulous nature of crime scene investigation, as detectives are tasked with the time consuming and often difficult process of properly identifying individuals.In the Orlando shooting case, there would have (particularly in this scenario) been great bodily harm and perhaps unrecognizable victims who may or may not have had proper ID (fake ID s) on their person during the shooting.There appears to be a lack of footage surrounding the shooting itself, rescue operations performed or bodies at the stated crime scene extremely strange in the age of social media. SHOW OF FORCE A full-scale militarized response to the Pulse crime scene shooting. Did club goers become victims of friendly fire or was something else at play? (Image Source: radaronline)The Times Union stated the following after the Pulse nightclub shooting: Orlando police Chief John Mina says an extra officer was working at the Pulse nightclub in full uniform. The officer engaged with the shooter near an entrance. Additional officers entered, and engaged the suspect in another gunbattle. The shooter retreated to the bathroom.Mina says, At that time we were able to save and rescue dozens and dozens of people and get them out of the club. Officers then secured everything, and the SWAT team was brought in. Mina says officers then set up for an explosive breach on the bathroom wall. Mina says he made the decision to breach the wall, which created a hole through which dozens of clubgoers were rescued. Then the suspect exited through the same hole, and engaged in another gunbattle with officers. Shooter Omar Mateen was then killed. Why do early reports state that police engaged with the suspect, prior to the gunman shooting anyone or reportedly calling 911 this appears to directly contradict the main media narrative?Additionally, by police Chief John Mina s admission, a fully uniformed officer was working at Pulse nightclub. While it is not that unusual for police be at or sometimes moonlight at clubs as security, the details of how and exactly when the shooting occurred remain partially obscured in mainstream media reports.While ISIS media arms and social media accounts reportedly praised the attack, there has been wide scale condemnation of the shooting the world over including the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation who discussed this horrible act, but warned of political campaigning and self-serving agendas, following the tragic events.Continuing the article stated the following:Saudi Arabia s Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki told The Associated Press in a text message Monday that Mateen first visited Saudi Arabia for 10 days in March 2011 and again a year later in March 2012 for eight days. Not since the San Bernardino shooting last December, has the public s perception been so arrested by a media-driven wave of hyperreality following what appears to be another confusing heavily coordinated incident, with an uncanny police and emergency response.Crime Scene Questions, Multiple Shooters WitnessedThough the Orlando shooting attack was officially stated to have been carried out around 2am, The Daily Mail published Facebook posts from people apparently inside the club that contradict the main timeline, suggesting the shooting happened much earlier.Here are the Facebook comments featured in the Daily Mail for review If these time stamps are correct and the posts have not been doctored in any way, then these posts present a pretty major crack in the official timeline of events at Pulse nightclub.Here s the animated YouTube personality Peekay Truth outlining the Daily Mail time discrepancy associated with the Orlando shooting . The UK s Independent published an article displaying an eyewitness account that directly contradicts the lone gunman theory pushed by all major media outlets in the aftermath of the shooting: Police did not immediately name the gunman or provide a possible motive for the attack but officials have classified the rampage as a domestic terrorism incident , Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said. Javer Antonetti, 53, told the Orlando Sentinel newspaper he was near the back of the dance club when he heard gunfire. There were so many (shots), at least 40, he said. I saw two guys and it was constant, like pow, pow, pow, . From a logistical stand point Mateen s ability to carry out the shooting by himself seems to be another questionable aspect to an increasingly troubled case.Another club eyewitness Jon Alamo, heard 20, 40, 50 shots, and then The music stopped. While the stress of the incident could account for some differences, forensically it s hard to believe Mateen would have been able to have the ability to shoot over hundred people with only 50 some shots.According to multiple eyewitness accounts people inside the club mentioned that there was possibly as many as four shooters in around the area. The witness seen in the image below described the following: Then he[Mateen] called someone he knew and he mentioned that he was the fourth shooter, and there were three others. The witness also stated that the alleged shooter may have called police or a news agency stating that America should stop their bombing campaign on ISIS. Security Background & Alleged AbuseThe 29-year old Mateen, an Afghani-American was located in Port St. Lucie, Florida, about 120 miles outside of Orlando. In 2013, Mateen was placed under a terror watch list for 10 months (interviewed two to three times by the FBI 2013-14) and had worked for one of the largest security firms in the US since 2007, G4S Secure Solutions, headquartered in Jupiter, Florida and formerly part of a CIA-linked government contractor and security firm, Wackenhut Corporation.G4S, as it turns out, was the very first designated and certified Department of Homeland Security (DHS) contractor and recently secured a $234 million dollar contract with the federal cabinet department. In addition to apparently providing security solutions for 90 percent of U.S. nuclear facilities, G4S, according to border patrol sources has also been tasked with the transportation and release of illegal immigrants inside the interior of the United States.At least one of Mateen s roles with G4S, was to transport and provide security for prisoner youths in Florida. In 2012, G4S congratulated Mateen for five years of service according to a company newsletter.Zero Hedge reported the following concerning G4S: And this is where the Mateen-G4S link emerges: as JW reported previously, a security company contracted by the U.S. government is driving the OTMs from the Border Patrol s Tucson Sector where they were in custody to Phoenix, sources said. The firm is the abovementioned G4S, the world s leading security solutions group with operations in more than 100 countries and 610,000 employees. G4S has more than 50,000 employees in the U.S. and its domestic headquarters is in Jupiter, Florida. Mateen remained on staff to guard prisoners despite media reports that he harassed a co-worker and expressed hateful views in the workplace and was the subject of a federal investigation for terrorism between 2013-14 for some 10 months. According to reports, the FBI dropped the investigation after Mateen admitted to the work place harassment, adding that he was responding to harassment from others over his beliefs.Mateen is also stated to have previously worked at Martin Correctional Institution from 2006-07, prior to being featured in a short interview (as an actor?) in a major Hollywood designer documentary called The Big Fix in 2012, discussing the BP oil spill at Deep Water Horizon.Here you can see Mateen at the 36 minute mark, taking what appears to be a quasi-albeit scripted activist-type stance, even though he works for the world s largest security contractor. Clearly, Mateen was acting in this real documentary.. What is the public to make of Mateen s own acting and film background as it relates to America s largest mass shooting are we again seeing a clear link between Hollywood and military/security services?Indeed, Mateen has been featured in another documentary from 2013, called Love City Jalalabad, a feature supposedly depicting progressive Afghani youth and a quest for social change.Also According to Times Union: The security company that employed the Orlando nightclub gunman says it has no record of a co-worker s complaints that the shooter was angry, profane and threatened violence.The company, G4S, says in a statement Monday that it has no record of any complaint by Daniel Gilroy against Omar Mateen. Mateen died in a gun battle with police after a mass shooting that left 49 people. However, Gilroy has maintained that Mateen began harassing him, sending as many as 20 or 30 text messages a day and more than a dozen phone messages. Gilroy said his employer, G4S, did not intervene. After Gilroy left G4S, according to the security firm: Gilroy told company officials in June 2015, shortly after he left the firm, that his co-workers were good men and women that put in an honest day s work and genuinely like to work as a team and contribute. Further adding to confusion surrounding Mateen s character, Mateen s ex-wife Sitora Yusufiy, has publicly stated that she was abused during their brief marriage. (Photo Illustration by Shawn Helton @21WIRE)Return of the Daily ShooterDuring most of 2015 if you remember, there was a barrage of active shooter crimes seen domestically within the US as well as parts of Europe, with many of the apparent shooters already known to authorities.21WIRE dubbed 2015 The Year of the Daily Shooter, as string of unreal shooting events rippled across America, many of which took place over the summertime, bleeding over into the chill of fall.While the public was still trying to comprehend the shocking and questionable Charlie Hebdo Attacks in early January of 2015, things began heating up in early May, when it was reported that two Islamic gunmen allegedly opened fire outside of a cartoon art exhibition and alleged free speech contest featuring provocative images of the Prophet Muhammad in Garland, Texas.While the incident was quickly labeled a terror attack, along with the vague and forensically undefined ISIS inspired tag for dramatic effect, reports stated that a pair of shooters, Elton Simpson (shadowed by a paid FBI informant) and Nadir Hamid Soofi, targeted a bizarre Muhammad Art Exhibit and Cartoon Contest that was organized by the American Freedom Defense Initiative, led by anti-Islamic Israeli lobbyist, Pamela Geller.It was a staged event that clearly echoed the Charlie Hebdo story line, with the usual trial by social media tweets suggesting guilt before all evidence was in.Within a short period of time following the suspicious events in Garland, it was revealed that Simpson, one of the alleged suspects in the Garland shooting, had been under the watchful eye of the FBI for nearly a decade and was in close contact with an undercover informant during that time, similarly outlining the intelligence-linked Kouachi Brothers who were implicated in the Charlie Hebdo incident.And just as the dust was settling after high profile shootings in the spring, we learned there was even more Trouble in the Homeland with yet another alleged terror inspired individual named Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez. As bizarre and conflicting reports emerged regarding a shooting on July 16th at a US Marine Corps strip mall recruitment center and a secure Navy Operational Support Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the focus of media coverage gave the false perception that people were shot within the mall area out in the open. However, only 48 hours later, it was revealed that victims of the shooting event were actually shot and killed inside of a secure Navy Reserve Training facility. By then the national media narrative had already been disseminated and set into the minds of the public.As we ve said before, whether it s the grafting of an overseas terror based story line or the concept of a rogue patriot-like lone wolf persona, we see a psychic assault on the masses, one that could potentially convince the public into giving up their civil liberties. CANDID CAMERA Omar Mateen s father s(Seddique Mateen) media presence and Congressional/CIA company has caused quite a stir concerning the background of the Orlando shooter. Seddique posted Facebook pictures from last year featuring political connections and Reps. Charles Rangel, Dana Rohrabacher, and Ed Royce. (Image Source: buzzfeed) Similarly, during the aftermath of 2014 s Canadian Parliament shooting, here at 21WIRE, we outlined many of the primary markers used in certain terror related events and mass shootings.The incident like other events such as the Boston Bombing, Sandy Hook and other bizarre attacks in recent years, have often distorted public opinion, pushing the populace towards new security measures in the wake of heavily coordinated and stylized events.(Left Image: therightscoop) The suspected Parliament Hill and National War Memorial shooter Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, had the perfect modus operandi and r sum to be an informant for either a law enforcement or intelligence agency.Historically, government operators have often made use of low-life criminals, and mentally disturbed individuals as part of a larger agenda domestically and abroad: According to the Globe and Mail, Zehaf-Bibeau was already designated as a high risk traveller by the Canadian government s security services who had also seized his passport. Could this be the reason why the shooter had snapped? Was he being targeted or being pressured into becoming an informant? Much was made of Zehaf-Bibeau s recent conversion to Islam, especially from the reactionary neoconservative tribe on Fox News, while those on the left called for tighter gun restrictions.We should make note of the formulaic scripting often seen following these kinds of events: Alleged connections to terror or terror networks, as with security links Suspect recently radicalized views on religion. Sensational media projections bring in additional storylines for dramatic effect. An unknown motive for the crime said to be committed followed quickly by a presumed motive without evidence. Politicians, law enforcement and media call the incident a terror attack before all evidence is reviewed.Time and time again, we ve seen this same choreographed narrative pushed by mass media and authorities only to be exposed at a later date.Readers should refer to the informant game we outlined in 2014 here at 21WIRE, which provided historical context about the FBI s confidential informant past, as it relates to the Orlando shooting: Human Rights Watch explains, The 214-page report, Illusion of Justice: Human Rights Abuses in US Terrorism Prosecutions, examines 27 federal terrorism cases from initiation of the investigations to sentencing and post-conviction conditions of confinement. It documents the significant human cost of certain counter-terrorism practices, such as overly aggressive sting operations and unnecessarily restrictive conditions of confinement. The list of terror informants and puppets is as long as it is colorful, starting with the infamous Underwear Bomber , who was allowed to travel to the US without a passport and was accompanied by an intelligence agent on his flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.Who can forget the FBI s ill-fated 1993 World Trade Center bombing attempt, where FBI handlers trained the driver and gave them explosives and worst of all stood by and watched as their sting subjects went ahead and detonated their concoction underneath the world s tallest building in New York City. Incidentally, after the 1993 attack, the FBI was said to have tried to lure Emad A. Salem, (played role in 1993 WTC bombing) a former Egyptian army officer who was a prized undercover operative back into a role as a confidential informant, with agents suggesting he should go into the Witness Protection Program. (Graphic: UK Column)Other recent FBI terror stooge/informant nightmares include:Tamerlan Tsarnaev (see his informant story here) Buford Rogers (see his informant story here) Jerad Miller (see his informant story here) Naji Mansour (see his informant story here) Quazi Mohammad Nafis (see his informant story here) Mohamed Osman Mohamud (see his informant story here) Timothy McVeigh (see his informant story here) Elton Simpson (see his informant story here)But how does this relate to the Orlando club shooting?Drills & Informants Shortly after the Pulse shooting attack it was revealed that Mateen had been attending services at a Mosque, meeting with a known FBI informant named Marcus Dwayne Robertson (image, left who also played role in 1993 WTC bombing), a former US Marine turned bank robber turned radical imam. Here s this passage from Fox News describing Robertson s role: It is no coincidence that this happened in Orlando, said a law enforcement source familiar with Robertson s history of recruiting terrorists and inciting violence. Mateen was enrolled in [Robertson s online] Fundamental Islamic Knowledge Seminary.Robertson and several associates were rounded up for questioning early Sunday, according to law enforcement sources, a development his attorney refused to confirm or deny. Another intriguing part of the Orlando shooter case was the fact that Orlando s Orange County had been running a number of mass casualty drills in recent years.For those unfamiliar, these Emergency response drills often take place prior to a real-life active-shooter scenario. The Orlando Sentinel reported in October 2nd, 2015, one day after the Oregon shooting, which also saw drills prior to the campus shooting at Umpqua Community College: During the Emergency Nurses Association s annual meeting on Friday, a mock shooter blew himself up, killing and injuring 100 local volunteer actors.There was blood, screams and moans, wounds and dead people all fake to create a realistic training environment for more than 40 nurses who had signed up for the exercise.They quickly began tending to patients, assessing the extent of their injuries.The nurses association had worked with several Orlando-based companies for nearly a year to set up the drill on at the Orange County Convention Center, which by coincidence took place a day after the shooting at a community college in Roseburg, Oregon, where 10 people died and seven were wounded. Branding Crisis(Left side) HASHTAG FRENZY Another huge hashtag campaign in less than 24 hours after a major attack. (Image Scource: heavy)While the apparent Orlando shooting attack on the surface appears to be another tragedy in America, one should take note at the breakneck speed at which media marketing campaigns have been rolled out globally since the violent incident, including ready-made hashtag slogans as reported by CBS news: Immediately after reports of the incident surfaced online, alarmed social media users began posting concerns and condolences under the hashtags #PrayForOrlando, #PrayersForOrlando, and #PulseShooting. Within hours of the Orlando shooting, many celebrities took to twitter to politicize and polarize the event before all the evidence had been properly reviewed.Media Hoaxing, Crisis Actors & Other AnomaliesThere have been many methods used to shutdown critical thinking in the aftermath of a crisis, as media organizations, politicians and celebrities are often used to misdirect the public s attention to detail.In an article entitled, Where Have All the Crisis Actors Gone? , written by Dr. James Tracy, we see a clear connection between forms of social media and law enforcement when a coordinated an active-shooter event is about to go live. Here s an excerpt below: Yet there may be much more to the Visionbox Crisis Actors project reverberating through the flurry of alleged shooting incidents taking place since the early 2010s. For example, Visionbox is proficient in using social media such as Facebook and Twitter to broadcast a catastrophic event to both participant actors and the public at large. In addition, the theatric entourage/ is also knowledgeable at crowdsourcing, or monitoring how an event is relayed and interpreted through the body politic via Facebook, Twitter, and so on. In December 2012 Visionbox Crisis Actors produced a detailed 73-page syllabus, Social Media in Emergency Management, an instructional class foregrounding the central role of social media to coordinate and convey a catastrophic event. The YouTube channel Stranger than Fiction News displays media interview with an eyewitness Janiel Gonzales, who stated that there was another person preventing people from leaving Pulse nighclub.Additionally, the YouTube video montages another interview with a professional actor and model named Luis Burbano admitting he was blocking an exit at the time of the shooting . Here s another YouTube video from End Times Headline News, which raises important questions concerning the crime scene The Politics of Mass Shootings Like other mass shooting events, there appears to be deliberate attempt to radically manipulate public opinion following each major incident, the Orlando shooting is no exception. We ve already seen the Orlando shooting attack send political rivals Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton into campaign overdrive.This type of subliminal propaganda has become a doorway for all hot button socio-political issues including gun control/reform and for those concerned over mental illness background checks and security.Once again, the media plays a crucial role not in informing and educating the public, or even investigating a crime, or questioning the state s methods and motives in any high-profile event.In 2015, The Washington Post published an article listing the apparent number of mass shootings in America. According to the Mass Shooting Tracker the definition of a mass-shooting event has been changed to include a larger number of shootings.However, perhaps the most glaring and obvious grandstanding seemed to occur in Obama s 2015 legacy interview, as he expressed his inability to change gun laws during the course of his presidency. Here is an excerpt from the BBC interview: You mentioned the issue of guns, that is an area where if you ask me where has been the one area where I feel that I ve been most frustrated and most stymied it is the fact that the United States of America is the one advanced nation on earth in which we do not have sufficient common-sense, gun-safety laws. Even in the face of repeated mass killings. FRAMING REALITY Mateen s wife, Noor Salman and their young child. Reports suggest that Disneyland may have also been a target. (Image Scource: foxnews)Family DesignsUntil recently in media, there was almost no discussion of Mateen s current wife Noor Salman In 2013 Omar Mateen married Noor Zahi Salman and they reportedly have a 3-year-old son together.According to public records, Noor Zahi Salman, age 30, has scrubbed her social media history: Omar Mateen lived in St. Lucie County, Florida, with his second wife, Noor Zahi Salman, but it is not clear if they were together or separated at the time of the shooting. Mateen sold his sister, Mariam Seddique, the house in April 16 for $10 (Quit Claim Deed). The Telegraph stated that, Salman lived in a suburb of Chicago before moving to Fort Pierce with Mateen in November 2012. In December 2015 she is believed to have left Florida and moved in with relatives in Rodeo, California. She has not spoken publicly and has scrubbed her social media accounts since the attack. Early indications suggest the Orlando shooter s back story could shape up like the San Bernardino shooting, involving multiple arrests, with international backgrounds that could shine a light on other clandestine activities linking both terror and security.San Bernardino, along with staged-managed events like the sensational Garland Shooting in April 2015, and the highly engineered Paris Attacks (January & November of 2015) and many other shootings in year s past have conveniently opened the door for sweeping national security changes, while at the same time reigniting the old War on Terror meme, rebranded as the War on Radical Islam , for new audiences to be politically seduced by from western media and politicians alike. IDENTITY CRISIS Mateen frequented gay night clubs according to those who knew him. (Image Source: abcnews)The UK s Telegraph reported the following: The man who murdered 49 people at a gay club in Orlando was a closet homosexual who used gay dating apps and frequented gay bars, according to friends and locals in the city.On Tuesday police were considering pressing charges against Omar Mateen s second wife, Nour Salman, 30, who told the FBI she went with him to scope out possible targets, and that she had tried to stop him from carrying out the attack. Wouldn t this drastically alter the main narrative of the alleged shooter s hate crime motive?Big Questions RemainAll too often we see the persona of any alleged killer being touted as hard evidence, despite the fact that even strong circumstantial evidence of any apparent crime would likely result in many hours of analysis, debate and procedural, potentially without a definitive conclusion, even if the evidence eventually reached a court room setting.Here s a recent report at 21WIRE, discussing Mateen s father s government ties and the rapidly failing Orlando shooting narrative: For the media, and every other political leader in the US, this was now classified as a hate crime , and so case closed. In other words, a simple story line with real traction was now baked firmly into this event about a homophobic, ISIS-inspired, crazed lone gunman who went postal in a Orlando gay nightclub, and coincidentally, on the eve of an international Gay Pride celebration day. Just 24 hours later, we learn from a report in the Orlando Sentinel that the alleged shooter Omar Mateen was in fact a frequent visitor for years at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando. It was definitely him. He d come in for years, and people knew him, one customer said. Another Pulse customer, Kevin West, even stated on record that he had been talking with Mateen for up to one year on a gay-chat mobile app. So, based on this updated information, this could not have been a hate crime because Omar Mateen was most likely gay himself, albeit in the closet.Likewise, this change in the story would also nullify much of the identity politics rhetoric currently being spun around this incident like this statement released by Hillary Clinton within hours of the main event :REDUX: Media Spoils the Crime SceneIncredibly, we re told on Wednesday that, once again, the media has ransacked another alleged shooter s home on live TV (also recall the Virginia live TV shooting). Just like the scripted aftermath of San Bernardino this past December, any chance to recover any new forensic information is now lost, as the media taints another crime scene in a large-scale terror related investigation.During the San Bernardino media ransacking exercise, a scrum of reporters tore through the alleged shooters apartment. In Orlando, the affair was paired down to only one media crew at a time. Here is MSNBC-UNIVSION reporter pretending to discover the ID of the shooter and family:MEDIA ALLOWED INSIDE TERRORIST HOUSEAttempts to dilute this obvious media operation were aired by networks like CBS, who ran the headline: Possible Burglary at Orlando Shooter s Home : The Orlando shooting attack appears like many other phantom shooting events, with a hybrid of real implications and unreal aspects, uncanny twists and turns linking Hollywood and security services, the FBI, near a backdrop of resorts, golf professionals, retirees and of course, Disneyland.Surreal is an understatement.Here s 21WIRE s Patrick Henningsen with Brian Gerrish and Alex Thompson discussing the nature of these security linked and terror events on the UK Column END OF PART ONEStay tuned for more Orlando shooting updates READ MORE ORLANDO SHOOTING NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Orlando FilesHelp support us by becoming a 21WIRE Member at: 21WIRE.TV | 0 |
1,520 | BREAKING: WORLDSTAR HIP HOP Site Releases Rap Video…Blames “Hypocrite” Hillary For Not Acknowledging Bill Clinton’s Black Son…Doesn’t Care About Blacks [VIDEO] | Here is Danney Williams tragic story. There is something very sweet and sincere about this young man. He comes across as very credible, which is why so many media outlets have been willing to put his story out for everyone to see:What about @danney_williams Black Life. @IAmSteveHarvey @megynkelly @FoxNews @TheView @WendyWilliams @RealDLHughley Re-Tweet#DeadBeatDad pic.twitter.com/BGfMDtTpFR Diamond and Silk (@DiamondandSilk) October 12, 2016 | 0 |
1,521 | BREAKING: OBAMA JUST RELEASED GITMO Prisoner Who Said He Would “Kill Americans” If He Was Released [VIDEO] | // <![CDATA[ (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_GB/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); // ]]>Gitmo detainee, who said he would kill Americans if he was released, has just been freed Posted by Fox & Friends on Tuesday, 12 January 2016Representative Louie Gohmert (R-TX) eviscerates Obama and his regime for the release of this terrorist: | 0 |
