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3,700 | Investors gird for impact of Trump healthcare measures | (Reuters) - An order by President Donald Trump that could scale back enforcement of some Obamacare provisions is unlikely to sink health insurance stocks, but shares of hospitals and Medicaid providers could be under pressure over fears more poor people would lose coverage, analysts said. President Trump signed an executive order on Friday urging government departments to “waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay the implementation” of provisions of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, that imposed fiscal burdens on states, companies or individuals. While the order lacked details, it signaled the start of an effort by Trump and Republicans to repeal and replace the program, which expanded health coverage to some 20 million people. Obamacare has been plagued by increases in insurance premiums and deductibles and by some large insurers, including UnitedHealth Group Inc and Aetna Inc, largely pulling out of the system. Shares of UnitedHealth and Aetna were little changed in early trading on Monday. The equity markets dislike uncertainty and Trump’s executive order introduces at least a modest level of new uncertainty, J.P. Morgan analyst Gary Taylor wrote in a note on Monday. The new administration may no longer enforce an Affordable Care Act rule requiring individual Americans to pay a penalty for not carrying health insurance, Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, said on ABC’s “This Week” program on Sunday. The healthcare exchange system that is the cornerstone of the Affordable Care Act depends on premiums from healthy, younger individuals, typically between ages 18 to 34, to offset higher expenses for covering older, less healthy individuals. The scrapping of enforcement was “a real risk” for 2017 insurance exchanges enrollment, Sheryl R. Skolnick, a healthcare analyst for Mizuho Securities USA Inc, said in a research note on Saturday. “We have to wonder why the hospital companies and investors who have pushed the stocks back up to pre-election levels would be so enthusiastic,” Skolnick wrote. But young people did not buy health insurance at desired levels, even when penalties increased for not having the coverage, said Ana Gupte, a healthcare services analyst for Leerink Partners LLC in New York. “Fundamentally, I don’t think it’s going to make a difference,” if the so-called ‘individual mandate,’ requiring individuals to buy coverage or pay a penalty, is scrapped, said Gupte. Some experts also question whether the Obama administration itself was vigilant about enforcing the rule. “We’re not sure as to how vigorously it was being enforced anyway,” said Les Funtleyder, healthcare portfolio manager for E Squared Capital Management. Still, Trump’s plans could pressure shares of insurers such as Molina Healthcare Inc, Centene Corp and WellCare Health Plans Inc, who administer state Medicaid plans, over concerns that the number of insured, especially among the poorest, would shrink. Molina’s shares were down 0.7 percent, while Centene’s shares were down 0.5 percent. If Medicaid funding becomes less than what states are receiving now, “it will put pressure on the number of people who are covered through Medicaid expansion,” Gupte said. Hospitals may also be on the hook for more unpaid medical expenses as the number of uninsured individuals increase and seek emergency room treatment, Gupte added. Longer term, though, the hospital industry is lobbying to get more money for unpaid expenses and “it looks like they will get what they want,” Gupte said. Shares of hospital operators such as HCA Holdings Inc, Tenet Healthcare Corp and Community Health Systems Inc were down about 1 percent. “In reality, the executive order is just a sideshow to the main event – the Repeal/Replace legislation that Republicans are expected to introduce this year,” Taylor said. | 1 |
3,701 | usled coalition killed civilians in just air strikes in syria amnesty international report finds | ignoring the law to rig elections democrats are fine with breaking the law as long as they benefit infowars nightly news october comments
immigration laws are being ignored to an unprecedented extent