1,522 | POWERFUL: Men Read Hate Tweets To Female Sports Writers, What They Say Is Sickening (VIDEO) | In a powerful new web PSA video, female sports writers have some of the hateful tweets directed their way read by male sports fans. The ad was designed to highlight just how over the line online harassment has become for women, who are often the targets.The video features sports writers Sarah Spain and Julie DiCaro.Spain is a columnist for ESPN and has appeared on ESPN radio and on the network s premiere program, SportsCenter. She s written at length about the sexual assault allegations about NFL superstar Peyton Manning, pointing out that for years the story had been treated with kid gloves. DiCaro is an anchor on a Chicago sports talk station, and has written about rape allegations against NHL player Patrick Kane.For their work, and for simply being women in the male-dominated sports media, Spain and DiCaro regularly face dehumanizing, threatening, sexist comments from men online. The website Just Not Sports worked with the writers to produce this video to highlight the problem which is often dismissed as casual criticism, but as the video shows, is actually much sicker than that.#MoreThanMean hopes to open guys eyes by having them open their mouths. The video shows what happens when real sports fans read real online comments made about women sports reporters right to their faces.In reading the statements out loud to women journalists, guys are forced to experience, sometimes for the first time, the shocking online harassment happening to women in sports day in, day out. It serves as proof most sports fans would NEVER say these things to another person so we shouldn t type this garbage, either.The video is a strong example that shows that while relations between men and women have obviously come a long way over the last century, there is a toxic culture that tries to bully women away from issues that some men feel they own.Featured image via YouTube | 0 |
1,523 | Turkey extends troop deployment mandate, pressures Iraqi Kurds on vote | ISTANBUL/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Turkey s parliament voted on Saturday to extend by a year a mandate authorizing the deployment of Turkish troops in Iraq and Syria, stepping up pressure against an independence referendum in northern Iraq s Kurdish region in two days time. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Turkey would take security, economic and political steps in response to the referendum, which President Tayyip Erdogan s spokesman described as a terrible mistake that would trigger new regional crises. The United States and other Western powers have, like Turkey, urged authorities in the semi-autonomous Iraqi region to cancel Monday s vote. They say the move by the oil-producing area distracts from the fight against Islamic State. In Iraq, a Kurdistan regional government delegation arrived in Baghdad for talks with the Iraqi government in an effort to defuse tensions, but a senior Kurdish official said the vote was going ahead. The delegation will discuss the referendum but the referendum is still happening, Hoshiyar Zebari, a top adviser to Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani, told Reuters. Turkey, which has NATO s second-largest army, said on Friday that the Iraqi vote would threaten its security and force it to slap sanctions on a neighbor and trading partner, although it did not specify what measures it might take. Asked on Saturday if a cross-border operation was among the options, Yildirim told reporters: Naturally, it is a question of timing as to when security, economic and security options are implemented. Developing conditions will determine that. The mandate approved by Turkey s parliament on Saturday was first passed in 2014 with the aim of tackling threats from within its southern neighbors Iraq and Syria. It had been due to expire in October. Turkey is home to the largest Kurdish population in the region and is itself fighting a Kurdish insurgency on its soil. But it is also the main conduit for oil exports from Iraq s Kurdish region and it has said that any break-up of neighboring Iraq or Syria could lead to a global conflict. In a speech to parliament, Turkish Defence Minister Nurettin Canikli voiced concern about the referendum s impact on the region s ethnic and sectarian relationships, saying it could trigger an uncontrollable fire . Pulling out just a brick from a structure based on very sensitive and fragile balances will sow the seeds for new hatred, enmity and clashes, he said. A particular area of concern is the multi-ethnic oil city of Kirkuk, which lies outside the recognized boundaries of the autonomous Kurdish region and is claimed by Baghdad. It is dominated by Kurds but is also home to Arabs, Assyrian Christians and Turkmen of whom Turkey has long seen itself as the protector. If the referendum is not canceled, there will be serious consequences. Erbil must immediately refrain from this terrible mistake, which will trigger new crises in the region, Erdogan s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin tweeted on Saturday. Militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) launched a rocket and mortar attack from the Iraqi side of the border on Turkey s Semdinli district on Saturday, killing one Turkish soldier and a worker in the area of a military base, the Hakkari governor s office said in a statement. The PKK launched its separatist insurgency in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict. It is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. The Iraqi army s chief of staff, Lieutenant General Othman al-Ghanmi, met his Turkish counterpart, General Hulusi Akar, in Turkey and they discussed the illegitimate referendum, Turkey s military said. The importance of maintaining Iraq s territorial integrity and political unity was stressed once again, it said. The Turkish army launched military exercises on Monday near the Habur border crossing to Iraq. Military sources said they were due to last until Sept. 26, the day after the planned vote. On Saturday the military said additional units had joined the exercises as they entered their second stage. Turkey has for years been northern Iraq s main link to the outside world. It has built strong trade ties with the semi-autonomous region, which exports hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil per day through Turkey to international markets. | 1 |
1,524 | Frustrated Europe hopes Clinton win can spur elusive Iran deals | BERLIN (Reuters) - After a year of disappointment, European businesses are hoping a victory for Hillary Clinton in the U.S. election next week may help break the logjam that has prevented large-scale Western investments in Iran since the opening of its economy. While no one in Europe is predicting a flurry of new deals should Clinton defeat her Republican rival Donald Trump on Nov. 8, a win for the Democrat would remove some of the political clouds hanging over last year’s nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. Business groups say this could help fuel a more aggressive push into the Iranian market in 2017, especially in the second half of the year, if a Clinton victory is followed by the re-election of moderate Iranian President Hassan Rouhani next May. “If Clinton and Rouhani win, then we will have a political window of opportunity that is much bigger than we have now,” said Matthieu Etourneau, who advises French firms on the Iranian market for MEDEF International, the French employers group. “This is what the European banks and companies are waiting for,” he said. Back in January, when the United States and Europe lifted sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear program, the excitement in Europe’s business community was palpable. With a population of 78 million and annual output higher than that of Thailand, Iran was the biggest economy to rejoin the global trading and financial system since the 1991 break-up of the Soviet Union. European politicians flocked to Tehran with dozens of corporate executives in tow. Rouhani, a pragmatist elected in 2013 on a platform to reduce Iran’s isolation, traveled to Paris and Rome to promote his country to eager investors. But within months the euphoria had vanished, replaced by frustration on both sides. The biggest obstacle for European firms seeking to do business in Iran has been the reluctance of the continent’s largest banks to finance deals out of fear they could run afoul of U.S. sanctions and incur massive penalties down the line. The United States has taken steps to reassure the banks. Last month the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued new guidance to allay concerns about doing U.S. dollar transactions with Iran. But Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledged at a think-tank event in London this week that banks remained skittish. German officials raised their concerns about the hurdles during a recent visit by U.S. sanctions coordinator Daniel Fried. This caution is likely to persist, regardless of who is sitting in the White House. Beyond the issue of sanctions, the poor state of Iranian banks after a decade outside the international financial system, the strong state role in the economy and a lack of clarity about the legal system are all deterrents to foreigners. “Everyone knows now that this will be a long, step-by-step process to build up our economic ties,” said Friedolin Strack, head of international markets at the Federation of German Industries (BDI). Still, a Clinton victory would be a reassuring signal to Europe. Her close adviser Jake Sullivan was a key figure in the secret negotiations in Oman that paved the way for the landmark agreement that curbed Iran’s disputed nuclear activity, and she has defended it during the election campaign. Trump, by contrast, has called it “one of the worst deals ever made” and promised to renegotiate it if he is elected. Bankers say the risk of the deal unraveling under a Trump presidency has contributed to the reticence in Europe. Recently however, there have been signs of movement. Smaller German banks, pressed by their clients to support them in Iran, are beginning to offer limited financing and payment services. “Medium-sized banks that finance the German Mittelstand have a great deal of interest in Iran business and are preparing the groundwork intensively,” said Siegfried Utzig, acting head of economic policy and international affairs at the Association of German Banks (BvB). “We can see the light at the end of the tunnel but it’s still quite far away.” In June, the German government began offering export credit guarantees via insurance group Euler Hermes for firms wanting to trade with Iran. Edna Schoene, head of German government business at Euler Hermes, said about 30 formal applications had been received since then with a total value of about 2.5 billion euros. Nine of them have been approved. Add to that roughly 70 non-binding letters of interest (LOIs) that have been issued and the volumes push up into the double-digit billions of euros, Schoene said. “The potential in Iran is enormous and the demand for export credit guarantees is high, both in terms of formal applications and expressions of interest,” Schoene said. “I expect that we will see the first large-scale, credit-financed deals in 2017.” Some European firms are already benefiting from the opening of the Iranian economy. Last week French carmaker PSA Group (PEUP.PA), once the market leader, announced it had produced 105,000 cars in Iran under the Peugeot license in the third quarter, 15 percent of its total sales volume. Etourneau of MEDEF International is also optimistic that Iran’s order of 118 jets from Europe’s Airbus (AIR.PA) and a recent joint venture deal between carmaker Renault (RENA.PA) and Iranian investment fund IDRO will prove a boon for smaller European suppliers. MEDEF International announced last month it was opening an office in Tehran, its first outside France, to support small and medium sized French firms seeking to enter the Iranian market. “We expect that 20-30 billion euros in public contracts to be attributed by the Iranians before the end of their fiscal year in March,” Etourneau said. “What we are telling companies is that they need a 5-10 year strategy. The market will open up progressively.” | 1 |
1,525 | Karma Finds Hypocrite Kellyanne Conway And Humiliates Her After FBI Says They’re Investigating Trump | What goes around finally came around to bite Kellyanne Conway on the ass.In October, Trump s then-campaign manager and current White House counselor posted a message on Twitter aimed at Hillary Clinton.Conway mocked Clinton by writing that honest people are not investigated by the FBI.Most honest people I know are not under FBI investigation, let alone two. https://t.co/UcSmSA5aTj Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) October 29, 2016At the time, the tweet was criticized because Trump was in the middle of being slammed by women across the country for saying that he grabs women by the genitalia without their consent. However, the tweet really didn t gain much, if any, media coverage.But that has all changed.In light of FBI Director James Comey telling Congress that Trump has been under investigation for colluding with Russia during the 2016 Election, Twitter users were quick to use Conway s tweet against her to point out how big of a hypocrite she is, demonstrating once again that Trump and his team really should watch what they say on social media because their words can come back to haunt them..@KellyannePolls well this tweet certainly hasn t aged well ??? Jordan (@jordansdiamonds) March 20, 2017@KellyannePolls LOL Chris Mandle (@chris_mandle) March 20, 2017.@KellyannePolls HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA YOU HAUNTED PUPPET HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH WITH YOUR HYPOCRITE ASS BROAZAY (@broazay) March 20, 2017@KellyannePolls well this is awkward abdul ? (@Advil) March 20, 2017Life comes at you fast, right @KellyannePolls? #TrumpRussia https://t.co/ZVd5C3Qb34 Cole Ledford (@ColeLedford11) March 20, 2017Indeed RT @KellyannePolls Most honest people I know are not under FBI investigation https://t.co/lWJuoMI72u Michael E. Mann (@MichaelEMann) March 21, 2017.@KellyannePolls Karma is a bitch. Rahul Sood (@rahulsood) March 20, 2017@KellyannePolls @FoxNews only dishonest people are under FBI investigation Leo (@mesayleo) March 20, 2017WELL ISN T THIS JUST DELICIOUS!? LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO @KellyannePolls https://t.co/ltWI4kBldT Ba vo Ratatouille (@T_dot_Lee_PhD) March 20, 2017@KellyannePolls We see ya! .@KellyannePolls pic.twitter.com/vxuuWTGJmL Resist4Humanity (@deejay90192) March 20, 2017.@KellyannePolls Hey girl! Just wanted to remind you of this tweet! We just found the one instance where you didn t lie!! Rachel Quaintance (@Rkaycue) March 20, 2017. @KellyannePolls pic.twitter.com/VwJbqiDV7A hawkize (@Hawkize) March 20, 2017.@KellyannePolls well, @realdonaldtrump is under investigation AS CONFIRMED TODAY by Comey. Care to change this tweet now? Ahava Feldman (@AhavaFeldman1) March 20, 2017Donald Trump and his entire administration is illegitimate and they should all resign in disgrace.Featured image via Yana Paskova/Getty Images | 0 |
1,526 | China expresses 'grave concern' over North Korean missile test | BEIJING (Reuters) - China expressed grave concern on Wednesday after North Korea fired what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that landed close to Japan. China hopes all parties act cautiously to preserve peace and stability, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a regular news briefing. | 1 |
1,527 | Trump to unveil Supreme Court pick close to inauguration: aide | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump plans to unveil his choice to fill the lingering U.S. Supreme Court vacancy around the time of his Jan. 20 inauguration after the Republican-led Senate refused to consider President Barack Obama’s nominee, a senior Trump aide said on Wednesday. The top U.S. court has been down one justice since the death of long-serving conservative Antonin Scalia on Feb. 13, leaving it ideologically split with four conservatives and four liberals. Obama nominated appeals court judge Merrick Garland for the post on March 16 but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked the customary confirmation process from proceeding. During an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump’s incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said the president-elect had not yet had any in-person interviews with potential Supreme Court nominees. “I think that’s going to be something that we’re going to start after the new year,” Priebus said. “And certainly by the time we get to inauguration, either shortly before or shortly thereafter, we’ll reveal the name of who our nominee will be.” Scalia’s replacement could tilt the ideological balance of the court for years to come, restoring the long-standing conservative majority just at a time when it appeared liberals would get an upper hand on the bench. This could be pivotal in wide range of issues including abortion, the death penalty, religious rights, presidential powers, transgender rights, federal regulations and others. Priebus said the age of the nominee will be a factor in Trump’s deliberations, possibly preferring a relatively young jurist for the lifetime post. Priebus said that “I tend to believe younger is better” and “certainly longevity’s a factor” but competence will be the most important component. Trump previously unveiled a list of 21 conservative jurists he would consider for the job and said this month he had whittled the list down to “probably three or four.” The U.S. Constitution calls on the president to nominate members of the Supreme Court, with confirmation of the selection in the hands of the Senate. McConnell’s Senate, in a move with little precedent in U.S. history, simply refused to consider the nomination, saying the winner of the Nov. 8 presidential election between Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton should make the pick. | 1 |
1,528 | Reuters surveys UK financial services jobs post-Brexit | LONDON (Reuters) - Around 10,000 finance jobs will be shifted out of Britain or created overseas in the next few years if the UK is denied access to Europe s single market, according to a Reuters survey of firms employing the bulk of workers in international finance. Reuters approached 158 banks, asset managers, private equity firms, insurers and exchanges with UK operations on their plans for moving staff as a result of Brexit and received answers from 123. [L4N1LO3T7] Fifty-seven companies said they would have to move staff or restructure their businesses because of Brexit, which is due to take place in March 2019. Another 37 said Brexit would have no impact, and the remainder said they are still deciding what to do or declined to comment. The survey was conducted by email and telephone interviews between Aug. 21 and Sept. 15. A total of 55 banks responded, along with 37 insurers and insurance brokers, 28 asset managers and private equity firms, and three exchanges. They included the 20 investment banks that earned the most fees from investment banking in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in 2016, according to Thomson Reuters data. Some participants declined to comment on some of the questions. Some participants also asked for the information to be part of an aggregate only, which is why Reuters has not published the complete data. The insurers who responded to the survey included the largest listed insurers in Britain, along with large European Union and non-EU insurers operating in Britain, major insurance brokers and listed and unlisted insurers with an international focus, such as those operating in the Lloyd s of London market. Twenty-eight asset managers managing a collective $25 trillion responded. They included most of the global managers who use the UK as a base in Europe, as well as the leading British firms. Survey participants were asked if Brexit would mean new jobs in the European Union and if so, to give details about whether they would be new jobs or transfers from London. They were also asked how many UK employees they currently have. Seventy-five organizations provided the number of staff they currently employ in the UK, which added together totaled 484,578. Of those 357,617 were employed by banks, 106,348 by insurers, 16,363 by asset managers and 4,250 by exchanges. The 39 firms which gave details on their plans for Brexit staffing together employ at least 359,983 people. A precise number could not be calculated because four did not answer the question. The 20 banks in the survey who answered the question about how many jobs would be affected by Brexit said they expected 9,777 jobs to be moved or created in the EU. Eleven insurers expected 98 roles to be created in the EU in total. Eight asset managers and private equity firms who gave the information saw 311 jobs in total being created. Of banks who have made a decision on what to do about Brexit, six planned to add jobs in Frankfurt, four in Paris, three in Dublin, two in Amsterdam, one in Berlin and one in Brussels. Among insurers, seven were setting up subsidiaries in Luxembourg, six in Dublin, three in Brussels, and one each in Malta, Munich and Paris. For the asset managers, nine said they were considering moving staff to another country or hiring locally there. The most popular destination was Luxembourg, chosen by seven firms, followed by Dublin with one and one undecided. There are 344 banks registered in Britain, according to the Bank of England, although that includes the domestic-focused subsidiaries of many larger banks as well as many smaller lenders that earn the bulk of their revenue in Britain so won t be affected so much by Brexit. There are 503 UK authorized insurers, according to the Bank of England, though many larger firms have more than one authorization. Many UK insurers also have a purely domestic focus, insurance specialists say. While the asset managers contacted account for the lion s share of the assets managed in Britain, there remains a long tail of smaller managers registered with the Financial Conduct Authority, a figure it currently puts at 1,840 firms. (This story has been refiled to drop extraneous and in paragraph eight) | 1 |
1,529 | THE LIST OF 65 MAINSTREAM MEDIA “Journalists” You Should Never Trust: Wikileaks Busts Media Hacks Working With Hillary’s Top Advisors | Many of the hacks on this list like Rachel Maddow, Mark Halperin, Diane Sawyer and George Stephanoplous are expected, as they pretty much openly pander to Hillary and Bill Clinton. However, some of the names on this list provided by Wikileaks, who have colluded with the Clinton camp in some way, may surprise you A few of the journalists meeting offline with Hillary advisersThanks to Wikileaks we now know that at least 65 mainstream reporters were working closely with the Clinton campaign this election year. They were invited to top elitist dinners with Hillary Campaign Chairman John Podesta or Chief Campaign strategist Joel Benenson.NO FOX NEWS REPORTERS MADE THE LIST!These 65 mainstream reporters CAN NEVER BE TRUSTED:As previously reported At least 38 top national reporters attended a different dinner at John Podesta s house in April 2015.The Clinton campaign sent out invites to New York reporters in April 2015 on their off-the-record meeting on how to sell Hillary Clinton to the public.These 38 reporters should NEVER BE TRUSTED! Via the Intercept: Another group of 25 mainstream reporters were invited to a dinner at Jhn Podesta s house on April 9.Here is the current RSVP list to the Thursday Night (4/9) dinner at Podesta s. As a reminder, this is with the 25 reporters more closely following HRC (aka the future bus). Via: Gateway PunditYes ABC Liz KreutzYes AP Julie PaceYes AP Ken ThomasYes AP Lisa LererAURN April RyanYes Bloomberg Jennifer EpsteinYes Buzzfeed Ruby CramerYes CBS Steve ChagarisYes CNBC John HarwoodYes CNN Dan MericaYes Huffington Post Amanda TerkelNO (Panama)LAT Mike Memoli YesLAT Evan Handler YesMcClatchy Anita Kumar YesMSNBC Alex Seitz-Wald YesNational Journal Emily Schultheis YesNBC Mark Murray YesNPR Tamara KeithNYT Amy Chozik YesNYT Maggie Haberman YesPolitico Annie Karni Politico Gabe DebenedettiYes Reuters Amanda BeckerThe Hill Amie Parnes YesWashington Post Anne Gearan YesWSJ Laura MecklerYes WSJ Peter NicholasYes WSJ Colleen McCain NelsonSo there it is, the list of corrupt players/ journalists who bring Americans their unbiased news every day. Do you still believe the polls? | 0 |
1,530 | CHAOS In Chicago As Thousands Of Protesters Shut Down Trump Rally (VIDEOS) | A scheduled rally for 2016 republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was shut down over security concerns, on Friday.The announcement came after thousands of protesters gathered outside the University of Illinois pavilion, chanting Trump has got to go. Protesters occasionally clashed with supporters, as dozens of police officers worked to keep them on opposite sides of the street.According to NBC Chicago, local law enforcement officers met Trump at the airport, informing him of the situation.Inside the arena, thousands of Trump supporters waiting to hear him speak were instead informed that the rally was cancelled.An announcer thanked the crowd for their attendance, before saying, Mr. Trump just arrived in Chicago and after meeting with law enforcement has determined that for the safety of tens of thousands of people that have gathered in and around the arena, tonight s rally will be postponed until another date. Following the announcement, chaos erupted inside the arena, with boos and cheers rising through the arena.Some protesters, who were also present inside the pavilion, were seen being removed by security.NBC Chicago reports that scuffles broke out among those inside the pavilion, saying, Some people could be seen yelling at each other or making vulgar gestures; at least one punch was thrown. A man who took the podium was escorted away by officers. The announcer directed Trump supporters to alert security if they observed a protester, by holding a rally sign over the person s head and shouting Trump, Trump, Trump. Here s video of the moments immediately after the cancellation was announced, via Evan F. Moore on Twitter. Reaction to the Chicago Trump rally postponement.@DNAinfoCHIpic.twitter.com/GRQTdIypt4 Evan F. Moore (@evanFmoore) March 12, 2016Moore captured video of what he describes as a protester trying to fight with campus police, following the announcement. Protesters tries to fight with UIC cop. It didn t workout. @DNAinfoCHI pic.twitter.com/8PV5CIf7AW Evan F. Moore (@evanFmoore) March 12, 2016At least ten thousand anti-Trump protesters were expected to attend the rally, with thousands purchasing tickets. Some planned to cause disruptions inside the pavilion, while others planned to leave seats unfilled.Witnesses described the scene as total chaos. Evan F. Moore posted video of the scene to his Twitter account on Friday. More footage. @DNAinfoCHI pic.twitter.com/SX3CKdHUJY Evan F. Moore (@evanFmoore) March 12, 2016Moore also capture video of the chaos outside the pavilion, which he also posted to his Twitter account. More footage. @DNAinfoCHI pic.twitter.com/SX3CKdHUJY Evan F. Moore (@evanFmoore) March 12, 2016Image credit: video screen capture via Evan F. Moore on Twitter | 0 |
1,531 | President Obama Restores Consumer’s Rights To Sue The Big Banks For Misconduct, Cracks Down On Tax Evasion | This is something you won t hear on Fox News anytime soon: President Obama is making the lives of honest, hardworking consumers a little better by allowing them to, again, sue big banks for misconduct.Working through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Obama Administration quietly pushed for new regulations that force the biggest financial institutions to backtrack on a secret clause hidden in contracts that hinders arbitration from consumers who feel they are victims from credit and banking misconduct.Meaning, if the big banks and credit card companies screw you over, you can take them to court and make them pay (finally) for their mistakes. No more stonewalling. No more too bad, so sad. The new rule clearly states:Pursuant to section 1028(b) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Public Law 111-203), the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (Bureau) is proposing to establish 12 CFR part 1040, which would contain regulations governing two aspects of consumer finance dispute resolution. First, the proposed rule would prohibit covered providers of certain consumer financial products and services from using an agreement with a consumer that provides for arbitration of any future dispute between the parties to bar the consumer from filing or participating in a class action with respect to the covered consumer financial product or service. Second, the proposal would require a covered provider that is involved in an arbitration pursuant to a pre-dispute arbitration agreement to submit specified arbitral records to the Bureau.Night and day. No more B.S. Once again, Elizabeth Warren s brainchild is swooping in to protect the people most preyed upon by greedy conglomerates.And it only gets better.The Obama Administration is also directing the Treasury to crackdown heavily on U.S. companies that take advantage of tax inversions, where they buy a company in a foreign country for a lower tax rate and then use those foreign resources to skip out on paying their fair share back here in the U.S., which costs our economy billions.According to Vox:The new rules announced on April 4 are different because they specifically target the most lucrative part of an inversion earnings stripping tactics, whereby the strategic use of debt and interest payments are used to transfer profits from a US-based subsidiary to a foreign-based one.Both of these new rules, at the behest of a Democratic administration, will put a dent in the money making machine of big banks who skirt the rules and screw over the people for an extra buck. Economist and tax expert Robert Willens told the Wall Street Journal that this new rule will take all of the juice out of inversions. These new rules already are threatening the mega-merger of pharmaceutical conglomerates Pfizer and Allergan, which stands to make over $150 billion, the largest merger of its kind.Still think both parties are the same? While the GOP just picked a liar and a financial cheater as their nominee, the Democrat s two-time picked candidate is working to bring money back to the Treasury and the pockets of the people.Thank you, President Obama!Featured image via Bill Pugliano/Getty Images | 0 |
1,532 | Paul Ryan: If Trump Tries To Ban Muslims, We’ll Sue Him (VIDEO) | Despite the fact that House Speaker Paul Ryan continues to insist that he s still backing Trump, it couldn t be clearer that he is extremely uncomfortable with the prospect of a President Trump. The two disagree on many things, including Trump s ridiculous idea that he could, without the help of Congress, ban Muslims from the United States. Since the shooting in Orlando, Trump has doubled down on that insanity, and it s clear that Speaker Ryan has had enough.Ryan sat down on Thursday with The Huffington Post, and when asked about what he d do if Trump tried to pull that sh*t once he was elected, Ryan said: I would sue any president that exceeds his or her powers. He went on to make sure people understood that his endorsing Trump did not mean that he had given the orange one a blank check to do as he pleases.Think about that. The Speaker of the House of Representatives the guy who is presiding over the GOP convention just floated the idea of suing his own nominee. This is the GOP imploding right before our eyes, folks. For real. Ryan went on to say: That s a legal question that there s a good debate about. On the broader question, are we going to exert our Article I powers and reclaim this Article I power no matter who the president is? Absolutely. After effectively saying that he d sue Trump if it came down to it, Ryan turned right around and reminded everyone what a spineless weasel he is, and insisted that Trump is still his man: I am going to keep being who I am, I am going to keep speaking out on things where I think it s needed, where our principles need to be defended, and I am going to keep doing that, I hope it s not necessary. But the last thing I want to see is a another Democrat in the White House. So, despite the fact that Trump continues to demonstrate how bashit insane not to mention grossly unqualified he is, Paul Ryan still would rather see Trump burn the world down than have to deal with another Democratic president. Not surprising, really.Watch the full interview below:Featured image via Mark Wilson/Getty Images | 0 |
1,533 | Democratic Senator Joins #THERESISTANCE: Says Trump Stole Obama’s SCOTUS Seat (DETAILS) | We all remember when Justice Antonin Scalia died last year, leaving a vacancy on the United States Supreme Court. As a result of his death, President Barack Obama did his job and nominated a qualified federal judge to replace Scalia on the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland.Garland was a centrist, and a completely uncontroversial nominee for the land s highest court. However, Mitch McConnell decided that his goal was to obstruct President Obama, and he and the rest of the Republicans in the Senate decided not to meet with Judge Garland, and to give him no hearing and no vote. Now that we have a new president in Donald Trump, a right-wing extremist approved by far-right activist groups like the Heritage Foundation has been nominated in one Neil Gorsuch. To that end, Democrats are taking to the streets as they have been doing since Trump s election to pressure their elected Senators to oppose Trump s pick.One Democratic Senator, Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) has said that he will defend and keep open the Supreme Court seat that was effectively stolen from President Obama. Merkley says via Twitter:Not only is this a stolen seat, but @realDonaldTrump has nominated a far right extremist. Unacceptable. https://t.co/9bkw4QODXD pic.twitter.com/iVHDdb2Pn9 Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) February 1, 2017Part of the statement reads: This strategy of packing the court, if successful, could threaten fundamental rights in America, including workers right to organize, women s reproductive rights, and the rights of ordinary citizens to have their voices heard in elections rather than being drowned out by the corrupting influenceof dark money from the richest Americans. If President Trump were serious about healing the divisions in America and undoing the damage wrought by Senate Republicans last year, he could have named Merrick Garland to fill this seat. Garland is a centrist jurist who is respected on both sides of the aisle. Instead, he doubled down on division by picking an ideological and extreme nominee to satisfy the far right. Senator Merkley is right. The Court should not be packed with far-right or, for that matter, far-left- ideologues. It should be filled with thoughtful, intellectual jurists who will not let personal opinions supercede the rule of law. That means nothing to the GOP, though; they just want their anti-worker, anti-poor, anti-gay, anti-immigrant, anti-woman agenda pushed through damage to the nation s highest court be damned.In short, Merkley is urging his Democratic colleagues in the United States Senate to stand up to Republican obstruction, to make them look as bad as possible, and to save the Court from far-right ideologues who would destroy and roll back rights for all Americans except the rich, straight, white, and male a century.Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images | 0 |
1,534 | Factbox: U.S. Republican lawmakers who say they won't vote for Trump | (Reuters) - Senator Ben Sasse was in a fairly lonely place when he wrote on his Facebook page back in February that he could not support Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. That is changing. Since Sasse, a Nebraska Republican, staked out his position, the ranks of Republican Trump critics in the U.S. Congress have grown, with the New York real estate mogul stirring almost constant turmoil within his party. The following are Republicans in Congress who have said they will not vote for Trump in the Nov. 8 presidential election, followed by those who have said they are keeping their options open. Senator Ben Sasse. Wrote in February he could not support Trump or his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. Sasse wrote: “Mr. Trump’s relentless focus is on dividing Americans, and on tearing down rather than building back up this glorious nation.” Senator Lindsey Graham. A strong Trump critic, Graham sought the Republican presidential nomination, but drew little support. He has told reporters he may write in someone for president. Senator Mark Kirk. The Illinois lawmakers faces a tough battle for re-election and withdrew his endorsement of Trump in June, citing Trump’s attacks on “Hispanics, women and the disabled like me.” Kirk had a stroke in 2012 and uses a wheelchair. He told CNN on Aug. 10 that he will write in former Secretary of State Colin Powell for president. Senator Susan Collins. The Maine moderate said in a Washington Post opinion article on Aug. 8 that she will not vote for Trump or Clinton. She has said she may write in another candidate. Representative Carlos Curbelo. A Cuban-American from Florida, Curbelo was an early Trump critic. “If the nominee is a fraud, and someone who’s offensive, and incapable of being an effective president like Donald Trump, I won’t support him,” Curbelo told Reuters in February. Representative Justin Amash. A libertarian-leaning Michigan congressman, Amash says Trump’s policies go in the wrong direction. “I’m not voting for him,” he told Reuters in March. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. A Cuban-American whose south Florida district is next door to Curbelo’s, Ros-Lehtinen said in May that she will not support Trump or Clinton. Representative Bob Dold. A longtime Trump critic from Illinois who plans to write someone in. Representative Adam Kinzinger. Another Illinoisan, Kinzinger told CNN on Aug. 3 he did not see how he could support Trump. Representative Charlie Dent. The Pennsylvanian said earlier this month he was not planning to vote for Trump or Clinton. Representative Richard Hanna. On Aug. 2, Hanna, of New York state, became the first House Republican to say he will vote for Clinton. He is retiring from Congress at the end of this year. Representative Scott Rigell. A Virginian who is also retiring from Congress, Rigell said on Aug. 7 that he would vote for the Libertarian candidate, Gary Johnson. Representative Reid Ribble. The Wisconsinite already was blasting Trump last September, saying Trump was doing “serious damage” to the Republican brand and that he could not support him. Ribble is retiring from Congress. Some prominent lawmakers have not endorsed Trump, but will not say whether they will vote for him, leaving their options open. Senator Jeff Flake. The Arizona lawmaker on Aug. 9 said there was “slim hope” he could vote for Trump, and added Trump could not win the presidency unless he changes. Senator Pat Toomey. A Pennsylvanian in a tight re-election race, Toomey has not endorsed Trump and says he has not made a decision on what he will do. Senator Ted Cruz. A conservative Texan and former Trump rival for the Republican nomination, Cruz was booed at the Republican convention after he pointedly did not endorse Trump and urged delegates to “vote your conscience.” Senator Mike Lee. A Cruz ally, the Utah senator says he has concerns about whether Trump is conservative enough. “He has not endorsed and he has no plans to do so,” a Lee spokesman said. Representative Mike Coffman. The Colorado lawmaker has not ruled out voting for Trump, but put out a television ad saying “I don’t care for him much.” Representative Fred Upton. From Michigan, he says he is not endorsing anyone and has not said for whom he will vote. | 1 |
1,535 | North Korea may announce completion of nuclear program within a year: South Korea minister | SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea may announce the completion of its nuclear program within a year, South Korea s unification minister said on Tuesday, as the isolated country is moving more faster than expected in developing its weapons arsenal. Experts think North Korea will take two to three more years but they are developing their nuclear capabilities faster than expected and we cannot rule out the possibility Pyongyang may declare the completion of their nuclear program in a year, said Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon at a media event in Seoul. | 1 |
1,536 | Factbox: New Zealand 2017 election - main parties and policies | (Reuters) - New Zealand s two main parties are neck and neck in opinion polls after the appointment of a charismatic leader boosted the opposition Labour Party, threatening the governing National Party s decade-long hold on power. The election is on Sept 23. Below are the main parties positions on key issues: ECONOMYNew Zealand s once booming economy is facing some capacity constraints. Unemployment is at an eight-year low and a labor shortage, most noticeably in construction, threatens to curb growth. Both main parties plan to be fiscally prudent and maintain a budget surplus, but would differ on monetary policy. National plans to cut net debt to 10-15 percent of GDP by 2025, while Labour and the Green Party both plan to cut it to 20 percent of GDP within five years of taking office. Labour proposes adding full employment to the existing inflation mandate of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, which economists say could lead to easier monetary policy and fuel longer-term inflation. To form a government, National may be more dependent on New Zealand First, which favors greater currency intervention - something New Zealand has been reluctant to do in the past. National is planning to adjust tax thresholds, or effectively deliver tax cuts, from April 2018 to boost family income. Labour wants to do away with National s planned tax cuts and boost tax credits and subsidies. New Zealand s house prices have risen more than 50 percent in the past decade as the construction industry failed to keep up with demand from a growing population, fueled by record migration and an increasing number of New Zealanders staying home. Labour criticizes National for leaving the housing crisis unresolved after nine years in government. It wants to ban overseas buyers from purchasing existing homes and build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 years. It also plans to create a housing authority to speed up residential development. National questions Labour s ability to build so many houses while curbing immigration. It plans to make NZ$1 billion available to speed up the development of 60,000 houses. New Zealand First wants to ban foreign non-residents from owning a home in New Zealand, except in particular cases, and to provide government assistance for first-home buyers. The Green Party wants to provide 10,000 new houses over 10 years for low-income groups through a rent-to-buy scheme. The National Party tightened eligibility criteria this year for immigration and believes current levels of immigration are about right to meet the economy s needs. Labour plans to reduce net immigration by up to 30,000 from record levels of over 70,000 annually and to charge every visitor a NZ$25 fee, which would be ring-fenced for a NZ$75 million infrastructure fund. The Greens want to review immigration policy to make sure migrants match the skills employers need, in line with Labour s policy. New Zealand First wants to curb immigration by ensuring New Zealand workers have the first chance at jobs and by capping the number of older migrants. National wants to expand New Zealand s international trade. Among other plans, it wants to complete the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, launch a free trade deal with the European Union and Britain post-Brexit and upgrade its free trade agreement with China. Labour wants to reconsider New Zealand s role in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact if provisions on foreign investment are not changed to allow the New Zealand government to restrict investment into the country. New Zealand First wants to renegotiate the TPP. | 1 |
1,537 | ‘Kaep– Kaep– Kaepernick’…Pelosi Fumbles While Defending NFL Kneelers [Video] | A fumbling Nancy Pelosi tried to defend former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick s First Amendment right to kneel during the national anthem. She couldn t quite get the name out and stuttered to say it. If you ve been following pelosi, you know this is a common occurrence. Pelosi is a great example of why we desperately need term limits. During an appearance on Meet The Press, Pelosi sided with the former 49ers quarterback, and other players refusing to stand for our country It was a hot pink mess SHE JUST DOESN T GET IT OUT -OF-TOUCH LIBERALS HAVE NO CLUE! Colin Kaep Kaep Kaepernick, uh, doing what he did, says this flag enables me to do this. This national anthem enables me to do this, she said, initially struggling to speak. This is about freedom of expression, Pelosi said.NO NANCY, THIS IS ABOUT SHOWING RESPECT FOR WHAT OUR FLAG AND NATIONAL ANTHEM REPRESENT. THIS IS WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID: We re proud of our country. We respect our flag, Wouldn t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag to say, Get that son of a bitch off the field! He s fired. He s fired! MAGA! | 0 |
1,538 | British police 'chasing down suspects' after train bombing | LONDON (Reuters) - British police are chasing down the people they suspect of being behind a bomb which injured 29 people on a packed commuter train in west London on Friday, the country s most senior counter-terrorism officer said. Mark Rowley said officers were sifting through surveillance footage and examining the remains of the device. This is a very complex investigation which is continuing at speed, he told reporters. We are chasing down suspects. | 1 |
1,539 | Trump Supporter Compares Opposing Israeli Settlements To Holocaust, Gets OWNED By Auschwitz Museum | This Donald Trump supporter will be ringing in the new year with egg on his face.Townhall columnist and retired Army Colonel Kurt Schlichter took to Twitter on Wednesday to whine about the United Nations resolution condemning Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.In fact, Schlichter s Twitter feed is full of complaints about the resolution even though America has supported such condemnations before and has always condemned Israeli settlements beyond their national boundaries. The Israelis have killed men, women, and children in the Gaza strip to make this expansion possible with little regard for human rights. Some Israeli lawmakers are even calling for committing genocide against the Palestinians. It should also be noted that the Israeli settlements are preventing peace talks from moving forward because it s useless to talk about a two-state solution when Israel is busy gobbling up land that belongs to the Palestinians.Schlichter thinks that those who condemn Israel are like the Jews who were forced to help the Nazis at Auschwitz.If you are Jewish and supporting Barack Obama and John Kerry, well, you would have made a fine helper at Auschwitz. Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) December 28, 2016Well, that didn t sit well with the Auschwitz Memorial Museum, so they responded to Schlichter s post.The tragedy of prisoners of Auschwitz & their complicated moral dilemmas which today we can hardly comprehend should not be instrumentalized https://t.co/lGYSxQ4a54 Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) December 28, 2016Schlichter replied by suggesting his knowledge of the Holocaust and the Jewish people is superior to that of the Auschwitz Memorial Museum.Your opinion is important and deserves respectful attention. However, I disagree, respectfully, with your conclusion here.@AuschwitzMuseum Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) December 28, 2016And even Schlichter s followers ripped him a new one for it.@KurtSchlichter if an Auschwitz memorial foundation thinks you re scum, might want to rethink your life decisions. As a therapist, I d agree Kelly (@kellydraper) December 28, 2016How does it feel to get called out by the people at the official Auschwitz Memorial, you hate-mongering low-life dirtbag? @KurtSchlichter Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) December 29, 2016@KurtSchlichter this is a horrible thing to say. Respectfully 1 can be very pro Israel and want to explore two state sol and end to violence Gabby Revilla Lugo (@gabbyrevlugo) December 28, 2016@KurtSchlichter: Equating a legitimate policy argument over US policy toward Israel to genocide is despicable. Suzanne Trimel (@STrimel) December 29, 2016@KurtSchlichter You have a greater grasp of Auschwitz than @AuschwitzMuseum do you? I disagree, disrespectfully, with your conclusion here. Danny Wallace (@dannywallace) December 28, 2016@KurtSchlichter seriously? Back down and apologize, you are wrong here. @AuschwitzMuseum Andrew Kornblatt (@akornblatt) December 28, 2016@KurtSchlichter @akornblatt When the fucking Auschwitz memorial says you re being tasteless, you need to take a step back and examine. Lain Iwakura Wannabe (@PubliusShepard) December 29, 2016@KurtSchlichter @AuschwitzMuseum Kurt I think the Auschwitz Museum might just know better than you on this one. em dash (@em_dash01) December 28, 2016Schlichter goes on to accuse people of supporting policies that keep Jews from praying at holy sites like the Western Wall. But Jews already pray at the Western Wall and are not being barred from doing so. A two-state solution would not change that, nor does the United Nation resolution condemning the continued construction of settlements. Nobody is arguing that Israel doesn t have the right to exist, but what Israel is doing to the Palestinian people is inexcusable and is only inflaming the Middle East. The United States cannot afford to sacrifice more blood and treasure fighting the entire Muslim world but that s what Israel is pushing for by continuing to build settlements that make peace impossible.Featured image via screenshot | 0 |
1,540 | Washington threatens funding cut to California, other 'sanctuary' areas | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice threatened on Friday to cut some funding to California as well as eight cities and counties across the United States, escalating a Trump administration crackdown on so-called sanctuary cities that do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities. President Donald Trump has vowed to strip federal funds from dozens of state and local governments that do not fully cooperate with U.S. immigration agents, arguing they endanger public safety when they decline to hand over for deportation illegal immigrants who are arrested for crimes. “Sanctuary cities” in general offer safe harbor to illegal immigrants and often do not use municipal funds or resources to advance the enforcement of federal immigration laws. Many of these localities say they do not have the funding or space to hold immigrants until federal agents can take custody of them. Those threatened were: the state of California; New York City; Chicago; Philadelphia; Clark County, Nevada; New Orleans; Miami-Dade County, Florida; and Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Cook County, Illinois, also received a warning, even though it did not get money from the Justice Department last year. The jurisdictions have until June 30 to provide evidence to the federal government that they are not violating any laws. At stake is roughly $29 million in law enforcement aid under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, which helps local governments pay for everything from forensics labs to drug courts. The grants in question are among the largest handed out under the program, collectively amounting to 11 percent of the $256 million distributed in the last fiscal year. In a statement, the Justice Department singled out Chicago and New York as two cities that are “crumbling under the weight of illegal immigration and violent crime,” even though New York City is experiencing its lowest crime levels in decades and experts say Chicago’s recent spike in violent crime has little to do with illegal immigration. Several state and local officials responded with defiance to the threat. “New York is the safest big city in the country, with crime at record lows in large part because we have policies in place to encourage cooperation between NYPD and immigrant communities,” said Seth Stein, a spokesman for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. In California, the state Senate approved a bill earlier this month to curb cooperation between police agencies and federal agents seeking to deport illegal immigrants. The measure is now in the state Assembly. “It has become abundantly clear that Attorney General (Jeff) Sessions and the Trump administration are basing their law enforcement policies on principles of white supremacy - not American values,” California Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de León, a Democrat, said in a statement on Friday. A spokeswoman for the California Board of State and Community Corrections said some of the federal funding in question went to local communities after emergencies, including San Bernardino after a mass shooting there in 2015. Officials in Philadelphia, Milwaukee County and Cook County said they believed they were complying with immigration laws. “Milwaukee County has its challenges but they are not caused by illegal immigration. My far greater concern is the proactive dissemination of misinformation, fear, and intolerance,” said Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele. The Fraternal Order of Police, the largest police union, told Trump in a meeting last month that they were concerned the cuts could threaten public safety. | 1 |
1,541 | Bigot Christians Make A HILARIOUSLY AWFUL Anti-Trans Music Video To Boycott Target (VIDEO) | Ever since Target decided to stand up to transphobic bigots and allow transgender individuals to use the restrooms that matched their gender identity, the retail chain has come under attack by thousands of anti-gay activists.Protesters have started to visit the stores with no other goal than to shout anti-trans hate speech, and many are threatening to boycott the store. Now, Target has come under fire from another hate group Faith2Action, a Christian group that describes itself as a pro-active launching pad for the pro-family movement, which has recently made a ridiculously pathetic music video called Don t Target Our Daughters .The music video is a fear mongering piece of work, in which the horrific audio features a singer spewing lyrics such as, No matter how long it s shouted, sin is not a civil right. And calling evil good will never make it right. The video also shows a Target card being cut up, a little girl being attacked in a bathroom stall, and an invitation for viewers to help Janet Porter (the bigot who made this video) boycott the store in an event scheduled for June 4th.The video is so terrible, it s honestly hard to sit through the entire thing. It wasn t long before Facebook users ripped the video to shreds. One commenter wrote: Any plans to protest our Tea Party legislature in Tennessee for not expanding health insurance to thousands and thousands of children? Surely, child poverty and health is a big issue with you, right? One woman pointed out a fact that has been overlooked by the video s creators, remarking that despite what these bigots would like to have people believe, there have literally been ZERO instances in which a transgender person has assaulted anyone. She said: Your daughters have been sharing the restrooms with transgender women their whole lives. They are in no danger by continuing to do so. A transgender woman, however, will be in danger if they must use the men s room. Another commenter had a genius solution for anyone bothered by transgender people having the freedom to live their lives as they please: I have an earth-shattering idea. Perhaps you all can simply mind your own business and just shop elsewhere? You can watch the video below and see what you think of Faith2Action s desperate ploy to control the rights of others: Featured image is a screenshot | 0 |
1,542 | CIA GATEKEEPER? CNN’s Chris Cuomo says Americans are ‘criminals’ for reading WikiLeaks’ Clinton email dump | 21st Century Wire says CNN s Chris Cuomo (image, above) is certainly one of America s most maligned and gaff-prone mainstream media pundits. But are these really gaffs, or is there more to this media operative?This week, Cuomo went into full establishment mode, by attempting to scare the American public into NOT viewing Wikileaks emails online.Cuomo declared this week, Also interesting is remember, it s illegal to possess, ah, the stolen documents it s different for the media. So everything you re learning about this, you re learning from us. After Cuomo s fatal misstep, he quickly began back-pedaling and obfuscating his troubling position regarding public access to items that are in the public interest:What is even more disturbing about Cuomo s off-hand legal declarations here, is that he is doing so in defense of Hillary Clinton s presidential run whose numerous scandals are pervasive throughout the Wikileaks emails. This is hardly the role of a journalist. NEWSFLASH FOR CNN: If the leaked documents are about elected and appointed public officials (especially those seeking the presidency), and the content exposes illegal and unethical activities and is clearly in the public interest (which these emails are) then any decent journalist worth their salt (no such thing at CNN) would publish them and even encourage the public to comb over the documents, unless the media outlet in question functions as a gatekeeper (which CNN does). SEE ALSO: Congressman Jim Jordan stops CNN gatekeeper Chris Cuomo on Benghazi cover-upAs the son of former New York governor Mario Cuomo, and the brother of New York governor Andrew Cuomo, Chris is part of a political dynasty family and member of an elite establishment. It s doubtful he would ve been given such a prominent position in a major broadcast network if he wasn t part of that establishment.Last year, 21WIRE ran a scathing report criticizing CNN s Cuomo over his reliance on dubious ISIS and al Qaeda online magazines for his news breaking news reports. After a bomb brought down a Russian Metrojet Airbus A321 leaving Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Cuomo cited an ISIS Monthly aka DABIQ Magazine claiming that a Schweppes Bomb brought down the airliner.21WIRE tweeted the CNN host our critique and in response, Chris Cuomo then blocked @21WIRE from viewing his Twitter page:For a self-described journalist hosting a major broadcast TV network program, is Cuomo so insecure that he blocked a small independent news site for criticizing a CNN report which relies on ISIS as its source?Q: Is Chris Cuomo a media gatekeeper? A: In the case of the above Wikileaks story, the answer is YES. It is well documented that the CIA has a number of media infiltration and propaganda programs, including Operation Mockingbird.Is Cuomo participating in such a program, in this case, being run out of CNN?*** SEE ALSO: CNN s New Source is ISIS Magazine Claims a Schweppes Bomb Brought Down Russian AirlinerREAD MORE WIKILEAKS NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Wikileaks Files | 0 |