the democrats are worried about russia interfering with our elections but are ignoring the law being broken and domestic interference via illegal immigrants newsletter sign up get the latest breaking news specials from alex jones and the infowars crew related articles download on your mobile device now for free today on the show get the latest breaking news specials from alex jones and the infowars crew from the store expert trump has already won election see the rest on the alex jones youtube channel the most offensive halloween ever see the rest on the alex jones youtube channel illustration how much will your healthcare premiums rise in infowarscom is a free speech systems llc company all rights reserved digital millennium copyright act notice flip the switch and supercharge your state of mind with brain force the next generation of neural activation from infowars life httpwwwinfowarscomwpcontentuploadsbrainforceejpg httpwwwinfowarsstorecomhealthandwellnessinfowarslifebrainforcehtmlimstzrwuutm_campaigninfowarsplacementutm_sourceinfowarscomutm_mediumwidgetutm_contentbrainforce httpwwwinfowarsstorecomhealthandwellnessinfowarslifebrainforcehtmlimstzrwuutm_campaigninfowarsplacementutm_sourceinfowarscomutm_mediumwidgetutm_contentbrainforce brain force off flip the switch and supercharge your state of mind with brain force the next generation of neural activation from infowars life httpwwwinfowarscomwpcontentuploadsbrainforceejpg httpwwwinfowarsstorecomhealthandwellnessinfowarslifebrainforcehtmlimstzrwuutm_campaigninfowarsplacementutm_sourceinfowarscomutm_mediumwidgetutm_contentbrainforce httpwwwinfowarsstorecomhealthandwellnessinfowarslifebrainforcehtmlimstzrwuutm_campaigninfowarsplacementutm_sourceinfowarscomutm_mediumwidgetutm_contentbrainforce brain force off flip the switch and supercharge your state of mind with brain force the next generation of neural activation from infowars life httpwwwinfowarscomwpcontentuploadsbrainforceejpg httpwwwinfowarsstorecomhealthandwellnessinfowarslifebrainforcehtmlimstzrwuutm_campaigninfowarsplacementutm_sourceinfowarscomutm_mediumwidgetutm_contentbrainforce httpwwwinfowarsstorecomhealthandwellnessinfowarslifebrainforcehtmlimstzrwuutm_campaigninfowarsplacementutm_sourceinfowarscomutm_mediumwidgetutm_contentbrainforce brain force off flip the switch and supercharge your state of mind with brain force the next generation of neural activation from infowars life httpwwwinfowarscomwpcontentuploadsbrainforceejpg httpwwwinfowarsstorecomhealthandwellnessinfowarslifebrainforcehtmlimstzrwuutm_campaigninfowarsplacementutm_sourceinfowarscomutm_mediumwidgetutm_contentbrainforce httpwwwinfowarsstorecomhealthandwellnessinfowarslifebrainforcehtmlimstzrwuutm_campaigninfowarsplacementutm_sourceinfowarscomutm_mediumwidgetutm_contentbrainforce brain force off flip the switch and supercharge your state of mind with brain force the next generation of neural activation from infowars life httpwwwinfowarscomwpcontentuploadsbrainforceejpg httpwwwinfowarsstorecomhealthandwellnessinfowarslifebrainforcehtmlimstzrwuutm_campaigninfowarsplacementutm_sourceinfowarscomutm_mediumwidgetutm_contentbrainforce httpwwwinfowarsstorecomhealthandwellnessinfowarslifebrainforcehtmlimstzrwuutm_campaigninfowarsplacementutm_sourceinfowarscomutm_mediumwidgetutm_contentbrainforce brain force off flip the switch and supercharge your state of mind with brain force the next generation of neural activation from infowars life httpwwwinfowarscomwpcontentuploadsbrainforceejpg httpwwwinfowarsstorecomhealthandwellnessinfowarslifebrainforcehtmlimstzrwuutm_campaigninfowarsplacementutm_sourceinfowarscomutm_mediumwidgetutm_contentbrainforce httpwwwinfowarsstorecomhealthandwellnessinfowarslifebrainforcehtmlimstzrwuutm_campaigninfowarsplacementutm_sourceinfowarscomutm_mediumwidgetutm_contentbrainforce | 0 |
3,702 | Bill Maher Lights Up A Joint And Gets Real About Pot Legalization (VIDEO) | Bill Maher is a hardcore supporter of the legalization of marijuana. On Friday, during a segment of New Rules on the HBO show Real Time with Bill Maher, the host laid out his case for legalizing marijuana. He also admonished Congress for refusing to legalize marijuana, despite historically high (no pun intended) levels of support for the legalization of the drug.Maher even went as far as to light up a joint while he railed against the powers in place that are preventing marijuana legalization efforts from succeeding. This is the first time that Maher has smoked marijuana on his show. It is, however, not the first time someone has smoked marijuana while on the show.In the fall of 2010, Zach Galifianakis appeared on the show as a guest. During the middle of a segment, Galifianakis quietly and calmly lite up a joint, with hilarious consequences.Maher noted how horrible it is that people who use medical marijuana cannot use their medicine in other states where it