1,543 | Iraqi court rules Kurdish independence vote unconstitutional | BAGHDAD/ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq s Supreme Federal Court ruled on Monday a Sept. 25 Kurdish independence referendum was unconstitutional and the results void, strengthening Baghdad s hand in a stand-off with the Kurdish region watched closely by neighboring Turkey and Iran. The Kurdistan Regional Government did not directly say whether it accepted the effective cancellation of the vote, but its new prime minister called for a third party to oversee talks between Iraq s central government and the Kurds. The KRG also called on the international community including the United Nations, European Union and non-governmental organizations to intervene and help lift what it called restrictive sanctions imposed by Baghdad in retaliation for the referendum. Kurds voted overwhelmingly to break away from Iraq in the referendum, defying the central government in Baghdad and alarming neighboring Turkey and Iran who have their own Kurdish minorities. The Federal Court issued the decision to consider the Kurdish region s referendum unconstitutional and this ruling is final, a court spokesman said. The power of this ruling should now cancel all the results of the referendum. The court is responsible for settling disputes between Iraq s central government and its regions, including Kurdistan. The verdict is not subject to appeal. A statement from Iraq s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said: We call upon everybody to ... avoid taking any step which violates the constitution and law. The court had ruled on Nov. 6 that no region or province can secede. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said last week it would respect that verdict, signaling a new phase in efforts to restart negotiations over the region s future. The Iraqi government responded to the Kurdish independence referendum by seizing the Kurdish-held city of Kirkuk and other territory disputed between the Kurds and the central government. It also banned direct flights to Kurdistan and demanded control over border crossings. Long-serving Kurdish president Masoud Barzani stepped down over the affair and the regional government led by his nephew Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani has tried to negotiate an end to the confrontation. In a news conference following Monday s ruling, Nechirvan Barzani said the court s ruling was reached unilaterally, without input from KRG representatives, and called for a third party to oversee negotiations between Baghdad and the Kurds. The rights of Kurds are enshrined in the (Iraqi) constitution and we seek the implementation of this constitution to resolve our issues with Baghdad, Barzani told reporters, according to Kurdish Rudaw TV. The constitution is one package and must be applied in its entirety, not selectively. However, Barzani did not directly say whether Kurdish officials accepted the effective cancellation of the referendum. The KRG had previously offered only to freeze the results. The KRG later said its chief concern was the lifting of an embargo on international flights to the region, which it said hampered foreign investment as well as humanitarian efforts for the more than 1.5 million internally displaced people currently in the region. We call on the international community to intercede in urging Baghdad authorities to lift the embargo, without condition, on international flights. The restrictive policies adopted by Baghdad against Erbil are in violation of Iraq s obligations and responsibilities under international and humanitarian law, the KRG said in a statement. | 1 |
1,544 | DOJ and FBI Are “Super Pissed Off” At Troubling Pattern Of Lawless Obama Covering For Hillary | On Friday White Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters some officials at the FBI have said Hillary Clinton is not a target of the current investigation.These latest comments by the Obama White House reportedly have FBI and Justice Department officials Super Pissed Off. Catherine Herridge reported:That statement by Josh Earnest has got the back up of our contacts at the FBI and Justice Department for two reasons They are SUPER PISSED OFF to use a technical term. Number one, Josh Earnest has absolutely no clearance or visibility in the FBI investigation. Number two, they say it really seems part of a troubling pattern from the White House because the president earlier said he did not see any national security implications to the Clinton emails and then we found out he had never been briefed.Here s the clip:https://youtu.be/K_cNN0cbe_g | 0 |
1,545 | WOW! UNDERCOVER VIDEO Proves Trump Was Right About Voter Fraud In New Hampshire [WATCH] | On Thursday, New Hampshire s Federal Elections Commission (FEC) called on President Trump to give proof of voter fraud, after he reportedly made further claims in a meeting with senators.Trump reportedly blamed voter fraud for why both he and former Sen. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.) lost in New Hampshire last November during a recent meeting with a bipartisan group of senators. The scheme the President of the United States alleges would constitute thousands of felony criminal offenses under New Hampshire law, Commissioner Ellen Weintraub said in a statement Friday. The President has issued an extraordinarily serious and specific charge, added Weintraub, who is a Democrat but was appointed by former President George W. Bush in 2002. Allegations of this magnitude cannot be ignored. I therefore call upon President Trump to immediately share his evidence with the public and with the appropriate law-enforcement authorities so that his allegations may be investigated promptly and thoroughly. The HillDemocrat sycophant George Stephanopoulos went after Trump s senior policy advisor Steven Miller on ABC s This Week show, DEMANDING he show evidence of voter fraud in New Hampshire as Trump claimed only days earlier. This is the media s newest Trump witch hunt. Given the willingness of both parties and the media to ignore massive voter fraud issues across America, one has to wonder if Trump continues to poke this fire on purpose, forcing the serious issue of voter to be addressed and eventually fixed. Careful what you ask for Georgie you just may get it, and it s not likely going to benefit your party THIS IS AWESOME! Stephen Miller does not back down from the widely known FACT that there's massive VOTER FRAUD!pic.twitter.com/QTcvSqIr67 Boston Bobblehead (@DBloom451) February 12, 2017Proof that dead people receive ballots in NH:Pay up, dude. NH elections officials welcome out-of-staters with open arms @JamesOKeefeIII @FergusCullen pic.twitter.com/Aj9rT1AYcs Project Veritas (@Project_Veritas) February 11, 2017 | 0 |
1,546 | FBI Warns Republicans: Do Not Leak Clinton Email Files | It s no secret Republicans are salivating to find something, anything, to take down Hillary Clinton. The idea of a third term for Democrats (at the hands of an accomplished woman) scares the hell out of them. So they do what they do best: lie, cheat, smear and bog down with endless investigations.Now that the FBI and the Department of Justice have cleared Clinton of any criminal wrongdoing, Republicans are once again faced with nowhere to go. They have hit a wall when it comes to pinning criminal charges on Clinton, who is increasing her chances of becoming America s next president.As part of a usual maneuver of transparency, the FBI handed over to members of Congress documents detailing witness interview reports, including that of Secretary Clinton s interview, along with other materials from the FBI s now closed investigative file in regards to her email controversy.In the age of the internet, it is almost guaranteed that whenever Congress gets their hands on anything potentially incriminating, embarrassing or politically expedient, it s leaked to the public. Both sides do it for different reasons, some for nefarious reasons, and others as a public service.But this situation is different. Republicans are hoping to use evidence in these documents as a smoking gun for the court of public opinion since their desire for indictment in a court of law fell flat. But there s one harbinger to this: many of these documents are deemed classified and confidential. And should any Republican, at the behest of their staff or them personally, feel compelled to leak the information provided, the FBI released a statement reminding them of what they are messing with:Consistent with our commitment to transparency with respect to the FBI s investigation to former Secretary of State Clinton s use of a personal server, the FBI is providing certain relevant materials to appropriate congressional committees assist them in their oversight responsibilities in this matter. The material contains classified and other sensitive information and is being provided with the expectation it will not be disseminated or disclosed without FBI concurrence.Should someone from Capitol Hill leak the information, prosecution could be pursued. And should a Republican be stupid enough to allow such a leak, their moral high ground argument that Clinton was reckless with handling classified information would be completely and utterly decimated.While Republicans are hoping to be selective in their discoveries, the Clinton campaign has announced that they want all the documents pertaining to the investigation to be released, as to stave off biased selection of information at the hands of a bloodthirsty GOP:This is an extraordinarily rare step that was sought solely by Republicans for the purposes of further second-guessing the career professionals at the FBI. We believe that if these materials are going to be shared outside the Justice Department, they should be released widely so that the public can see them for themselves, rather than allow Republicans to mischaracterize them through selective, partisan leaks.While Trump continues to put off releasing his much anticipated tax returns, the Clinton campaign is calling for near-total transparency of the facts surrounding what is arguably the dumbest scandal she has been linked to.Be careful Republicans. Everything you ve worked for could come crashing down should a giddy staffer decide to be a conservative hero and leak information.Featured image via Mark Mekela/Getty Images | 0 |
1,547 | Trump: U.S. has 'no choice' but to deal with North Korea arms challenge | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump unveiled a new national security strategy on Monday, calling for Pakistan to take decisive action against terrorism and saying Washington had to deal with the challenge posed by North Korea’s weapons programs. In a wide-ranging speech, Trump said his security strategy for the first time addresses economic security and would include a complete rebuilding of U.S. infrastructure as well as a wall along the southern U.S. border. Trump said the United States wanted Pakistan to take decisive action to help fight extremism, and that Washington had “no choice” but to deal with the challenge posed by North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. Trump said the security strategy would also end mandatory defense spending limits, frequently called “sequester,” but did not mention if he had consulted with members of Congress about a possible bill to end the caps established in 2013 budget legislation. “We recognize that weakness is the surest path to conflict and unrivaled power is the most certain means of defense. For this reason, our security strategy breaks from damaging defense sequester,” Trump said. “We’re going to get rid of that.” | 1 |
1,548 | JUST IN: Criminal Hackers Who Stole Data From 500 MILLION Yahoo Email Users Were RUSSIAN Agents Obama Regime INVITED To U.S…Courted By FBI | Just two years ago, the Obama White House welcomed Russia s top internal security official, Alexander Bortnikov, to Washington, as the head of a Kremlin delegation attending a highly publicized U.S. government summit on countering violent extremism.Obama was caught on an open mic telling Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (on the left) who is pictured toasting with Vladimir Putin and Head of the Federal Security Service Alexander Bortnikov, that he would have more flexibility after his second term. Of course, the mainstream media all but ignored the disturbing conversation. They re all over the fake news story however about Trump and his alleged Russian ties, of which they have absolutely NO evidence. What U.S. officials did not then know is that officers of the agency that Bortnikov heads, the FSB or Federal Security Service, were at that moment directing an audacious state-sponsored cyberattack to penetrate Yahoo s email network, deploying criminal hackers to steal data on 500 million email users, according to criminal charges unveiled by the Justice Department on Wednesday. The indictment handed up by a federal grand jury in California charged two FSB officers and two civilians one Russian and one from Kazakhstan, now living in Canada with crimes including computer hacking and economic espionage.The FSB sponsored cyberattack, which lasted from 2014 to last September, was described by government officials today as one of the largest data breaches in history: It involved the theft of vast amounts of credit card data and other financial information, as well as personal details on individuals of high interest to the Russian government: journalists, U.S. officials and U.S. and foreign corporate executives and employees, including a senior officer of a major U.S. airline and even a Nevada gaming official.But what was especially galling to U.S. officials is that the two FSB officers at the center of the plot, Dmitry Dokuchaev and Igor Sushchin, were assigned to the agency s Center for Information Security, or Center 18 a cybercrime unit that was the FBI s point of contact for investigating criminal hacking operations. What this shows is that we ve been had, said Steve Hall, a former CIA station chief in Moscow who later directed agency operations in Russia. Center 18 was the part of the FSB that was supposed to be working with us. But instead of working with the FBI and CIA to catch hackers, the FSB officers were actually working with hackers themselves, according to the Justice Department charges. In the Yahoo attack, two alleged cybercriminals were also charged as co-conspirators in the plot. One of them, Alexsey Belan, a notorious cyberthief who has been twice indicted in the United States and is on the FBI s Cyber Most Wanted list, received sensitive law enforcement and intelligence information from the FSB that helped him avoid detection by the FBI and facilitated his theft of proprietary Yahoo data including stealing the company s Account Management Tool (AMT), a system that Yahoo used to make and log changes to user accounts. His purpose, a senior U.S. official said today, was to line his own pockets with money. For entire story: Yahoo News | 0 |
1,549 | In divided Syria, U.S. strike both welcomed and condemned | BEIRUT (Reuters) - Polarized by years of civil war, Syrians were split on Friday over a U.S. strike on a government airbase, with those in rebel-held areas cautiously welcoming it but Damascus residents decrying it as Western aggression. The cruise missile strike near the city of Homs early in the day came in response to what Washington and its allies said was a chemical weapons attack this week by Syrian forces. Damascus has strongly denied using chemical weapons. Some residents of Idlib province, where the chemical attack took place killing scores of people, said they hoped the U.S. strike would weaken Assad’s government. “The American strike was good, it’s positive - we support any strike against the Syrian regime,” 29-year-old Alaa al-Zir said. “We hope there will be more strikes - and other action - to follow ... so the revolutionaries can advance further and these massacres against civilians can stop,” he said. Another man, Qadi Hajj Qadur, said the strike was likely too little, too late from the United States under new President Donald Trump, but that it was still a positive development and signaled hope for an end to the conflict. “It’s been seven years and we’ve experienced killing and they (the international community) didn’t impose a no-fly zone, they didn’t do anything. “Now America has come and wants to defend us. Is Trump a friend? I don’t know. But hopefully something good will come from him, and there will be a (peace) agreement, and this corrupt regime which slaughtered people can be gone.” Syria’s opposition has long urged the creation of a no-fly zone or provision of anti-aircraft weapons to rebel groups, and criticized what it saw as U.S. inaction under Barack Obama. Trump’s decision to launch missiles at a Syrian government target marks a dramatic departure and was welcomed by the opposition, who called for further strikes. Syria’s government controls most of the west of the country including its largest population centers, but rebels still hold Idlib province as a stronghold, with pockets of control in other areas including outside Damascus. The Damascus government said the U.S. strike was “rash” and an act of “flagrant aggression”, but did not expect a bigger escalation. In an interview with the Lebanese TV station al-Mayadeen, Assad aide Bouthaina Shaaban said any Syrian who welcomed the strike was a traitor. Damascus residents struck a defiant tone, echoing the government’s vow to escalate the pace of its attacks on insurgents and to win back the whole country. Others said the U.S. attack was no surprise and vowed to stand up to Washington. “Talk in the U.N. Security Council about (Syria using) chemical weapons is lies, and Syria knows this. They just wanted to have an excuse to strike,” said a Damascus fireman, who did not give his name. “It doesn’t make a great difference anyway. What the militants (rebels) have done to our country has more of an effect than Tomahawk missiles.” “The blood of martyrs is what waters the earth of the country. Either we die, or we win,” he said. Abu Haidara, a media student, said Syria should strike back. “The Syrian government should ... wage a war with them - with any dog who thinks he can attack Syria or the army or anyone and violate its sovereignty,” he said. | 1 |
1,550 | dems file complaint wdoj against fbi for investigating hillary | obama donations funneled through fake bonuses
this is some great investigative work and its the kind of story that flies under the radar and its just a small component of the democratic machine but it is what the setup looks like
jon tester didnt come all the way from montana for the scrambled eggs and bacon the us senator virtually unknown in boston was in a conference room at the thornton law firm that june morning to cash in at one of the most reliable stops on the democratic fundraising circuit a law firm that pours millions into the coffers of the party and its politicians
tester a massive jovial man who raises livestock on his family farm was more compelling than many of the other breakfast guests all of them political candidates the firm hoped would defend the interests of trial attorneys but the drill was basically the same the personal injury lawyers listened politely for a few minutes then returned to their offices and tester walked away with in checks
but a striking thing happened the day tester visited in partner david c strouss received a payment from the firm labeled as a bonus that exactly equaled his contribution to testers campaign the maximum allowed a few days later partner garrett bradley until recently the house assistant majority leader on beacon hill got a bonus too exactly matching his gift to tester
thats quite a coincidence
from through strouss and bradley along with founding partner michael thornton and his wife donated nearly million to democratic party fundraising committees and a parade of politicians from senate minority leader harry reid of nevada to hawaii gubernatorial candidate david ige to senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts over the same span the lawyers received million listed as bonuses in thornton law firm records more than of the contributions precisely matched bonuses that were paid within days
no corruption to see here now lets move on to another fake scandal
thorntons lawyers were especially generous to vice president joe biden one of washingtons strongest advocates for trial lawyers contributing more than to his campaigns from to
during president obama and bidens reelection campaign in michael thornton hosted a fundraiser for the obama victory fund at his house in cambridge where biden was the guest of honor some of the biggest donors some thornton partners gave were escorted into a private room and offered the chance to be photographed with biden said someone who was there thornton records show the lawyers were reimbursed for those donations
hope and change | 1 |
1,551 | VIOLENT LEFT EXPOSED: Anti-Trump Latino Sprays Pepper Spray In Faces Of Pro-Trump Women and Children | This is what it looks like when the tolerant Left uses violence to promote their phony tolerance for others .A loser in the Seattle Seahawks t-shirt really hates Donald Trump. Because he s too stupid to verbalize his position and too cowardly to take on anyone his own size or gender, he decided to express his displeasure with the GOP frontrunner by pepper spraying some women and children at a Pro-Trump rally.Here s the deal: Anaheim, CA city councilwoman Kris Murray introduced a resolution denouncing Donald Trump, which reads in part, the divisive rhetoric of presidential candidate Donald Trump as contrary to the fundamental principles of the constitutions of California and the United States and as not reflecting Anaheim s guiding principles of inclusiveness and kindness. The LA Daily News reports that more than 50 pro-Trump supporters showed up at the Anaheim City Hall to protest this ridiculous resolution on Tuesday. As you know, wherever there are Trump supporters, there are anti-Trump agitators looking to start a violent confrontation. There s no word on the anti-Trump numbers, but there were enough to be noticed. The news notes that most of these anti-Trump forces were angry young men.As the anti-Trump thugs were yelling at the pro-Trump supporters, one asshole decided to attack a group of women and children, including a 53-year-old grandmother. All I remember is a young man jumped on one of my friends and I told him to get off. Then I got pepper sprayed, said Linda Reedy.That pepper spray was wielded by the Latino in the Seahawks shirt. Not only did he hit Reedy but also her two young grandchildren and another woman.Paramedics were seen pouring water on their eyes to try and remove the stinging spray. A young girl about 8 years old cried hysterically.It would appear as if someone, possibly Seahawks guy, also punched Reedy in the face as paramedics gave her an icepack for an unspecified facial injury.To recap: one guy attacked a woman and then the Latino pepper sprayed her, a grandmother, and two young children all because they support Donald Trump. If there are a bigger couple of pussies I d like to know who they are because these guys have the #1 and #2 spots locked up in my opinion.Despite the fact that the news was able to capture a very clear picture of the chickenshit pepper sprayer, the dozens of police on the scene were unable to identify or arrest him. No seriously, there were a dozen cops in riot gear, plus many more guarding City Hall, as well as police helicopters overhead and they couldn t apprehend this coward?Let s remember that the reason why everyone was at Anaheim City Hall was because some uppity leftist councilwoman was denouncing Trump for being intolerant. Somehow I think attacking and pepper spraying old women and young children for their beliefs is a million times less tolerant than anything Donald Trump has ever said. Will Anaheim also denounce this Latino asshole and his cohort for what they did? I doubt it.A better question is: will the national media report this assault with the same vigor that they do any time a disruptive idiot gets thrown out of a Trump rally? Again, I doubt it. The official media narrative is that Donald Trump supporters are the violent ones and anti-Trump protesters are peaceful victims of their hate.Via: DownTrend | 0 |
1,552 | Elizabeth Warren HILARIOUSLY Continues Battle With Trump, ROASTS Reputation With Women (VIDEO) | If you haven t heard about the ongoing battle between Donald Trump and Elizabeth Warren then you re clearly living under a rock, or possibly a newborn baby. They ve been going back and forth on Twitter, in speeches, and every time he tries to call her goofy or Pocahontas (because he s apparently five years old) she smacks him down harder and harder.During her commencement address at Suffolk University this past weekend, Warren went after him yet again.Taking a brilliant dig, because let s face it, she s brilliant, Warren said: How s this speech polling so far? Higher or lower than Donald Trump s unfavorable numbers with women? If you weren t aware, Trump isn t doing so well with women, polling at 70% unfavorable. But can we be all that surprised? He s very misogynistic, constantly calling women names, and him going after Warren and then Hillary Clinton for actually being a woman, is just another example of that.Something tells me Warren isn t about to let up any time soon. Trump can try his name-calling games, but when it comes to strong women who have had to fight twice as hard to get half as much recognition their whole lives, he s in for a big surprise. Those games may work on weak Republican men, but just you wait. Just. You. Wait.Watch her whole speech here:Featured image via video screen capture | 0 |
1,553 | Trump's Treasury nominee Mnuchin pledges to divest assets worth millions | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, has pledged to divest at least $94 million worth of investments in 43 entities to avoid conflicts of interest, according to an ethics agreement released on Wednesday. Mnuchin said in a 42-page financial disclosure report that these investments include more than $50 million worth of common shares of CIT Group Inc, the financial services group that acquired his OneWest Bank in 2015. However, his CIT shares are likely worth more. They are listed in the “Over $50 million” category, the highest amount required on the asset valuation form for presidential political appointees. The investor group he led sold OneWest in 2015 for $3.4 billion, seven years after they purchased the assets of failed mortgage lender IndyMac Bank for $1.55 billion. Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs executive and Hollywood film financier, added that he resigned his position as a CIT director in December as part of his agreement with the Treasury’s assistant general counsel. He pledged to divest Goldman Sachs shares worth over $5 million and Goldman Sachs Treasury investments worth over $25 million. The disclosure forms, which allow a range for the value of assets, reveal that Mnuchin is worth at least $118 million to around $392 million, making him he richest Treasury secretary since his former boss, ex-Goldman Sachs CEO Henry Paulson, who served under George W. Bush and was worth over $700 million at the time he took office in 2006. By contrast, President Barack Obama’s Treasury secretaries, Tim Geithner and Jack Lew, were each worth between about $740,000 and $1.7 million when they took office. Under Mnuchin’s ethics agreement, he will refrain from any decisions involving CIT Group until August 2018, when a final payment of at least $5 million from CIT Group is made as part off a “holdback” agreement related to the OneWest merger. Among other assets disclosed by Mnuchin are a small airplane he operates for business and personal use, and an interest in a 1978 Willem de Kooning oil painting, “Untitled III”, valued between $5 million and $25 million. Mnuchin also said in his ethics agreement that prior to or upon Senate confirmation he would fully disclose the assets of his fiancée, Scottish-born actress Louise Linton, as if they were married and pledged to refrain from any matter that affects her finances. The documents are on file with the Office of Government Ethics. (here+Index/30AAAB9D74B0557B852580A5004FF9F9/$FILE/Mnuchin,%20Steven%20T.%20finalEA.pdf) | 1 |
1,554 | After 'bloody mess' jab, Macron eyes training, job insurance reform | PARIS (Reuters) - France s government and labor unions, united in seeking to cut unemployment but divided over how to do so, will seek common ground with a revamp of job training and unemployment insurance. The government proposes spending an additional 15 billion euros on training over five years, with employers saying they cannot fill vacancies despite a jobless rate of close to 10 percent, higher than in many European countries. President Emmanuel Macron also wants to bring the national unemployment insurance fund, currently jointly run by unions and employers, under the state s control. Macron, a former banker whose other labor market reform plans have been condemned by some trade union leaders as a deathknell for high French standards of labor protection, wants to make a professional training program less bureaucratic. He also wants the state to have more say over how much the unemployed get in benefits and for how long, which is currently largely set by unions and employers, On Thursday the government is due to open talks with union leaders before deciding how to overhaul training and unemployment insurance. Training is already funded to the tune of some 30 billion euros annually, financed in part by a levy on wage-earners, but is widely criticized for not benefiting workers that need it most. Meanwhile, unions and employers are protective of their decades-old grip over the unemployment insurance benefits system worth billions of euros. Macron angered unionists last week with comments he made during a visit to a car parts factory, where scuffles erupted between police and workers protesting over job losses. Instead of kicking up a bloody mess, some of them would be better off going to see if they can get a job over there, he said, alluding to vacancies that a nearby aluminum factory was battling to fill. Opponents accused Macron of showing contempt toward the workforce. Nonetheless, business owners say the skills gap is a problem. We just can t get people into factories, Pierre Tisseau, whose company makes house terraces in Cholet in western France, told Reuters. Tisseau said he hoped reforms to professional training would help him fill vacancies he has struggled to plug since 2008. The local branch of the Medef business federation in Cholet said 9,000 people were looking for work but that firms were finding it hard to fill 1,500 vacancies in sectors such as construction, transport and the agri-foods. Macron defied street protests led by the Communist Party-rooted CGT union to drive through employment law reforms that critics say will weaken collective bargaining and give more power to companies to set out work conditions. | 1 |
1,555 | DISNEYLAND: Anti-Trump Protester Shouting “Lock him up!” Gets Surprise Blowback From Trump Supporters [Video] | The left continues to prove to all of us that they are a twisted bunch. How is the protest filmed below going to persuade any voter to turn away from President Trump?A protester who may have an incurable case of Trump Derangement Syndrome shouted at a animatronic lookalike of the president in front of a room full of children at the Happiest Place on Earth.The ugly meltdown occurred in the Hall of Presidents at Disney World on Wednesday.I protested @realDonaldTrump at the #hallofpresidents cuz I'll never get this close in real life probs. #lockhimup pic.twitter.com/jKOQShIdz8 Earnest Gay Thoughts (@JayMalsky) December 27, 2017 I protested @realDonaldTrump at the #hallofpresidents cuz I ll never get this close in real life probs, Jay Malsky tweeted on December 27, adding the hashtag #lockhimup. ONE OF THE PRO-TRUMP PEOPLE WHO YELLED BACK AT THE PROTESTER TWEETED THIS OUT:My response to the person yelling at robot trump at the #hallofpresidents at #disney made @DRUDGE_REPORT. Glad they also pointed out the guys point about Disney being a public institution being absolutely irrelevant. pic.twitter.com/cWrfPheMIw Kenny Liszewski (@kenny_liszewski) December 29, 2017DISGUSTING DISPLAY:Malsky s Twitter profile image shows him holding a purple dildo and advertises his solo show in New York City, titled, Jay Malsky Slept With My Boyfriend. Malsky recorded himself watching the introductions of the presidents of the last half of the 20th Century to the president.After George Washington introduced Trump, the current president recited the Oath of Office, only for Malsky to begin shouting Lock him up! QUIET! Quiet! another attendee responded. Shut up! another one yelled.Trump s speech was halted as the crowd grew angrier. Please remain seated, a staff member said over the sound system. Thanks, asshole, someone could be heard telling Malsky as began chanting again.Via: American MirrorThe new President Trump depicted in The Hall of Presidents has been criticized for its likeness to Hillary Clinton. It certainly doesn t look like Trump: | 0 |
1,556 | U.S. 'not taking sides' in Iraqi-Kurdish dispute: Trump | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States sought on Monday to avoid openly taking sides in an Iraqi-Kurdish dispute, as Iraq s capture of the Kurdish-held city of Kirkuk raised the risk of an open conflict between U.S. allies in the fight against Islamic State. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed disappointment the two sides were fighting. We don t like the fact that they re clashing. We re not taking sides, Trump told reporters at the White House. We ve had for many years a very good relationship with the Kurds as you know and we ve also been on the side of Iraq, even though we should have never been there in the first place. We should never have been there. But we re not taking sides in that battle. Iraqi government forces captured the major Kurdish-held oil city of Kirkuk on Monday, responding to a Kurdish referendum on independence with a bold lightning strike that transforms the balance of power in the country. A convoy of armored vehicles from Iraq s elite U.S.-trained Counter-Terrorism Force seized Kirkuk s provincial government headquarters on Monday afternoon, less than a day after the operation began, a Reuters reporter in Kirkuk said. Senator John McCain, the influential chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, warned Iraq s government of severe consequences over any further misuse of U.S.-provided weaponry against Kurdish forces. Pentagon spokesman Colonel Robert Manning declined to speculate on whether the United States might cut off military aid and training to Iraqi forces in the event a major conflict, saying: I m not going to speculate on that but I will tell you that we re looking at all options for planning considerations ... We encourage dialogue. | 1 |
1,557 | Trump pressures Democrats on Obamacare to get border wall deal | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump put pressure on Democrats on Sunday as U.S. lawmakers worked to avoid a government shutdown, saying Obamacare would die without a cash infusion the White House has offered in exchange for their agreement to fund his border wall. The escalated push to get Trump’s priorities, which Democrats reject, into spending legislation could jeopardize prospects for an agreement to keep the government open. If talks fail, the government would shut down on Saturday, Trump’s 100th day in office. “Obamacare is in serious trouble. The Dems need big money to keep it going - otherwise it dies far sooner than anyone would have thought,” the Republican president said in a Twitter post. In a second tweet, he added: “The Democrats don’t want money from budget going to border wall despite the fact that it will stop drugs and very bad MS 13 gang members.” MS-13 is a criminal gang with members of Central American origin. The president’s tweets appeared after White House budget director Mick Mulvaney accused Democrats of “holding hostage national security” by opposing $1.5 billion to help build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, one of Trump’s top campaign pledges. Democrats have said they would not support legislation that ends federal subsidies to help low-income people buy health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. The healthcare law was former Democratic President Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement, which Republicans are trying to repeal and replace. On Sunday, Democrats called for Trump to stop making “poison pill” demands. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said negotiations between Democrats and Republicans in both the House of Representatives and the Senate were “going quite well” and that he was hopeful a deal could be reached. “The only fly in the ointment is that the president is being a little heavy handed, and mixing in and asking for things such as the wall,” Schumer told reporters. “We’d ask him to let us do our work, not throw in some last-minute poison pills that could undo it, and we could get this done,” he said. Trump wants money for the wall included in spending legislation that Congress must pass by Friday to keep the federal government operating through Sept. 30, when the 2017 fiscal year expires. Mulvaney and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus played down the danger of a shutdown. Mulvaney said talks between Republicans and Democrats could produce an agreement as early as Sunday. “I’m pretty confident we’re going to get something that’s satisfactory to the president in regard to border security within the current negotiations,” Priebus said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Trump had been clear about his desire for a wall. “I would suspect he will be insistent on the funding,” he told CNN’s “State of the Union.” The White House is expected to address another Trump campaign promise this week with a Wednesday announcement on tax reform that Mulvaney said would offer “governing principles, some guidance, also some indication of what the rates will be.” But he said basic elements of the plan remained undecided, including whether to have deficit-funded tax cuts that would not be permanent. “You can either have a small tax cut that’s permanent, or a large tax cut that is short term,” he said. In a tweet on Saturday, Trump promised that a “Big TAX REFORM AND TAX REDUCTION will be announced next Wednesday.” Legislative text on tax reform is not expected until June, Mulvaney said. Spending legislation will require Democratic support to clear the Senate, and the White House says it has offered to include $7 billion in Obamacare subsidies to help low-income Americans pay for health insurance, if Democrats accept funding for the wall. Democrats showed no sign of softening their opposition to wall funding on Sunday and sought to place responsibility for any shutdown squarely on Trump and Republicans who control the House of Representatives and the Senate. “The Democrats do not support the wall,” House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “The wall is, in my view, immoral, expensive, unwise.” Senator Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, called on Trump to “back off.” “To think that he would consider shutting down the government of the United States of America over this outlandish proposal of a border wall ... that would be the height of irresponsibility,” he told CNN. | 1 |
1,558 | Putin informs Trump of outcome of meeting with Syria's Assad | MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President discussed the civil war in Syria on Tuesday, with Putin stressing the importance of finding a political solution to the conflict after meeting with Syria s president. Trump and Putin spoke by telephone for about an hour, covering topics including Syria, Ukraine, Iran, North Korea and Afghanistan, a White House official said earlier. Their conversation came after Putin hosted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for three hours of talks on Monday, in preparation for a push by Moscow to end Syria s conflict now that Islamic State has been driven out of its self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria. According to Kremlin, Putin told Trump that the Syrian leader confirmed adherence to the political process, to run a constitutional reform and president and parliament elections . The message was sent of the necessity to keep the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria and to reach a political settlement based on principals to be worked out in a full-scale negotiation process in Syria, the Kremlin said. On Wednesday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani - whose countries back opposing sides in the Syria conflict - will travel to Russia for a meeting with Putin aimed at advancing the Syrian peace process. Putin stressed the importance to Trump of what he called coordinating of efforts between the special services of both countries . The two leaders also discussed North Korea, stressing the expediency of finding the ways of solution by the diplomatic means . | 1 |
1,559 | E.T. Williams Explains Why Millennials are in Meltdown Over Trump Win | 21st Century Wire says Donald Trump s victory has sparked flash mob protests on Wednesday, with students staging walkouts, as well as some burning and looting in Dallas and Oakland, California, and with marches in New York, Portland, Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia.E.T. Williams aka The Doctor of Common Sense explains why pockets of anxious college Hillary supporters across the America are asking for classes to be canceled because Trump beat Clinton in Tuesday s presidential election. Watch: SUPPORT 21WIRE SUBSCRIBE & BECOME A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV | 0 |
1,560 | Paul Ryan: Republicans ‘Will Not Tolerate’ More Democratic Disruption In The House | The Democrats in the House of Representatives last week showed a level of spine that the slimy weasel we call the Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, will never know. They staged a sit-in, led by civil rights icon John Lewis, on the floor of the House of Representatives. Well, Ryan seems to have gotten his cowardly boxer briefs in a twist over the fact that his pals on the other side of the aisle made a fool of him and caused him to lose control of the House chamber, and has issued a stern warning to his Democratic colleagues.Speaking with Upfront with Mike Gousha on WISN, Ryan said the following of what he would do if the Democrats dared to disrupt his ordered, delusional life as Speaker of the House by, oh, you know, standing up for what s right: We are not going to handle it the same way. We will not take this. We will not tolerate this. Ryan could have, as Speaker, had the Democrats who staged the sit-in arrested, but he chose not to do so. Because, well, he s a coward with no spine. We already knew this, though. Instead of admitting this, however, he blamed the Democrats, saying: They said they were hoping to get arrested and hauled off the floor. They told a number of my staff that and so I did get a brief heads up about it, I highly doubt they were dumb enough to tell your staff, who they knew in turn would be obligated to tell you, sir, what they were planning to do to make sure the sit-in was effective. You re just embarrassed that you lost control of the House chamber, and with good reason. You re always talking about doing the people s work in the people s house, yet you defy the gun control measures that 90+% of the American people want. You are doing the NRA s bidding, and we all know it. I hope House Democrats tell you to shove your crazy ideas up your ass where they belong, should you ever have the gall to actually confront any of them.Featured image via Win McNamee/Getty Images | 0 |
1,561 | Federal Showdown Looms in Oregon After BLM Abuse of Local Ranching Family – Bundys Lead Protest | 21st Century Wire says A new front has just opened up in the long battle between America s small farmers and the US federal government. DOUBLE JEOPARDY: Ranching family members Dwight Hammond (left) and his son Steven Hammond were sentenced twice for the same crime by federal officials.Late last week, approximately 150 people marched to the Harney County, Oregon, Sheriffs office in a peaceful protest of the unlawful jailing of two Oregon ranchers, father, Dwight Hammond, 73, and son, Steven Hammond, 46, over accusations of arson for carrying out prescribed burnings on their family-owned cattle ranch in 2001 and 2006. The family and their supporters accuse the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) of carrying out a decades-long pattern of abuse and persecution against the Hammonds in a coordinated effort to drive them out of the family ranching business.The scene in Burns, Oregon, Saturday morning as protestors gather in support of 2 ranchers going to prison. pic.twitter.com/ec6tmdeTik Les Zaitz (@LesZaitz) January 2, 2016After a protest convened, a large group of supporters, including members of the Bundy family from Bunkerville, Nevada, left the public gathering and headed 50 miles outside of Burns, Oregon, (Burns is located approximately 4 hours southeast of Portland), to the Malheur Wildlife Refuge Center, run by the BLM. The protesters have stated that their plan is to occupy the federal facility.Malheur National Wildlife building.Because of the venue s remote location, only a few journalists were able to report on the story over the weekend, but that was set to change on today, with dozens of new national media outlets arriving and setting up camp this morning. Law enforcement has already issued warnings for people to stay away, and the Sheriff s office has also informed media to expect multiple agencies (state and federal law enforcement) to be there on Monday morning.Below is a video statement (recorded on Jan 1st) from the protest s spokesman, Ammon Bundy, making an impassioned appeal for public support in a campaign for justice and redress of grievances for the Hammond family and also for additional support to help occupy the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge facility. Since the call went out through social media, a number of supporters and militia members from around the country have started to arrive on-site, with many more expected to arrive in the coming days and weeks.Watch: A video update from protesters and militia members as they arrive on location at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge site: The United States Justice Department has NO jurisdiction or authority within the State of Oregon, County of Harney over this type of ranch management. These lands are not under U.S. treaties or commerce, they are not article 4 territories, and Congress does not have unlimited power. These lands have been admitted into statehood and are part of the great State of Oregon and the citizens of Harney County enjoy the fullness of the protections of the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Constitution limits United States government. (see the full letter here) As expected, the media coverage on this story has been extremely partisan, with many left-leaning outlets like CNN already characterizing this story as a Militia Takeover of Federal Building by a anti-government gang with guns , without giving any real background commentary to the protracted legal controversy that had preceded events this week. One local affiliate KOIN6, even used the term militants in the headline to describe protesters on site. The following report from Conservative Treehouse, tells an incredible story of corruption and abuse of power by the federal government, its agents and courts, in what can only be described as a federal vendetta against the local family. Here s the Hammond Ranch case timeline The short summary is: in an effort to draw attention to a ridiculous arrest of a father and son pair of Oregon Ranchers ( Dwight Lincoln Hammond, Jr., 73, and his son, Steven Dwight Hammond, 46,) who are scheduled to begin five year prison sentences (turning themselves in tomorrow January 4th 2016), three brothers from the Cliven Bundy family and approximately 100/150 (and growing) heavily armed militia (former U.S. service members) have taken control of Malheur Wildlife Refuge Headquarters in the wildlife reserve. They are prepared to stay there indefinitely.Here s the long version: including history, details, links video(s) and explanations: PHOTO: The Hammond FamilyHISTORY: (aa) The Harney Basin (where the Hammond ranch is established) was settled in the 1870 s. The valley was settled by multiple ranchers and was known to have run over 300,000 head of cattle. These ranchers developed a state of the art irrigated system to water the meadows, and it soon became a favorite stopping place for migrating birds on their annual trek north.(ab) In 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt, in a political scheme, create an Indian reservation around the Malheur, Mud & Harney Lakes and declared it as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds . Later this Indian reservation (without Indians) became the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.(a) In 1964 the Hammonds purchased their ranch in the Harney Basin. The purchase included approximately 6000 acres of private property, 4 grazing rights on public land, a small ranch house and 3 water rights. The ranch is around 53 miles South of Burns, Oregon.(a1) By the 1970 s nearly all the ranches adjacent to the Blitzen Valley were purchased by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and added to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge covers over 187,000 acres and stretches over 45 miles long and 37 miles wide. The expansion of the refuge grew and surrounds the Hammond s ranch. Being approached many times by the FWS, the Hammonds refused to sell. Other ranchers also choose not to sell.(a2) During the 1970 s the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), in conjunction with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), took a different approach to get the ranchers to sell. Ranchers were told that, grazing was detrimental to wildlife and must be reduced . 32 out of 53 permits were revoked and many ranchers were forced to leave. Grazing fees were raised significantly for those who were allowed to remain. Refuge personnel took over the irrigation system claiming it as their own.(a3) By 1980 a conflict was well on its way over water allocations on the adjacent privately owned Silvies Plain. The FWS wanted to acquire the ranch lands on the Silvies Plain to add to their already vast holdings. Refuge personnel intentionally diverted the water to bypass the vast meadowlands, directing the water into the rising Malheur Lakes. Within a few short years the surface area of the lakes doubled. Thirty-one ranches on the Silvies plains were flooded. Homes, corrals, barns and graze-land were washed away and destroyed. The ranchers that once fought to keep the FWS from taking their land, now broke and destroyed, begged the FWS to acquire their useless ranches. In 1989 the waters began to recede and the once thriving privately owned Silvies pains became a proud part of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge claimed by the FWS.(a4) By the 1990 s the Hammonds were one of the very few ranchers that still owned private property adjacent to the refuge. Susie Hammond in an effort to make sense of what was going on began compiling fact about the refuge. In a hidden public record she found a study that was done by the FWS in 1975. The study showed that the no use policies of the FWS on the refuge were causing the wildlife to leave the refuge and move to private property. The study showed that the private property adjacent to the Malheur Wildlife Refuge produced 4 times more ducks and geese than the refuge did. It also showed that the migrating birds were 13 times more likely to land on private property than on the refuge. When Susie brought this to the attention of the FWS and refuge personnel, she and her family became the subjects of a long train of abuses and corruptions.(b) In the early 1990 s the Hammonds filed on a livestock water source and obtained a deed for the water right from the State of Oregon. When the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) found out that the Hammonds obtained new water rights near the Malhuer Wildlife Refuge, they were agitated and became belligerent and vindictive towards the Hammonds. The US Fish and Wildlife Service challenged the Hammonds right to the water in an Oregon State Circuit Court. The court found that the Hammonds legally obtained rights to the water in accordance to State law and therefore the use of the water belongs to the Hammonds.*(c) In August 1994 the BLM & FWS illegally began building a fence around the Hammonds water source. Owning the water rights and knowing that their cattle relied on that water source daily, the Hammonds tried to stop the building of the fence. The BLM & FWS called the Harney County Sheriff department and had Dwight Hammond (Father) arrested and charged with disturbing and interfering with federal officials or federal contractors (two counts, each a felony). He spent one night in the Deschutes County Jail in Bend, and a second night behind bars in Portland before he was hauled before a federal magistrate and released without bail. A hearing on the charges was postponed and the federal judge never set another date.(d) The FWS also began restricting access to upper pieces of the Hammond s private property. In order to get to the upper part of the Hammond s ranch they had to go on a road that went through the Malhuer Wildlife Refuge. The FWS began barricading the road and threatening the Hammonds if they drove through it. The Hammonds removed the barricades and gates and continued to use their right of access. The road was proven later to be owned by the County of Harney. This further enraged the BLM & FWS.(e) Shortly after the road & water disputes, the BLM & FWS arbitrarily revoked the Hammond s upper grazing permit without any given cause, court proceeding or court ruling. As a traditional fence out state , Oregon requires no obligation on the part of an owner to keep his or her livestock within a fence or to maintain control over the movement of the livestock. The Hammonds intended to still use their private property for grazing. However, they were informed that a federal judge ruled, in a federal court, that the federal government did not have to observe the Oregon fence out law. Those laws are for the people, not for them .(f) The Hammonds were forced to either build and maintain miles of fences or be restricted from the use of their private property. Cutting their ranch almost in half, they could not afford to fence the land, so the cattle were removed.(g) The Hammonds experienced many years of financial hardship due to the ranch being diminished. The Hammonds had to sell their ranch and home in order to purchase another property that had enough grass to feed their cattle. This property included two grazing rights on public land. Those were also arbitrarily revoked later.(h) The owner of the Hammond s original ranch passed away from a heart attack and the Hammonds made a trade for the ranch back.(i) In the early fall of 2001, Steven Hammond (son) called the fire department, informing them that he was going to be performing a routine prescribed burn on their ranch. Later that day he started a prescribed fire on their private property. The fire spread to public land and burned 127 acres of grass. The Hammonds put the fire out themselves. There was no communication about the burn from the federal government to the Hammonds at that time. Prescribed fires are a common method that Native Americans and ranchers have used in the area to increase the health & productivity of the land for many centuries.(j) In 2006 a massive lightning storm started multiple fires that joined together inflaming the countryside. To prevent the fire from destroying their winter range and possibly their home, Steven Hammond (son) started a backfire on their private property. The backfire was successful in putting out the lightning fires that had covered thousands of acres within a short period of time. The backfire saved much of the range and vegetation needed to feed the cattle through the winter. Steven s mother, Susan Hammond said: The backfire worked perfectly, it put out the fire, saved the range and possibly our home .(j1) The next day federal agents went to the Harney County Sheriff s office and filled a police report making accusing Dwight and Steven Hammond of starting the backfire. A few days after the backfire a Range-Con from the Burns District BLM office asked Steven if he would meet him in town (Frenchglen) for coffee. Steven accepted. When leaving he was arrested by Harney County Sheriff Dave Glerup and BLM Ranger Orr. the Sheriff then ordered him to go to the ranch and bring back his father. Both Dwight and Steven were booked on multiple Oregon State charges. The Harney County District Attorney reviewed the accusation, evidence and charges, and determined that the accusations against Dwight & Steven Hammond did not warrant prosecution and dropped all the charges.(k) In 2011, 5 years after the police report was taken, the U.S. Attorney s Office accused Dwight and Steven Hammond of completely different charges, they accused them of being Terrorist under the Federal Antiterrorism Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996. This act carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of death. Dwight & Steven s mug shots were all over the news the next week posing them as Arsonists . Susan Hammond (Wife & Mother) said: I would walk down the street or go in a store, people I had known for years would take extreme measures to avoid me .(l) Shortly after the sentencing, Capital Press ran a story about the Hammonds. A person who identified as Greg Allum posted three comments on the article, calling the ranchers clowns who endangered firefighters and other people in the area while burning valuable rangeland. Greg Allum, a retired BLM heavy equipment operator, soon called Capital Press to complain that he had not made those comments and request that they be taken down from the website. Capital Press removed the comments. A search of the Internet Protocol address associated with the comments revealed it is owned by the BLM s office in Denver, Colorado. Allum said, he is friends with the Hammonds and was alerted to the comments by neighbors who knew he wouldn t have written them. I feel bad for them. They lost a lot and they re going to lose more, Allum said of the ranchers. They re not terrorists. There s this hatred in the BLM for them, and I don t get it, The retired BLM employee said. Jody Weil, deputy state director for communications at BLM s Oregon office, indicated to reporters that if one of their agents falsified the comments, they would keep it private and not inform the public.(m) In September 2006, Dwight & Susan Hammond s home was raided. The agents informed the Hammonds that they were looking for evidence that would connect them to the fires. The Hammonds later found out that a boot print and a tire tracks were found near one of the many fires. No matching boots or tires were found in the Hammonds home or on their property. Susan Hammond (Wife) later said; I have never felt so violated in my life. We are ranchers not criminals . Steven Hammond openly maintains his testimony that he started the backfire to save the winter grass from being destroyed and that the backfire ended up working so well it put out the fire entirely altogether.(n) During the trial proceedings, Federal Court Judge Michael Hogan did not allow time for certain testimonies and evidence into the trail that would have exonerated the Hammonds. Federal prosecuting attorney, Frank Papagni, was given full access for 6 days. He had ample time to use any evidence or testimony that strengthened the demonization of the Hammonds. The Hammonds attorney was only allowed 1 day. Much of the facts about the fires, land and why the Hammonds acted the way they did was not allowed into the proceedings and was not heard by the jury. For example, Judge Hogan did not allow time for the jury to hear or review certified scientific findings that the fires improved the health and productivity of the land. Or, that the Hammonds had been subject to vindictive behavior by multiple federal agencies for years.(o) Federal attorney, Frank Papagni, hunted down a witness that was not mentally capable of being a credible witness. Dusty Hammond (grandson and nephew) testified that Steven told him to start a fire. He was 13 at the time and 24 when he testified (11 years later). At 24 Dusty had been suffering with mental problems for many years. He had estranged his family including his mother. Judge Hogan noted that Dusty s memories as a 13-year-old boy were not clear or credible. He allowed the prosecution to continually use Dusty s testimony anyway. When speaking to the Hammonds about this testimony, they understood that Dusty was manipulated and expressed nothing but love for their troubled grandson.(p) Judge Michael Hogan & Frank Papagni tampered with the jury many times throughout the proceedings, including during the selection process. Hogan & Papagni only allowed people on the jury who did not understand the customs and culture of the ranchers or how the land is used and cared for in the Diamond Valley. All of the jurors had to drive back and forth to Pendleton everyday. Some drove more than two hours each way. By day 8 they were exhausted and expressed desires to be home.On the final day, Judge Hogan kept pushing them to make a verdict. Several times during deliberation, Judge Hogan pushed them to make a decision. Judge Hogan also would not allow the jury to hear what punishment could be imposed upon an individual that has convicted as a terrorist under the 1996 act. The jury, not understanding the customs and cultures of the area, influenced by the prosecutors for 6 straight days, very exhausted, pushed for a verdict by the judge, unaware of the ramification of convicting someone as a terrorist, made a verdict and went home.(q) June 22, 2012, Dwight and Steven were found guilty of starting both the 2001 and the 2006 fires by the jury. However, the federal courts convicted them both as Terrorist under the 1996 Antiterrorism Act. Judge Hogan sentenced Dwight (Father) to 3 months in prison and Steven (son) to 12 months in federal prison. They were also stipulated to pay $400,000 to the BLM. Hogan overruling the minimum terrorist sentence, commenting that if the full five years were required it would be a violation of the 8th amendment (cruel and unusual punishment). The day of the sentencing Judge Hogan retired as a federal judge. In his honor the staff served chocolate cake in the courtroom.(r) On January 4, 2013, Dwight and Steven reported to prison. They fulfilled their sentences, (Dwight 3 months, Steven 12 months). Dwight was released in March 2013 and Steven, January 2014.(s) Sometime in June 2014, Rhonda Karges, Field Manager for the BLM, and her husband Chad Karges, Refuge Manager for the Malheur Wildlife Refuge (which surrounds the Hammond ranch), along with attorney Frank Papagni exemplifying further vindictive behavior filed an appeal with the 9th District Federal Court seeking Dwight s and Steven s return to federal prison for the entire 5 years.*(t) In October 2015, the 9th District Court resentenced Dwight and Steven, requiring them to return to prison for several more years. Steven (46) has a wife and 3 children. Dwight (74) will leave Susan (74) to be alone after 55 years of marriage. If he survives, he will be 79 when he is released.(u) During the court preceding the Hammonds were forced to grant the BLM first right of refusal. If the Hammonds ever sold their ranch they would have to sell it to the BLM.(v) Dwight and Steven are ordered to report to federal prison again on January 4th, 2016 to begin their re-sentencing. Both their wives will have to manage the ranch for several years without them.To date they have paid $200,000 to the BLM, and the remainder $200,000 must be paid before the end of this year (2015). If the Hammonds cannot pay the fines to the BLM, they will be forced to sell the ranch to the BLM or face further prosecution. (more citations here) See updates at Conservative TreehouseHere is another video update from Ammon Bundy: SUPPORT 21WIRE SUBSCRIBE & BECOME A MEMBER @ 21WIRE.TV | 0 |
1,562 | Top Senate Democrat urges Trump to name China a currency manipulator | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the U.S. Senate, urged Republican President Donald Trump on Tuesday to implement one of his campaign promises and declare China a currency manipulator. “Mr. President: if you really want to put America first, label China a currency manipulator,” Schumer told reporters. Trump’s Treasury secretary nominee Steven Mnuchin has told senators that he would work to combat currency manipulation but would not give a clear answer on whether he currently views China as manipulating its yuan, according to a Senate Finance Committee document seen by Reuters on Monday. | 1 |
1,563 | China steps up war on poverty, though some still left behind | BEIJING (Reuters) - Wang Qin, 59, collects scrap at a demolished residential district on the outskirts of Beijing, working 15 hours a day and struggling on her own to pay for her granddaughter s education. She worries that her own home, a small illegally constructed shack where she lives with her granddaughter and mentally ill husband, might also be bulldozed by local authorities. The family lives off the 1,500 yuan ($228) a month Wang makes selling scrap and receives no assistance from the Beijing government. As migrants from another province, they are not recognized as residents of the capital despite having lived there since 2014. Since she is not registered in Beijing, Wang has to pay more for things like school and medical care - a hardship for migrants in cities, where costs such as housing are also far higher than in the countryside. Every month you still need to live, I still need to pay the school fees for the child, and her food and drink every day, said Wang, who came to Beijing to try escape the grinding poverty of her village in Henan province in central China. I can t take it, my whole body aches, I can t earn the money. Wang s plight is a common one among millions of poor migrants in China s big cities, as well as in the rural areas from which so many of them come, highlighting the challenges of the government s campaign to wipe out extreme poverty by 2020. President Xi Jinping made the campaign one of his signature policy issues after pledging in 2015 that China would lift the 70 million people living under the poverty level at the time out of poverty by 2020. The campaign has been ratcheted up as the Communist Party prepares to hold a twice-a-decade leadership meeting on Wednesday. The country is placing an unprecedented amount of effort on alleviating poverty, Liu Yongfu, head of the government s Leading Group of Poverty Alleviation and Development, said at a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday. President Xi Jinping is personally in command, and has visited all of the areas of concentrated poverty in China. He added: With the active participation of all parts of society, it can be said that the battle against poverty has achieved significant results. Asked by Reuters about people like Wang, the scrap collector, Liu said migrants could receive benefits in their hometowns, noting that city dwellers were covered by urban social security programs. Beijing has pledged to spend 86 billion yuan on poverty alleviation this year, 30 percent more than last year, according to the Ministry of Finance. Liu said direct spending by central and local governments on poverty alleviation from 2013 to 2017 totaled 461.2 billion yuan, adding that other types of government spending also had an impact. The funds are used for infrastructure projects, as well as subsidies for education, health care and rural agriculture. The government s poverty line is income of 2,300 yuan per year, and by the end of 2016, 43.35 million people were still officially below it. The government s goal is to lift 10 million out of poverty this year, and at that rate the country by 2020 should, at least officially, be rid of serious poverty. The program is credited with increasing the attention given to the countryside and improving things like rural infrastructure. The president of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, on Thursday said China s achievement in lifting 800 million people out of poverty since 1990 was one of the great stories in human history . But many researchers and social workers say the campaign doesn t address the most serious problems facing China s poor. I personally don t really agree with the government setting this 2020 poverty alleviation target, said Yang Lixiong, a professor at Renmin University in Beijing who has studied the issue. The supportive policies can relieve poverty in the short term, but from a long-term perspective, they will easily fall back into poverty. Yang said up to half the residents lifted from poverty in some western regions would slip back under the poverty line if government support was removed. Yang said not enough attention was being paid to long-term issues such as access to schools and health care. Poverty can only be reduced over a very long period of time. And you can t say poverty is eliminated, it s impossible to eliminate, said Yang. Central government officials acknowledge the challenges, which they say include poor implementation of policies and misuse of funds at the local level. They also say the program is narrowly focused in order to address the most pressing problems of the poorest rural residents, but insist that much effort is going into improving health care and education. First we need to win this battle, resolve the current problems, said Liu, responding to a question from Reuters about whether the program would continue beyond 2020. Wu Chen, founder of the Beijing-based Social Resources Institute, which works in Dalinggou, a village in Hebei province, said development of rural areas faced challenges like the emptying of the countryside as people move to cities looking for work, environmental destruction, and lack of capital. Dalinggou is plastered with slogans calling for the village to win the war on poverty. With that aim in mind, the local government built a new paved road to the village and last month installed solar-powered street lights. Wu said there had been a huge improvement in rural infrastructure, but a wide information and culture gap between the rural poor and urbanites remained a major challenge. Can these villagers not only escape poverty in terms of income, but also information and ability poverty? ($1 = 6.5785 Chinese yuan renminbi) | 1 |
1,564 | Ammosexual Anti-Obama Organizer Shoots Fellow ‘Patriot’ In Drunken Fight Over A Gun (VIDEO/SCREENSHOTS) | The planned right-wing extremist event Paul Revere 2016 Final March to Restore America hit a snag on Monday when one of the organizers was shot dead. No, the socialist Communist Muslim atheist fascist tyrant Obama didn t have him killed, and he certainly wasn t taken out because he threatens the New World Order s agenda to use chemtrails and HAARP to kill Christians Charles Carter died at the hands of a fellow conservative in an argument over (shockingly) a gun.Authorities have not released details of the shooting, which occurred in Grayson County, Texas, but the Paul Revere event page announced Carter s death in an emotional plea to God to give the poster understanding of the incident.Apparently, God responded, as the event page s current administrator, an organizer of the failure that was the 2 Million bikers 2 DC rally, Bill Williamson, had many more details later in the day. I am behooved as to what has happened with Charles Carter and Vincent Smith from the Paul Revere event, the admin complained. The event that sky rocketed in a week has gone to hell and a handbasket in less then 24 hours Charles is dead, shot in the fore head by Vincent Smith. The administrator explained that Carter attacked fellow organizer Smith in a drunken argument over a gun (though Smith was allegedly sober):I was in chat with Charles Carter most of the morning and I could see in his post that shit was not right within him. Shortly after Vincent shot Charles then I was on the phone with him and he explained what happened, Vincent was attacked by Charles that was liquored up and enraged. Charles attacked Vincent, snatched his side arm from him and was going to shoot Vincent. Vincent had a spare gun on him and was SOBER and faster then Charles Carter. Vincent Smith I Pray for You Brother as I am Praying for Charles Carter. I Pray that you both find peace. The Texas Marshal has ruled this a self defense, and from talking to Vincent IN DEPTH I Bill Williamson BELIEVE HIM! the administrator wrote. If I am wrong them so be it. Right-wing online radio host Keith Williams also shared his sorrow over the unnecessary example of responsible gun ownership. Williams says that Carter was killed by a fellow patriot who was suppose to be his brother in arms and friend. One of their fellow patriots says Carter was shot between the eyes. Recently, the state of Texas made it completely legal to open carry handguns. While it is a felony in the state to carry any firearm while intoxicated, conservatives have traditionally opposed any and all firearms safety laws, viewing them as some sort of plot to grab guns from patriots like them. Unfortunately, we can expect to see responsible gun owners and good guys with guns (as the NRA calls every (white) person carrying a weapon until, of course, they commit a crime) shooting their friends family members, and enemies alike until we reform our firearms laws.Watch a video of Carter ironically begging conservatives to stop fighting with each other below:(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));Stop behaving like childrenPAUL REVERE 2016 FINAL MARCH TO RESTORE AMERICA ( PAGE )WAKE UP AMERICA ( PAGE )Posted by Charles Carter on Saturday, January 9, 2016Featured image via screengrab | 0 |
1,565 | TERRORISM EXPERT SEBASTIAN GORKA On What Next After London Terror Attack [Video] | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7Tn4gi_Os8 | 0 |
1,566 | Pakistan's ex-PM appears in court for trial over finances | ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan s former prime minister Nawaz Sharif attended an anti-corruption trial on Friday ordered by the country s Supreme Court when it removed him from office earlier this year. Sharif, 67, arrived at the court with his daughter, Maryam, who is also on trial over the family s wealth and financial dealings. The family has called the case a political conspiracy but opposition leaders who pushed it before the courts have hailed it as accountability for the rich and powerful. The charges in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court are linked to London properties the family owns that were revealed in the 2016 Panama Papers leaks involving offshore companies owned by prominent international figures. Allies of Sharif, who has served as prime minister twice and was toppled in a military coup in 1999, have called the proceedings a political vendetta and hinted at intervention by elements of the powerful army. The Supreme Court disqualified Sharif from office in July over unreported sources of annual income of about $10,000, a salary the former premier denies ever receiving. The high court also ordered the NAB to investigate and conduct a trial into the Sharif family s wider finances, including the London properties. Sharif maintains control of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party, which elected close ally Shahid Khaqi Abbasi as prime minister after Sharif was disqualified. | 1 |
1,567 | Obama Shamelessly Mocks Trump: ‘Orange Is NOT The New Black’ (VIDEO) | It s no secret that President Obama has a quick wit and a great sense of humor. Both were on full display on Thursday s edition of Jimmy Fallon s The Tonight Show, and the target of said wit and humor was GOP presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump. First, Fallon asked Obama his opinion on how the GOP felt about Trump being their nominee, and he said that the Democrats are happy about it, for sure. Then on a more serious note, the president went on to say: The truth is, actually I am worried about the Republican Party. I know that sounds you know what it sounds like.The main role I m going to be playing in this process is to remind the American people that this is a serious job. This is not reality TV. Then the mockery resumed, this time aimed at the astoundingly stupid Republicans sitting in Congress who have made Trump their standard bearer. Obama said: Thank you, Congress, for spending eight years wishing you could replace me with a Republican. Or, to put it another way, how do you like me now? After that, the president reminded America just how much he has managed to do, how far he has pushed America in all the right directions, despite constant GOP obstruction during the entire tenure of his presidency: I m proud of the many progressive steps our country has taken in recent years, both socially and environmentally. The United States has been a leader in developing clean energy to ensure the health of our planet for future generations. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, an additional 20 million Americans now have access to quality health care, and same-sex couples across the country now have a constitutional right to marry. In short, climate change is real, health care is affordable and love is love. After that, the president got serious again for a second, and reminded us all what is at stake should Donald Trump take the White House: The American people face an important decision this fall. The entire world is watching, and they look to us for stability and leadership. I know some of the candidates have been critical of my foreign policy. I don t want to name any names, but I believe it is of the utmost importance to work alongside other world leaders. That s why I signed the Iran nuclear deal. That s why we reopened diplomatic ties with Cuba. And that s why I negotiated the new trade deal called the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP. That is when Jimmy Fallon asked President Obama his feelings on TPP, and the Commander-in-Chief did not mince words: Yeah, you know me. Look, Jimmy, the TPP allows American businesses to sell their products both at home and abroad. The more we sell abroad, the more higher paying jobs we have here at home. It s that simple. After that, things got funny again as the segment drew to a close, where Fallon asked what Obama thought of the Trump media circus. The president took a real shot at the GOP s incessant racist attacks against him, and, of course, Trump s own racism, when asked if he had been tuning in: No, but I have been watching my new favorite show, Orange Is Not The New Black. Once again, President Obama shows himself to be a warm, down to earth, classy and adorably hilarious human being, despite being near the end of what is arguably the most difficult presidency in the history of America. He is right about Trump, and he is right to endorse Hillary Clinton in an effort to stop Trump. Most of all, though, he has not allowed anything that has been slung his way to make him lose his humanity and his sense of humor.Well done, Mr. President! We re sure gonna miss you.Watch the video below, via Raw Story:Featured image via video screen capture | 0 |
1,568 | UK PM May heads to Brussels expecting 'constructive' meeting: spokesman | LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May is expecting a constructive meeting in Brussels on Monday with senior European Union officials as part of her attempt to achieve a smooth exit from the bloc, her spokesman said on Monday. May will meet EU Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker and chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier at 1630 GMT for talks over dinner after deadlock in Brexit talks appeared to dash her hopes that an EU leaders summit later this week could launch negotiations on future trade ties. The meeting comes after May attempted to revive talks last month in a speech in Florence, where she promised Britain would honor its EU commitments. This is about reflecting upon Florence and the constructive way it s been received and that we want to continue to move forward in a constructive manner, the spokesman told reporters. When asked if May would flesh out details of what Britain is prepared to offer in terms of a financial settlement, the spokesman said: The PM set out her position in the Florence speech in relation to the settlement, and that s where we are. May will also speak to French President Emmanuel Macron and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Monday, the spokesman said. | 1 |
1,569 | U.N. special envoy on Syria says had 'useful' meeting with Russia's Lavrov: Ifax | MOSCOW (Reuters) - United Nations special envoy on Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Friday was useful , Russia s Interfax news agency reported. He declined additional comments before the end of a Syria s opposition meeting in Riyadh. He also said he planned to discuss Syria with Russia s defense minister later on Friday. | 1 |
1,570 | Latest Senate healthcare bill would leave 22 millio without insurance: CBO | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The latest version of Senate Republicans’ legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act would leave 22 million Americans without health insurance coverage by 2026, the U.S. Congressional Budget office said on Thursday. The Senate healthcare bill, which Senate Leader Mitch McConnell shelved on Monday, would reduce U.S. deficits by $420 billion over the coming decade by reducing spending on Medicaid spending and non-group health insurance, the CBO said. | 1 |
1,571 | Kushner interviewed by House intelligence panel | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Jared Kushner, adviser and son-in-law to President Donald Trump, was questioned for nearly three hours on Tuesday by members of a House of Representatives intelligence panel investigating possible ties between Russia and the Trump campaign. “I found him to be straightforward and forthcoming. He wanted to answer every question that we had,” Republican Representative Mike Conaway said. Democratic Representative Adam Schiff said Kushner and his lawyer were receptive to coming back for additional questioning. “It was a very productive session,” Schiff said. | 1 |
1,572 | (Video) Donald Trump’s Four-Word Answer To CBS Anchor When Asked Why He’s So “Thin Skinned” | It s no secret that the press has been after Trump in a YUGE (Trumpspeak for huge) way. No matter what candidate you re for, the way Trump s been treated while other candidates have been promoted is disturbing. The main stream media has been blatantly promoting Carly Fiorina and Marco Rubio. The one-sided bashing of Trump proves that the elitist media and elitist Washington politicos can t stand that an outsider has the lead. Here s a clip from the 60 Minutes interview with Trump where he s asked about being thin skinned . As usual, Trump doesn t skip a beat and tells the truth. Even if you don t care for Trump, he s certainly refreshing in that he gives no canned answers like the professional politicians. | 0 |
1,573 | Trump Whines About How Divided Our Nation Is And Gets SHAMED For Being A Hypocrite | After a year and half of doing nothing but dividing Americans on the campaign trail, Donald Trump is now whining about how divided this country has become.Once again using Twitter as his platform to display his hypocrisy, Trump had the gall to forcefully and angrily complain that America is too untrusting and divided and declared that things will change when he takes office on January 20th. You know, because Trump is delusional and thinks that he is the magic solution to all of America s problems.For many years our country has been divided, angry and untrusting. Many say it will never change, the hatred is too deep. IT WILL CHANGE!!!! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2017Well, Twitter users were not amused and proceeded to shame Trump by reminding him of just how hateful and divisive he has been..@realDonaldTrump Yeah, I can t stand it when people are divisive! pic.twitter.com/hoRw9whN6L Jordan Uhl (@JordanUhl) January 15, 2017@realDonaldTrump Against almost impossible competition, this is your most ridiculous tweet. Matt Haig (@matthaig1) January 15, 2017@realDonaldTrump Also, if you want to stop people being angry, shouting in block caps at the end of every tweet may not be the best tactic. Matt Haig (@matthaig1) January 15, 2017.@realDonaldTrump You ve exploited a lack of intelligence so viciously. You literally said you could shoot someone and people wouldn t care pic.twitter.com/TsDdUdbDcY Kris Sanchez (@KrisSanchez) January 15, 2017@realDonaldTrump well considering that you helped the division with the whole birther movement this lays squarely at your feet, POS . Apple-Elgatha (@iamchefapple) January 15, 2017.@realDonaldTrump dude, you told everyone our president was born in Kenya for 5 years. Think that helped an untrusting divided country??? Isaac Saul (@Ike_Saul) January 15, 2017@realDonaldTrump yeah it will when you re impeached, arrested and go to jail. (You re welcome) Emma Kennedy (@EmmaKennedy) January 15, 2017@realDonaldTrump It s you who has brought so much hate into our political discourse. Mike Elgan (@MikeElgan) January 15, 2017@realDonaldTrump says the guy who insults and bullies everyone. paladine (@paladine) January 15, 2017@realDonaldTrump Could you please start by modeling empathy for groups who regularly face discrimination and hatred? Many people are scared. Raymond Braun (@raymondbraun) January 15, 2017@realDonaldTrump your rallies and words have given permission to your low-information voters to be angry, distrusting, and hate-filled Tony Webster (@webster) January 15, 2017Then one Twitter user really let Trump have it by listing all the things he needs to do if he wants Americans to take his call for unity seriously.@realDonaldTrump You have not done ONE SINGLE THING to make this a credible statement. I don t like you, but I ll help you out: Soleia (@soleia79) January 15, 2017@realDonaldTrump Step 1: Apologize to Obama and the entire country for the 6 yrs you lied in order to delegitimize his presidency; Soleia (@soleia79) January 15, 2017@realDonaldTrump Step 2: Emphatically and credibly denounce white supremacy. Sorry, but half-hearted stop it wasn t sufficient; Soleia (@soleia79) January 15, 2017@realDonaldTrump Step 3: Totally divest from your business and remove your family from positions of influence in your administration; Soleia (@soleia79) January 15, 2017@realDonaldTrump Step 4: Apologize to individuals and groups you have insulted/threatened and pledge to be better going forward; Soleia (@soleia79) January 15, 2017@realDonaldTrump Step 5: Promise (and follow through) to investigate Russia s election interference and ensure appropriate punishment; Soleia (@soleia79) January 15, 2017@realDonaldTrump Step 6: Apologize for maligning all followers of an entire religion and promise not to threaten their rights as Americans; Soleia (@soleia79) January 15, 2017@realDonaldTrump Step 7: Admit past mistakes and promise to treat women better and protect their rights; Soleia (@soleia79) January 15, 2017@realDonaldTrump Step 8: Stop your attacks on the press and promise to be more open and accountable to the people; Soleia (@soleia79) January 15, 2017@realDonaldTrump Step 9: Start treating your new office with the respect and seriousness it deserves and change your behavior accordingly. Soleia (@soleia79) January 15, 2017But we all know Trump won t do that because he s a hypocrite.For eight years, Donald Trump has done nothing but divide this nation with his birtherism and attacks against President Obama. Now that he is about to take over the White House, he deserves the exact same treatment. And he only has himself to blame.Featured Image: Alex Wong/Getty Images | 0 |
1,574 | Ted Cruz Names Who He’ll Pick As Ambassador To The UN, And You May Vomit (VIDEO) | Sometimes you could wonder if some of the people running for the Republican nomination for president are actually serious. When people like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are leading the pack two men who if not in positions of power would be considered certifiably crazy are able to say the darndest things and get away with it, it makes one wonder if they re stupid, or if the people they re convincing have the mental capacity of a stone.While at a campaign event on Friday, Ted Cruz invited his prized endorser Duck Dynasty star and bigot extraordinaire Phil Robertson to speak. Cruz also, in a lame attempt at humor (sadism?), decided that if he were to be president he may name Robertson as Ambassador to the United Nations. This suggestion was probably in jest, but really, who knows anymore.When talking about Robertson, Cruz says: You know there s a reason he terrifies the mainstream media. He says the things you re not supposed to say. He actually remembers who we are as Americans and just speaks it with a joy, not with an anger, not with a hatred, with a joy in who we are. Then after saying he d name Robertson to the coveted position of UN Ambassador, he said: How much would you pay to see the Russian ambassador s face when Phil says, What is wrong with you people?' Okay, here s the thing: Russia would probably really like Robertson because they have the same stance on homosexuality. So, who knows, maybe it would be a budding bromance.If Robertson s views are who we are as Americans then, quite frankly, we re up shits creek without a paddle. Most folks who admire common sense and decency for all humans regardless of race, gender of sexual orientation would tend to disagree with the horrendous statements both Robertson and Cruz regularly state.However, it is not at all surprising that Cruz would pander to his idiot base of voters with such a moronic suggestion as Robertson at the UN. His pandering knows no bounds, as was evident when he went full camo in Robertson s official endorsement of him.Needless to say, this is something we should not fret over, because Ted Cruz will not be president if the American voters have anything to say about it.Featured image via flickr | 0 |
1,575 | South African opposition to lay criminal complaint against McKinsey | JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa s opposition Democratic Alliance will lay a criminal complaint against McKinsey for fraud, racketeering and collusion over work the global consultancy did with businessmen friends of President Jacob Zuma, it said on Monday. Reuters reported last week that McKinsey ignored suspicions raised over several years by local senior staff that companies it worked with were set up to steer state contracts. The deal relates to work McKinsey carried out for South African state power company Eskom alongside Trillian, a firm controlled by the Gupta family. The allegations that McKinsey ignored warnings from senior South African staff, as far back as the beginning of 2013, of possible dodgy deals with Trillian, Eskom and other Gupta-linked companies must be fully investigated, the DA said. | 1 |
1,576 | #HAMILTON Star Makes Jokes On Twitter About “Black Dudes” Taking Sexual Advantage of Drunk “White Chicks” | When not lecturing the Trump Administration form his bully pulpit, Hamilton star Brandon Victor Dixon is advocating rape, recently unearthed Tweets reveal. St. Patty s day weekend is like Christmas for black dudes who like white chicks. Happy holidays boys. @reesewaters #seasonsgreetings. St. Patty's day weekend is like Christmas for black dudes who like white chicks. Happy holidays boys. @reesewaters#seasonsgreetings Brandon Victor Dixon (@BrandonVDixon) March 17, 2012Here s how one Twitter user responded after Mike Cernovich uncovered Dixon s vile tweet (above):https://twitter.com/JenThePatriot/status/800442947359543296Via: Danger and PlayDixon retweeted this vile tweet in July, 2013 about turning a white, married, suburban housewife & mother into a jump off by a racist actor friend J Lee:What did they mean by this? pic.twitter.com/1Ehb2qHcqy Mike Cernovich (@Cernovich) November 20, 2016 | 0 |
1,577 | The Numbers Are In: States, Insurers Literally Say Obamacare Trainwreck Is TRUMP’S Fault | This morning, Donald Trump tweeted that health insurance premiums were skyrocketing, and that Democrats own it because Democrats are responsible for the disaster that is the Affordable Care Act. But someone on Twitter took it upon himself to crunch the numbers and look up insurers reasons for the big hikes going into 2018. It s not a pretty picture for Donald Trump.Premiums were always going to go up that s what you get with the system we have and one major reason we need universal or single-payer coverage. But when Trump cut off the subsidies insurers and low-income Americans counted on, he threw the system into chaos which insurers did warn us about and now we re facing numbers like this:NATIONALLY: Unsubsidized rate hikes WITHOUT Trump #ACASabotage: ~12%; PARTIAL sabotage: ~16%; FULL sabotage: ~29.5%: https://t.co/HF44AGgk9F pic.twitter.com/rgwaPdTyI1 Charles Ghoooulba ? (@charles_gaba) October 29, 2017Individually, each state is seeing its own rate hikes of varying percentages, but a number of them cite Trump s sabotage as a big reason why they re raising rates as high as they are. Washington State is among those seeing hefty increases as it is, but Trump s sabotage is making that far more painful than it needs to be:WASHINGTON STATE: Unsubsidized rate hikes WITHOUT Trump #ACASabotage: 26.4%; WITH #ACASabotage: 36.4%: https://t.co/WkgfuXkx5N pic.twitter.com/8cRgTXNHDK Charles Ghoooulba ? (@charles_gaba) October 29, 2017They probably also had the strongest rebuke of Trump s policies, saying this: But there are others saying similar things:VIRGINIA: Unsubsidized rate hikes WITHOUT Trump #ACASabotage: 43.4%; WITH #ACASabotage: 57.7%: https://t.co/Ma4KOTMMXc pic.twitter.com/EyLR8nHCIy Charles Ghoooulba ? (@charles_gaba) October 29, 2017TENNESSEE: Unsubsidized rate hikes WITHOUT Trump #ACASabotage: 13.5%; WITH #ACASabotage: 28.5%: https://t.co/58otIhrCqr pic.twitter.com/HC0GVMHwD9 Charles Ghoooulba ? (@charles_gaba) October 29, 2017Yes, you read that correctly: nearly 100% of North Carolina s rate hikes are due SPECIFICALLY to Trump cutting off #CSR reimbursements: pic.twitter.com/q2R1wU5pOG Charles Ghoooulba ? (@charles_gaba) October 29, 2017NEW MEXICO: Unsubsidized rate hikes WITHOUT Trump #ACASabotage: 15%; WITH #ACASabotage: 30%: https://t.co/i4IopxaTPz pic.twitter.com/KGo76sfGjL Charles Ghoooulba ? (@charles_gaba) October 29, 2017ARKANSAS: Unsubsidized rate hikes WITHOUT Trump #ACASabotage: 8.5%; WITH #ACASabotage: 17.5%: https://t.co/e2YTaBgRcI pic.twitter.com/r1iqud0gXv Charles Ghoooulba ? (@charles_gaba) October 29, 2017CALIFORNIA: Unsubsidized rate hikes WITHOUT Trump #ACASabotage: 12.3%; WITH #ACASabotage: 16.6%: https://t.co/sjxJaVssrr pic.twitter.com/VB0XLJQUCo Charles Ghoooulba ? (@charles_gaba) October 29, 2017COLORADO: Unsubsidized rate hikes WITHOUT Trump #ACASabotage: 28.2%; WITH #ACASabotage: 34.3%: https://t.co/DmXHU7vQpi pic.twitter.com/DfWvpubKfi Charles Ghoooulba ? (@charles_gaba) October 29, 2017You can read the full thread here:THREAD: OH, IT S ON, MOTHERF*CKER. 1/ https://t.co/01VCq3UZGX Charles Ghoooulba ? (@charles_gaba) October 29, 2017His methodology and details are available here.It s pretty clear from these numbers that it s not Democrats who own this trainwreck; it s Trump. He can tweet all he wants about how it s anyone s fault but his, and yet, he s the one who took executive action to end subsidies for low-income Americans. And Charles isn t the only one coming up with horrific numbers, either. The Kaiser Family Foundation has done their own analysis and come up with some pretty damning numbers as well.The worst part is that the markets were starting to stabilize going into this year, which meant premium hikes would likely have slowed for next year, and maybe even started coming down in following years. Instead, they re now skyrocketing. Polls have also consistently shown growing support for fixing the ACA instead of repealing it. What Trump and his party did was a planned and deliberate political move to harm Obama s legacy without caring who else they hurt.These extreme premium hikes are on Trump s and the GOP s heads. Even red states say so.Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images | 0 |
1,578 | fed holds on raising rates fears rising dollar | by james corbett with the world spinning into hatred and violence as the two most hated selection candidates of all time tell us to hate | 0 |
1,579 | WATCH: LOUIE GOHMERT Wants LYING Democrat VA Governor McAuliffe Investigated For “Facilitating Violence” In Charlottesville | Why did the Democrat VA Governor throw gasoline on the fire after violent protests broke out in Charlottesville? Why did the radical Democrat governor of Virginia LIE about weapons being stashed around the city of Charlottesville prior to the march? Was he just doing his part as a prominent member of the Democrat Party to help create more racial division in America? Why did he lie about Virginia police officers being underprepared for the violence and chaos that took place, when police officers claim they were completely prepared? Was he trying to shine a negative light on the police force assigned to Charlottesville, as part of the Democrat Party s ongoing plan to undermine the credibility of our law enforcement?Last week, Virginia police officers were speaking out, and setting the record straight. They were not about to remain silent while their governor made up stories to boost his party s race dividing, cop-hating narrative.Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas is not just sitting around and wondering how the Clinton bestie was able to get away with lying about what happened in Charlottesville, while the media ignored Governor McAuliffe s part in inciting violence.Sunday on Fox News Channel s Fox & Friends Weekend, Gohmert called for a Department of Justice investigation of Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D-VA) and Charlottesville, VA Mayor Michael Signer for possibly facilitating the violence that took place in Charlottesville earlier this month.Gohmert said, The way forward s not gonna be easy. And I think the Justice Department needs a full investigation of the governor, of the mayor. They said in court there would be violence at Charlottesville, and then the witnesses and the photographs show they herded these groups to create violence so they could brag. We need a Justice Department investigation into Kessler. You don t just go all of a sudden from having multiracial roommates and a Jewish girlfriend to all of a sudden being a white supremacist that wants to join the Republican party. There s something very, very wrong in all of this. He added, Like they were the violence at Trump events, they may have been behind this violence getting started. They facilitated it, anyway. -Breitbart | 0 |
1,580 | CFTC poised to lose sole Democratic commissioner Bowen in coming months | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. derivatives regulator is about to lose its sole Democratic commissioner in the coming months, with Sharon Bowen announcing on Tuesday she intends to step down. Bowen announced her plans at a public meeting on Tuesday, saying she will try to time her departure around when the U.S. Senate confirms another Commodity Futures Trading Commission member nominated by President Donald Trump. Trump has thus far nominated three new Republican members of the CFTC, including its Acting Chairman Chris Giancarlo. He will need to nominate two Democrats to round out the five-member panel. | 1 |
1,581 | democratic panic | dawn perlmutter
the war on law enforcement is epidemic every aspect of culture has been infected the antipolice disease is highly contagious and rapidly spreading on social media in memes in movements in popular fast food restaurants at football games on campuses in media and in every aspect of american culture
an epidemic is defined as the rapid spread of infectious disease to a large number of people in a given population within a short period of time colin kaepernick is the typhoid mary of the antipolice epidemic kaepernick refuses to stand while the us national anthem is being performed at the start of nfl games as a protest against alleged racial injustice and police brutality on sept kaepernick chose to kneel on one knee as his protest gesture instead of just sitting on the bench his explanation for his decision to switch is that it was an attempt to show more respect to former and current us military members as if kneeling is somehow symbolically less offensive than sitting he misinterpreted the meaning of the military expression take a knee which occurs when troops take a pause before continuing their mission similar to hands up dont shoot the antipolice gesture has been imbued with a trendy righteousness regardless of its original meaning the media reverently refers to kaepernicks protest as taking a knee as if it is some kind of sacred act there are no headlines that read kaepernick disses the flag or kaepernick takes a crap on his country just in case his gesture didnt send a clear enough message kaepernick also uses clothing to symbolize his antipolice sympathies he has worn everything from tshirts honoring the militant black panther party to socks that depict police as pigs in addition to numerous other crimes the black panther party was responsible for the murder of at least officers and originated the expression off the pigs meaning murder police
like the typhoid infected cook mary mallon kaepernick is rapidly spreading the antipolice pathogen in what has been dubbed the kaepernick effect dozens of nfl and wnba players have knelt sat or raised a fist during the national anthem the disease has also spread to over high schools colleges and one middle school in what can only be described as a bizarre symbolic contradiction there were two incidents where women performing the star spangled banner got down on one knee in protest of what they were singing one of the women denasia lawrence not only kneeled while performing the anthem but also opened her jacket to display a black lives matter tshirt exposing miami heat fans to the contagious disorder
rapid spread is well known for infectious diseases the antipolice disorder also contaminated the navy an unidentified sailor assigned to the naval air technical training center in pensacola florida filmed herself deliberately not standing for the national anthem and posted it on facebook she remained seated and raised a fist during morning colors and then praised colin kaepernick another sailor petty officer nd class janaye ervin an intelligence specialist in the navy reserve stationed at pearl harbor did not stand for the national anthem while in uniform she also posted a statement on facebook saying she was inspired by colin kaepernick the navy acted decisively she lost her security clearance and may be facing jail in response to her actions it is yet to be known if facing real consequences will contribute to curing the virus or accelerating it
kaepernick is just one carrier of the antipolice disease the source of the infection can be attributed to specific movements such as black lives matter that originated in florida during the trayvon martin protests the disease went airborne in ferguson missouri where it was transmitted to college students professional protesters and journalists who subsequently spread the disorder to towns and cities across the country currently the disease seems to cluster around populations that are susceptible to antipolice propaganda the symptoms are irrationality excessive anger impaired perception anxiety hatred and delusions of oppression acute symptoms include sudden changes in behavior aggression paranoia loss of control and homicidal and suicidal tendencies all indicators are expressed in severe disrespect for law and order
early symptoms of the antipolice epidemic have been observed in various cultural manifestations of contempt for law enforcement officers antipolice graffiti is a common symptom of the virus writing has escalated from insults such as police are murderers to threats of violence a recent popular indicator is the expression kill cops and related variations such as kill all police save a life kill a cop cops lives dont matter and shoot cops threats are also depicted in images such as guns to officers heads violent antipolice rhetoric has also been seen in protest signs that read all my heroes kill cops put wings on pigs kill cops and cops under control or cops under flowers disturbingly antipolice graffiti protests and tweets increase after officers are murdered signifying that violence against cops is celebrated and glorified
the antipolice epidemic has also spread to wellknown fast food restaurants employees have refused to serve officers at a taco bell in phenix city al dunkin donuts in west hartford ct krispy kreme in columbia sc ihop in virginia beach va arbys in pembroke pines fl chuck e cheese in bowling green ky whataburger in lewisville tx mcdonalds in brenham tx chipotle in brooklyn ny genghis grill in dallas tx noodles company in alexandria va tropical smoothie in winter haven fl luckys teriyaki sedrowoolley wa and at the krystal restaurant in irondale al other incidents involved employees refusing to let an officer use the restroom in a philadelphia starbucks refusing service at a sunoco gas station in miramar fl writing black lives matter on an officers coffee cup at a dunkin donuts in providence ri and a walmart bakery in mcdonough ga refusing to bake a cake for a police officers retirement party these are just the incidents that have been made public
refusing service at a restaurant goes beyond gestures of disrespect law enforcement officers are concerned that instead of simply being denied service that their food will be tampered with for this reason many officers will only eat at restaurants where they can see the food being made this is a legitimate concern on aug in louisville ky five police officers were denied service at a taco bell when another employee took their orders they overheard a conversation between two employees making the food saying im going to mess with them which resulted in them walking out of the restaurant when officers have to fear what is being put in their food there can be no doubt that the war on police is a fullscale epidemic
the antipolice infection went viral on social media facebook twitter instagram and other social networks have hundreds of antipolice pages ridiculing disrespecting and threatening officers protests and riots are organized on social media and some users openly advocate and celebrate the killing of police officers the following are examples of popular hashtags ftp fuck the police bluelivesmurder acab all cops are bastards bluelivesdontmatter fuckcops fuckthemall apdk all police dept killer fryemlikebacon blacklivesmatter ferguson milwaukeeuprising and kaepernick
as the disease progresses more acute symptoms begin to manifest in acts of violence a particularly offensive indicator of the disorder is the desecration of fallen officer memorials memorials honoring officers killed in the line of duty have been attacked in philadelphia chicago albuquerque fresno denver new orleans oakland austin honolulu rochester san diego st paul covington richmond goshen fayetteville raleigh and many other cities across the country vandalism has involved everything from dousing in paint toppling and scratching granite burning to destroying a metal torch in order to extinguish the eternal flame in a previous article i described these acts as symbolic assassinations vandals target tributes to heroic officers because they want to appropriate the valor honor and respect that they think they have been deprived of this is another symptom of the antipolice disease a sense of entitlement and resentment that leads to both symbolic and actual attacks on law enforcement officers
at its most critical stage the antipolice disorder is lethal this is expressed in the dozens of ambushes and killings of police officers in the most acute phase of the disease some of those infected become homicidal and suicidal targeting and killing officers knowing that they will die in the incident a pattern has emerged that clearly demonstrates that attacks on police escalate from protest gestures to acts of vandalism to deadly shootings that inspire further demonstrations in a continual cycle of protest and violence consequently kaepernicks gesture is neither benign nor harmless it is one symptom in a deadly epidemic | 1 |
1,582 | Indonesia court rejects petition to bar consensual sex outside marriage | JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia s constitutional court on Thursday narrowly rejected a petition by a conservative group to make extramarital sex illegal, but rights activists braced for a renewal of the battle in parliament and other state institutions. Five of nine judges voted for the case to be thrown out, in a slim victory for rights activists who had feared the petition would spur moral policing and further discrimination against the gay community in the world s largest Muslim-majority country. Most Indonesians adhere to a moderate form of Islam under an officially secular system, but there has been rise of a hardline, politicized Islam in recent years, which until recently had stayed on the fringe of the nation s politics. Constitutional court chief justice Arief Hidayat said existing laws on adultery did not conflict with the constitution and it was not the court s authority to create new policies. The judge said the question could be put to parliament, which is currently deliberating revisions to the national criminal code. The plaintiff should submit their petition to lawmakers, and there it should be an important input in the ongoing revision of the national criminal code, Hidayat said, as he read a summary of the 600-page ruling. Based on that view, the constitutional court is of the opinion that the petition is not legally sound. Rights activists were comforted by the court s decision, while expecting more challenges to come. The decision is a relief because it shows it s possible to challenge the creeping conservatism in society, said Dede Oetomo, a prominent gay rights activist. But it s not over. There s parliament, there are other state institutions, they can turn to education, social organisations, he added. The Family Love Alliance (AILA), a group of conservative academics and activists which put forward the petition, said it would not give up its fight. Aside from legal avenues, we can also go through government policy and programs so that sexual deviance is minimised and is an agenda for all of us, Euis Sunarti, a member of AILA, told reporters after the ruling. AILA s petition had called for the definition of adultery to apply not just to married couples but to anyone in a marriage or outside it - effectively making all sex outside of marriage a crime. In their complaint, AILA said certain articles in the national criminal code threaten the resilience of families and therefore of Indonesia itself. Some rights activists said the petition was partly aimed at criminalizing gay sex, which is currently not regulated by the law except in the ultra-conservative province of Aceh and in cases of child abuse. Activists say such changes to the law would make it vulnerable to abuse, like the country s draconian anti-pornography laws, to target the LGBT community. Islamic parties pushed the anti-pornography laws in parliament soon after Indonesia ushered in its democratic era in 1998 and actively push an anti-LGBT agenda today. | 1 |
1,583 | U.S.'s Mattis says eyeing provocative Iran actions after Trump speech | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Friday he had not yet seen any provocative actions from Iran following President Donald Trump s speech outlining a more confrontational approach to Iran and added there had been no change in U.S. military posture so far. Right now, we keep an eye on the potential for more provocations from the Iranians but right now we have not seen that, Mattis told reporters on board a military plane. With the Iranians destabilizing record from Lebanon to Syria, from Yemen to Afghanistan, of course we watch for this, Mattis said. Right now we are not changing our posture. | 1 |
1,584 | Trump to begin tax reform push next week, White House adviser tells FT | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will begin a major push next week to convince the public of the need for tax reform, shifting his focus to fiscal policy in an effort to win a big legislative victory by the end of the year, The Financial Times reported on Friday. Trump would begin the effort next Wednesday with a speech in Missouri, the first in a series of addresses to generate public support on the issue, Gary Cohn, director of the National Economic Council, told the newspaper. “We are completely engaged in tax reform,” Cohn told the FT in an interview. “Starting next week the president’s agenda and calendar is going to revolve around tax reform. He will start being on the road making major addresses justifying the reasoning for tax reform.” Although Cohn stressed that tax reform would be front and center of Trump’s agenda, the Republican-controlled Congress faces two other pressing issues when it returns from its August recess on Sept. 5. Lawmakers need to approve an increase in the U.S. debt ceiling to allow the federal government to keep borrowing money and paying its bills, including its debt obliterations. Separately they need to pass at least stop-gap spending measures to keep the government operating. Deadlines on both issues will loom within weeks after lawmakers return from their break. Asked by the FT whether the debate over the debt ceiling could derail the tax reform drive, Cohn said that “at the end of the day, Congress has to increase the debt ceiling - that is just the reality.” He added that this would be in September, before tax reform legislation. “The key point is this: tax reform is the White House’s number one focus right now,” he added. Cohn said White House officials had been working with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan and other leading congressional Republicans on “an outline and skeleton” for the tax reform proposal, “and we have a good skeleton that we have agreed to.” The details Cohn discussed were similar to those mentioned by Ryan at a meeting with Boeing employees on Thursday. Asked whether the focus on tax reform had been complicated by Twitter attacks by the Republican president on McConnell and Ryan, Cohn said the White House officials worked well with the two “and we have made a massive amount of progress” on taxes. Cohn said the House Ways and Means Committee would put more “flesh and bone” on the tax reform plan when lawmakers return from the recess. He said he believed a bill could pass tax committees in both chambers and be passed by both the House and Senate by the end of 2017. In the case of individual taxpayers, Cohn said the president’s reform plan would protect the three big deductions that people can claim on taxes: for home mortgages, charitable giving and retirement savings. Beyond that, it would increase the caps for the standard deduction while eliminating most other personal deductions, Cohn said. The plan also aims to get rid of taxes on estates left when people die. Cohn said for businesses, the administration is proposing to lower corporate tax rates, while eliminating many of the deductions that businesses use to reduce the amount of tax they must pay. Asked whether the corporate tax rate could be cut to 15 percent as previously suggested by Trump, Cohn said, “I would like to get the tax rate as low as possible so that businesses want to create jobs here.” He said the administration would propose going to a system where American companies would not have to pay additional tax when they bring profits earned overseas back to the United States. “Today, they often have to pay extra taxes for bringing profits back to the U.S.,” Cohn said. “Our current system basically creates a penalty for headquartering in the U.S.” He said the administration did envision a one-time low tax rate on all overseas profits. | 1 |
1,585 | EU tells easterners to take in refugees | BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Eastern European Union states must drop their resistance and accept their share of refugees who arrived in the bloc, officials and diplomats said on Tuesday after a court ruled they must abide by the quota. The EU s highest court ruled last week that member states must take in a share of refugees who reach Europe, dismissing complaints by Slovakia and Hungary and reigniting an east-west row that has shaken the bloc s cohesion. Brussels and other capitals hope member states will respect the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling. Poland and Hungary are opposed to accepting anybody, their reluctance shared by ex-communist peers Slovakia and the Czech Republic, who have, however, accepted a handful of people under a 2015 EU scheme designed to move 160,000 from Italy and Greece. All members of the EU must respect the ruling, Manfred Weber, the head of the of the largest faction in the European Parliament, told a news conference. The legal fight is over. Migration is still a political wound of the political landscape all over Europe ... All the reasonable and all the responsible politicians have to go now (toward) a compromise. EU officials and diplomats say they will make another push this autumn to try to bridge the divisions. EU interior ministers will debate the matter in Brussels on Wednesday. However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said he will fight on. Poland, whose nationalist government is now engulfed in spiraling feuds with the bloc, said its migration stance has not changed. Italy and Greece, where most of the people crossing the Mediterranean disembark, as well as Germany, Sweden and other wealthy EU states where refugees and migrants want to head, want a quick aid scheme for any repeat of 2015. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she hoped the dispute will soon be over after the ECJ ruling, but also made clear she saw it unacceptable for EU states to disregard the court. The bloc may eventually vote on any changes to its migration and asylum laws by majority, leaving those reluctant behind, a move that would also widen the east-west splits in the bloc. I don t think there is anything to argue about anymore. The decision is there for member states to implement, said a senior EU diplomat. Struggling to control chaotic movement of people at the height of the crisis, some EU states introduced emergency border checks inside what normally is the bloc s Schengen zone of control-free travel. They expire in November and Brussels is keen to restore the free flow of people across the EU, often hailed as a proud and tangible achievement of European integration. Also on Wednesday, EU ministers will discuss a proposal by Germany, France, Denmark, Austria and Norway - not in the EU but part of Schengen - to allow for such extraordinary border checks to continue on security grounds, rather than migration. In practice, that would mean keeping those already there in place for longer, as well as being able to apply them more easily in the future. Denmark said last May it wanted to go on with border restrictions, while Germany has said it needs the checks to combat the threat of Islamic militancy in Europe after a raft of attacks around the bloc. | 1 |
1,586 | Bill Maher Lets Us Know The ’25 Things’ We Have Yet To Learn About Trump (VIDEO) | Almost every well-known celebrity will likely get a moment where a gossip magazine does a feature on them telling the public what we may not know about them. So, keeping with the tradition of doing the same for politicians that may not have been featured, Bill Maher on HBO s Real Time just did 25 Things You Don t Know About Donald Trump. Many of them were funny: I don t drink alcohol, I cause others to drink alcohol. Not only do I read the Bible, the Book of Revelations mentions me by name. Mar-a-lago is Spanish for House of Douche.' I saved the box Melania arrived in so I can return her when she turns 50. I never actually believed Obama was born in Kenya. Because I thought the name of the country was Kanye. Yet, some were all too real: Sometimes, late at night, I worry that my obsessive self-aggrandizement and self-promotion are symptoms of a inner weakness and a transparent, childish impulse that everyone can see. I worry they re laughing at how obvious it is that I m an abandoned, frightened child swirling in a black emptiness. Or hitting Trump on his obvious racism: I cry at movies because they re integrated. And, of course, going back to the oldie, but a goodie where Maher calls Trump an Orangutan: I can peel a banana with my feet. Maher hits the nail on the head, and I don t care who you are, this segment is beyond hilarious, because most of them are probably true.Watch the full segment here:Featured image via video screen capture | 0 |
1,587 | U.S. condemns arrest of Istanbul consulate worker | ANKARA (Reuters) - A U.S. consulate employee in Istanbul was arrested on charges of links to a cleric blamed for last year s failed coup, Turkish authorities said on Thursday, a move condemned by Washington as baseless and damaging to ties between the NATO allies. President Tayyip Erdogan s spokesman said the locally-recruited consulate worker had been in contact with Adil Oksuz, a theology professor dubbed the imam of the air force for his alleged close links to coup plotters high up in the military. The arrested U.S. consulate worker was found to have had frequent communication with the FETO suspect Adil Oksuz, Ibrahim Kalin told reporters, using Erdogan s acronym for the network of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen that Erdogan accuses of engineering the coup attempt. The U.S. Embassy in Ankara said it was deeply disturbed by the arrest of the locally employed staff member. Baseless, anonymous allegations against our employees undermine and devalue (the) longstanding partnership between the United States and Turkey, the embassy said in a statement. Turkey s Foreign Ministry said the arrested individual was not on the official list of registered personnel for the U.S. consulate and therefore had no diplomatic or consular immunity. U.S.-Turkish tensions have risen over U.S. military support for Kurdish YPG fighters in Syria, considered by Ankara to be an extension of the banned PKK which has waged an insurgency for three decades in southeast Turkey. Turkey has also pressed, so far in vain, for the United States to extradite Gulen over the July 2016 putsch, in which more than 240 people were killed. Gulen denies any involvement. Authorities say Oksuz, the theology professor, helped orchestrate the bombing of parliament by rogue air force pilots during the coup bid. He was detained near an Ankara air base hours after the coup was put down, only to be released by a judge two days later. He has been on the run since. The state-run Anadolu news agency identified the consulate employee as a male Turkish citizen and said he was arrested late Wednesday on charges of espionage and attempts to damage the constitutional order and Turkey s government. Since the coup attempt, more than 50,000 people have been jailed pending trial over alleged links to Gulen, while 150,000 people have been sacked or suspended from jobs in the public and private sectors. Human rights groups and some of Turkey s Western allies have voiced concern about the crackdown, fearing Erdogan is using the coup as a pretext to quash dissent. The government says only such a purge could neutralize the threat represented by Gulen s network, which it says deeply infiltrated institutions such as the army, schools and courts. Friction with the United States has also arisen from the indictment last month by a U.S. court of Turkey s former economy minister Zafer Caglayan. Caglayan and the ex-head of a state-owned Turkish bank were charged with conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions on Iran by illegally moving hundreds of millions of dollars through the U.S. financial system on Tehran s behalf. Turkey says Caglayan acted within international law and that charges against him amounted to a coup attempt through American courts. | 1 |
1,588 | UNRECOGNIZABLE After Major Plastic Surgery…HOLLYWOOD LIB Renee Zellweger Criticizes Trump: “Why are we talking about how women look?” [VIDEO] | Someone should find out if Hillary supporter, Renee Zellweger had a lobotomy, while the hypocritical actress (who questioned why appearances matter so much) was having her face completely reconstructed.As Zellweger trashed Trump, she declared Hillary Clinton as one of the most prepared people to ever seek the presidency. There s never been anyone better prepared in our lifetime, the actress said.Zellweger also criticized Republican nominee Donald Trump.In a lengthy interview timed to her long-awaited return to the big screen as Bridget Jones, actress Ren e Zellweger opened up about her support for Hillary Clinton, her disdain for Donald Trump and her disappointment that women in Hollywood getting older is viewed as a negative thing. Speaking publicly about the controversy surrounding her appearance, the 47-year-old Bridget Jones s Baby actress told the Hollywood Reporter: I ve never seen the maturation of a woman as a negative thing. I ve never seen a woman stepping into her more powerful self as a negative. But this conversation perpetuates the problem, she continued. Why are we talking about how women look? Why do we value beauty over contribution? We don t seem to value beauty over contribution for men. It s simply not a conversation. Zellweger found herself at the center of a debate about cosmetic surgery in Hollywood after Variety film critic Owen Gleiberman derided both the actress and the practice in a June 30 op-ed, titled Renee Zellweger: If She No Longer Looks Like Herself Has She Become a Different Actress? In it, Gleiberman denounced the vanity-fueled image culture that promotes plastic surgery as a ritual, which he says drastically altered the way Zellweger s character in Bridget Jones s Baby looks from how she appeared in the original film, 2001 s Bridget Jones s Diary. Breitbart | 0 |
1,589 | Mitch McConnell HUMILIATES Trump, Gives Him A BRUTAL Reality Check On Border Wall (VIDEO) | Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell might just find himself the next target of one of Donald Trump s temper tantrums on Twitter.Earlier today during a Politico Playbook event, McConnell basically threw Trump under the bus and humiliated him in front of everyone when he very bluntly said that Mexico would NOT be paying for Trump s idiotic, ineffective border wall a statement that greatly contradicts everything that Trump promised during his presidential campaign.When McConnell was questioned about Trump s wall, McConnell first tried to give a diplomatic answer and said, there are some places along the border where that s probably not the best way to secure the border. However, when he was further pressed to see if he felt Mexico would pay for the wall, McConnell dropped all niceties and put his thoughts very bluntly. He smirked and said: Uh, no. McConnell and everyone in the room then shared a laugh, all at Trump s expense.You can watch McConnell poke fun at Trump below: For a leading Republican like McConnell to embarrass the Republican Party s leader and sitting POTUS like this is certainly surprising, and it only proves just how few people actually believe Trump is competent enough for this role and will be able to deliver his promises to the American people.Already, we ve seen Trump walk back several of his major campaign promises, one of them being this Mexico border wall. Mexico s leaders have already repeatedly stated that Mexico will not pay for the wall, and Trump has had to cover it up and lie to the American people and say that first taxpayers will pay for the wall, only to be reimbursed by Mexico at a later date which Mexico has not agreed to. McConnell s comments show that no one not even the GOP believes Trump anymore.Featured image via Drew Angerer / Getty Images | 0 |
1,590 | Hamilton DISTRACTION: Trump Gets Away With Lying About His INSANE Debt To This Nation (DETAILS) | We have really got to stop allowing Donald Trump to control the conversation. Every time anything negative about him comes out in the media, he somehow, in someway, usually via Twitter, is able to pivot even the most expert journalist away from what we should actually be focusing on.Trump did this throughout his entire election, and he continues to do this now.For instance, right after the Trump University settlement came out, where Trump seemingly admitted to fraud by paying out $25 million, he quickly went crazy on Twitter attacking the Broadway hit musical Hamilton and Saturday Night Live to shift the focus to that instead. He knows he s going to be scrutinized, so he s masterfully figured out how to control what is scrutinized.Some people, however, are figuring this all out. Albeit, a little too late, because Trump already manipulated himself into the White House.For example, Adam Khan just tweeted out:Hey journalists distracted by Trump's Hamilton shenanigans!He lied to Federal Election Commission-underreported his debt to Bank of China https://t.co/iFHvDjwhPY Adam Khan (@Khanoisseur) November 20, 2016Then explaining it further:New: Trump owes $650 million to Bank of China, Goldman Sachs -more than TWICE the amount he has publicly claimed pic.twitter.com/z8N1HCYwmH Adam Khan (@Khanoisseur) August 20, 2016Now, under normal circumstances, that alone would have disqualified Mr. Trump from running for office, yet this year was anything but normal.While Hillary Clinton was treated by the media like the spawn of Satan for having a private server at home like many, many people and businesses do for security purposes, Trump was able to get away with admitting to sexual assault, not showing his taxes, having a fraud case going to court, insulting the disabled and prisoners of war, being as racist and misogynistic as his heart desired, and he was still untouchable.Until the media stops allowing themselves to be manipulated by Trump, nothing is going to change. He s a smarmy businessman who conned his way into the White House, and the media played his game which helped pave the way.We need to wake up, call him out, do our due diligence, and hold that man accountable for his actions.Featured Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | 0 |
1,591 | EU wants Brexit money this month, Davis seeks 'political' fix | BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union told Britain on Friday to spell out what it will pay Brussels for when it leaves the bloc in 2019 or face more delay in talks on future trade ties that are vital for British business. After negotiations in Brussels, the first in a month, Brexit Secretary David Davis said during a news conference with his EU counterpart Michel Barnier it was time for political discussions to break a deadlock that has left both sides frustrated about a lack of progress. Political talks has in the past been code for Prime Minister Theresa May addressing fellow EU leaders directly, over the heads of Barnier and the EU executive, in order to square a circle in which Brussels will not address the future without a firm line from London on settling what the EU sees as past debts and May will not settle without assurances about future trade. May is due at a Brussels summit on Dec. 14-15 but EU officials insist that any breakthrough must be agreed at lower level first and weeks in advance to let the other 27 members agree a joint position. Progress in December is important for May as businesses seek clarity by the new year, when many will take investment decisions dependent on conditions after Brexit. A British budget due on Nov. 22 will, however, complicate the task for May in persuading hardline Brexit supporters of any need to meet Brussels demand for tens of billions of euros to cover liabilities incurred in 44 years of EU membership. Barnier stressed that he was not looking for a number from London but for a clearer undertaking than May gave in September on how far Britain would honor its obligations . It is absolutely vital if we are to achieve sufficient progress in December, Barnier told reporters, adding not all details had to be settled but there needed to be sincere and real progress . The clarifications should come within the next two weeks, Barnier said: If that s not the case, then we will continue and that will pull back the opening of discussions on the future. He said progress had to be made on all three key issues of the divorce talks - the money, the rights of EU citizens in Britain and how to avoid a hard border with EU-member Ireland. Davis said both sides made substantial technical progress on all the issues that need to be addressed. This is now about moving into the political discussions that would enable both of us to move forward, he said. British discussions with other national governments do not appear to have breached the unity of the 27 for now. And German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, the bloc s most powerful leaders, have taken a particularly tough line on the money issue in Brussels. The EU executive has said Britain will owe it around 60 billion euros when it leaves. London has challenged the legal reasoning behind that but has not offered its own figure. One thing that was clarified on Friday was exactly when Britain would leave the Union. The EU had previously defined Brexit hour as midnight on March 29, 2019, exactly two years after May triggered the process. But it was unclear whether that meant midnight in Brussels or London. May and Barnier made statements on Friday stating that Brexit will happen in London at 11 p.m. (2300 GMT) on Friday, March 29. That will be midnight in the EU capital. Davis repeated the declaration made by May in September in Florence that EU countries will not need to pay more or receive less for the remainder of the current EU long-term budget ending in December 2020: The UK will honor the commitments we made during the period of our membership, he said. Barnier said both sides moved ahead on citizens rights and that Britain gave useful clarifications on a process through which EU citizens could obtain a settled status but the EU needed reassurances on how such a system would work. He said issues related to family reunification, the right to export social security benefits and the role of the European Court of Justice still need work. On the problems of avoiding a hard border between the British province of Northern Ireland and EU-member Ireland, Davis and Barnier said more work must be done. | 1 |
1,592 | Trump considering options for new Afghanistan strategy: White House | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is considering his options for a new U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and will make an announcement “at the appropriate time,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said on Friday after Trump met with his national security team. U.S. officials told Reuters prior to the meeting at Camp David in Maryland that the options being presented to Trump range from a total pullout from Afghanistan, keeping the status quo of some 8,400 U.S. troops, a modest hike, or a small reduction that would focus on counter-terrorism. | 1 |
1,593 | State Dept. subpoenaed documents from Clinton Foundation: report | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. State Department investigators last year issued a subpoena to the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation seeking documents about projects run by the charity that may have required U.S. government approval when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state, the Washington Post reported on Thursday. A U.S. official said the matter was being investigated by the Inspector General, the State Department’s internal watchdog. Citing unnamed sources for the report, the Post said the subpoena issued in the fall also asked for records related to senior Clinton aide Huma Abedin, who for six months in 2012 simultaneously worked for several employers including the State Department, the foundation, and Clinton’s personal office. The report follows a Reuters investigation last year that found the Clinton Foundation’s flagship health project did not submit new or increased payments from at least seven foreign governments to the State Department for review, in breach of the ethics agreement Clinton signed with the incoming Obama administration in order to become secretary of state. Clinton, who is running for the Democratic nomination in the Nov. 8 presidential election, has been criticized for using a private email account hosted on a private computer while secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, a matter the FBI is investigating. Spokesmen for Clinton’s campaign and the Clinton Foundation and a lawyer for Abedin did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. A spokesman for the Inspector General also declined to comment. The Post quoted an unnamed foundation representative as saying the initial document request had been narrowed by investigators and that the foundation was not the focus of the probe. It said there was no indication that the investigators were looking at Clinton. “The full scope and status of the inquiry, conducted by the State Department’s inspector general, were not clear from the material correspondence reviewed by the Washington Post,” the paper said. Sources familiar with investigations into the controversy surrounding Clinton’s private email server said they had no reason to believe any government agency was conducting any kind of inquiry into possible criminal violations related to the former secretary of state. | 1 |
1,594 | CHAOS BREAKS OUT AFTER ILLEGAL ALIEN TOWNHALL SHUTS DOWN: Antifa Thug Arrested and Unmasked [Video] | Chaos broke out after legal Americans and illegal aliens clashed at a town hall in California:The Los Angeles Times put their spin on what happened to make it seem as though Trump supporters were the trouble. They downplayed the Antifa anarchist in attendance and other pro-illegal people. It just didn t fit their narrative One of the other issues not addressed in the LA Times article is that these town halls have reportedly been used to teach illegals how to escape deportation and how to work the system : Anti-illegal protesters aka American tax payers have characterized it as teaching people who are in the country illegally how to avoid deportation and get federal benefits. Federal benefits and rights? They have no rights and shouldn t be getting ANY federal benefits! Notice how they call the illegal aliens immigrants Congressman Holds Town Hall to Explain (Illegal) Immigrants Rights:The majority of calls into Rep. Lou Correa s Orange County congressional office are about immigration worries and what the Trump administration s enforcement policies mean for Correa s many Latino constituents. There s a lot of fear in my district. he said.So the freshman Democrat has held seven town halls, all focused on immigration and explaining immigrants rights. They ve been peaceful, with representatives from groups such as the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) and the Mexican Consulate invited to help Correa answer questions.But as the crowd of about 100 people gathered at Santa Ana s Delphi Center on Tuesday evening, Correa knew this time would be different. We had some people there, probably a dozen of them, that immediately had signs that were not complimentary to yours truly, he said.Two women arguing about immigration issues had already gotten into an altercation outside the town hall. They were cited for assault and battery, and barred by police from going inside.Correa told the crowd inside he would give a short presentation about immigration policy coming out of Washington, and then have a question-and-answer session.About a dozen people were having none of it. Some of the most tense moments came when Correa started talking about green card holders who served in the U.S. military and have since been deported. Ma am, I m trying to be courteous here, he said as a woman kept speaking over him. As soon as I started speaking, it became very clear they were not going to let me speak, Correa said Wednesday. They just got louder and louder. Video of the town hall posted on social media shows people in the crowd yelling Americans first and illegals have no rights. Correa repeatedly asks them to let him speak. Are you guys going to cooperate, or am I going to have to ask you to leave? he said.About 15 minutes in, as some in the crowd continued to shout and their attention turned to berating a group of counter-protesters, Correa declared the meeting over. | 0 |
1,595 | FLYER ON COLLEGE CAMPUS Advocates Using Baseball Bat On Anyone Wearing A TRUMP Hat | Last November, the UNC campus was full of angry students who were unhappy with Trump s election On November 23rd of last year, UNC protesters gathered at the iconic Old Well on the campus, chanting Donald Trump can go to Hell, but we are going to the Well. The intersection, normally taken over by students to celebrate sports victories a few times a year, was soon occupied by dozens of protesters chanting lines like black lives matter, water is life, and love trumps hate. What s gotten into our youth? Why so angry and why so unAmerican?Via: Campus Reform | 0 |
1,596 | China says confident in economic relations with U.S. ahead of Trump visit | BEIJING (Reuters) - China has confidence in its economic relations with the United States going forward and will continue to open up and provide broader market access, Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang said on Friday. Zheng was speaking at a briefing about next week’s visit to China by President Donald Trump. | 1 |
1,597 | Hariri says Hezbollah must remain neutral to ensure Lebanon moves forward | PARIS (Reuters) - Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said on Monday that the political and militant group Hezbollah must stop interfering in regional conflicts and accept a neutral policy to bring an end to Lebanon s political crisis. The Iranian-backed Hezbollah, which forms part of the Lebanese government, is fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Syria and in Iraq against Islamic State militants. Gulf monarchies have accused the Shi ite group of also supporting the Houthi group in Yemen and of backing militants in Bahrain. Hezbollah denies any activity in Yemen or Bahrain. Hariri s main patron is Saudi Arabia, Iran s main regional rival, which has also intervened in regional conflicts. I don t want a political party in my government that interferes in Arab countries against other Arab countries, Hariri said in an interview recorded on Monday with French broadcaster CNews. I am waiting for the neutrality which we agreed on in the government, he said. One can t say one thing and do something else. Hariri shocked Lebanon on Nov 4 by resigning from his post in a statement from Saudi Arabia. His resignation, however, has not yet been accepted. President Michel Aoun held talks on Monday with other Lebanese political leaders over the future of Hariri s government but gave no sign whether they discussed Hariri s demand that the country steer clear of regional turmoil. Lebanon cannot resolve a question like Hezbollah which is in Syria, Iraq, everywhere because of Iran. It is a regional political solution that needs to be done, Hariri said. The interference of Iran affects us all. If we want a policy that is good for the region we shouldn t be interfering. He said he was ready to stay on as prime minister if Hezbollah accepted to stick by the state policy of staying out of regional conflicts. However, he said he would resign if Hezbollah did not keep to that, although consultations so far had been positive. I think in the interest of Lebanon, Hezbollah is carrying out a positive dialogue. They know we have to remain neutral in the region. He said that if this week s consultations ended positively he would possibly modify the make-up of the government and added that he was open to elections before next year. | 1 |
1,598 | WFP chief gets pledge from Congo's president on food aid access | GENEVA (Reuters) - President Joseph Kabila has agreed to help aid reach a region of the Democratic Republic of Congo where ethnic conflict has spawned a humanitarian emergency, the head of the U.N. s World Food Programme said on Monday. WFP Executive Director David Beasley said he had also asked Congo s Prime Minister Bruno Tshibala to waive $9 million in administrative fees the organization had paid to the government, saying the sum could feed tens of thousands of people. This country is destabilizing and it needs attention because if we don t give the attention now it could impact the entire region, Beasley told reporters by phone from Kinshasa. The conflict in Kasai region turned Congo into the world s biggest displacement crisis this year. Although many people have started going home, Beasley said Congo still had about 600,000 children on the brink of starvation and 7.7 million severely malnourished people. While visiting Kasai, where WFP has 1 percent of the $135 million needed for the next eight months, he said he saw horror in the eyes of women and children as they told of beheadings and brutality. The Kasai region, it was rather appalling, in ways that are truly hard to explain, in ways you actually don t want to explain, he said. Beasley said he met Kabila for about 45 minutes before meeting ministers and explained that the trust of aid donors needed to be rebuilt and that the government must provide access, safety and visas. He gave me his assurances that he would do everything possible to address any and all needs that we brought to his attention, Beasley said. Beasley, a former governor of the U.S. state of South Carolina, told Congo s prime minister that WFP had paid the government $9 million in administrative fees just for access, just for being here , and asked him to scrap the fees. As I told the government, the prime minister, and the ministers, if you take that $9 million and I m feeding people at 31 cents a day, you can do the math - that s 75,000 people, give or take, that we can feed in an entire year, he said. Asked about the $9 million, government spokesman Lambert Mende said: That s the first time I ve heard of anything like that. We know that we have humanitarian needs because many people (in Kasai) are returning to their homes and we are working with our partners on that, Mende said. Beasley said there was donor fatigue but addressing the Kasai situation immediately would save lives and money. | 1 |
1,599 | re why is obama threatening russia with world war right before the election | he has been campaigning nonstop where as hillary has hardly been out at all i think he will be just fine attending the grand opening trump trump trump | 0 |
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