is not legal. It s not a tenable situation. When I leave Colorado, Oregon, Washington or Alaska, my back pain doesn t go away. Or whatever it is I have. I m kidding I use medical marijuana because my third eye has glaucoma. Maher pointed out how utterly ridiculous it is that in 2016, Congress has not made any serious effort to pass marijuana legalization legislation. Maher says: Somehow, this is the year that everything from socialism to mass deportation is on the table and voters love the authentic guys who speak their minds, but when it comes time for Congress to consider common-sense pot legislation, it s like smoking a joint with Woody Harrelson; they just won t pass it! I couldn t agree with Maher more. It s time for the self-described Republican lovers of small government in Congress to put their legislation where their mouth is. Marijuana is now is legal in twenty-three states, as well as the District of Columbia, in one form or another. Of those, four states and Washington D.C have fully legalized recreational marijuana. That number is expected to dramatically increase over the next few years.You can watch the segment from the show below.Featured image from video screenshot via YouTube | 0 |
3,703 | Dutchman put on trial for Ethiopian war crimes in 1970s | AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A Dutch citizen will go on trial in the Netherlands next Monday on charges he committed war crimes in Ethiopia in the 1970s. The 63-year-old Dutchman, who was born in Ethiopia, is accused of the incarceration, torture and murder of opponents of former Ethiopian leader Mengistu Haile Mariam in the late 70s. As Mengistu s representative in the Ethiopian province of Gojjam, the man is accused of ordering the killing of 75 young prisoners in 1978 and of being responsible for the incarceration and inhumane treatment of more than 200 people. An Ethiopian court has sentenced the man to death, in absentia, for his role in what was called the red terror , which the communist military junta of Mengistu conducted after the ouster of the Ethiopian emperor, Haile Selassie, in 1974. The Ethiopian sentence can t be carried out in the Netherlands, making a new trial the best option to hold the man to account, the Dutch national prosecutor s office said on Tuesday. The trial in The Hague is based on an investigation by the International Crimes Team of the Dutch national police. It contains the statements of several Ethiopian witnesses, some of whom will be present at the trial, the prosecutor s office said. The accused has been held in provisional custody in the Netherlands since 2015. Mengistu was found guilty in absentia of genocide in 2007, after he and top members of his military government were accused of killing thousands during his 17-year rule. Mengistu was ousted in 1991 and fled to Zimbabwe, where he still lives. | 1 |
3,704 | Trump’s UN Speech May Have Been Terrible, But The Faces Of Other Representatives Were Priceless | By now you would be more than aware of President Trump s first address to the United Nations General Assembly, a speech that CNN s senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta referred to as a lot of Trump tweets strung together. Trump has never been shy in criticizing the UN, but now also needs their help and in his rambling, combative 41-minute speech, allegedly written by Stephen Miller, the President acted like school bully, calling terrorists losers, referring to Kim Jong Un as Rocket Man and threatening to totally destroy North Korea if the US and its allies were forced to defend themselves.In fact, at times it almost seemed like an unfunny roast of sorts, looking around the room, randomly calling out world leaders and criticizing their leadership, as well as their countries; He called the Iranian government a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed, and chaos and described Venezuela under President Nicol s Maduro as a corrupt regime that has destroyed a prosperous nation by ideology that has produced poverty and misery everywhere it has been tried. Strangely enough, Russia wasn t targeted in his act.President Trump seemed quite happy with his delivery, taking to Twitter to boast about the overwhelmingly positive reaction to his speech:A great and important day at the United Nations.Met with leaders of many nations who agree with much (or all) of what I stated in my speech! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 20, 2017But was it, though? Sure, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted that, in his 30 years with the UN, he had never heard a bolder or more courageous speech, however, few shared Netanyahu s sentiments. They say a picture paints a thousand words and here are some pictures that show the true responses of those in attendance as the President delivered his address:Photo: Eduardo Munoz / ReutersNorth Korean ambassador Ja Song Nam stormed out before the President had even begun speaking, which left both seats empty for the Democratic People s Republic of Korea.Photos: Mary Altaffer/APAll White House Chief of Staff John Kelly could do was put his head in his hands and wish he was anywhere else, while the first lady listened on expressionless, although maybe she s just not capable of facial expressions right now.Photo: UNTVWere the Zimbabwean representatives even listening? I guess it could be a pretty opportune chance to catch a power-nap.Photo: UNTVThis Syrian delegate seemed to be giving President Trump a not-so-subtle hand gesture.Photo: Mary Altaffer / APThe first thing you would probably notice about this Iranian representative is his less-than-pleased facial expression, but it turns out it was the fact that he donned his glasses while Trump blasted Tehran s rogue regime that showed his true feelings:In Persian culture putting on one's glasses is the equivalent of GTFOH https://t.co/36u6Fx4anM Arash Karami (@thekarami) September 19, 2017Photo: UNTVBut the facial expressions of everyone shown here were almost certainly representative of almost all in attendance.Featured image via Drew Angerer/Getty Images | 0 |
3,705 | China's Chongqing vows purge of former leader's 'vile influence' | BEIJING (Reuters) - The southwestern Chinese megalopolis of Chongqing will purge the vile influence of its former top official Sun Zhengcai after he was expelled from the Communist Party for corruption, the city government said, praising the move as brilliant . Sun, a senior official once considered a contender for top leadership, had been party chief of the city until an abrupt announcement in July that he had been replaced by a rising political star close to President Xi Jinping, Chen Miner. He was put under investigation later in July and on Friday the party announced he would be prosecuted for corruption, accusing him of leaking secrets, bribery and abusing his power. In a front page story on Saturday, the official Chongqing Daily said a city party meeting overseen by new party boss Chen offered strong support for the Sun decision, which comes just weeks before the party opens a key twice-a-decade Congress. Everyone said they resolutely uphold the party s decision, resolutely practice the party s spirit and will resolutely purge Sun Zhengcai s vile influence, the paper said. The party s decision to investigate and handle Sun Zhengcai s serious breach of discipline is completely correct, absolutely brilliant, came just at the right time and has completely won the hearts of the party, the military and the people. It has not been possible to reach Sun directly for comment and unclear if he has been allowed to retain a lawyer. He is certain to be found guilty when his case comes before a court as the party controls the legal system, which won t challenge its accusations. These include trading power for sex and sloth. Chongqing, one of China s most important cities, is perhaps best known outside China for its association with its disgraced former party boss, Bo Xilai, who was once himself a contender for top leadership before being jailed for life in 2013 in his own dramatic corruption scandal. The government has yet to give exact details of what Sun is suspected of. The official newspaper of the northeastern province of Jilin, where Sun was party chief from 2009 until late 2012, implied on Saturday at least some of his crimes took place there too. While in Jilin he neglected Jilin s development, put his undivided attention on promotion, and seriously damaged Jilin s political ecology, the paper said, summarizing a provincial party meeting to condemn him. Sun had been seen as a potential candidate for elevation at next month s party Congress and as a possible future premier. But sources with ties to the leadership and foreign diplomats say Sun had been out of favor after the party s corruption watchdog in February criticized Chongqing authorities for not doing enough to root out Bo s influence. Sun is the latest senior official to be investigated under Xi s sweeping crackdown on corruption. The party s official People s Daily said on Saturday the move against Sun augured further struggles ahead, saying major victories did not mean the anti-corruption fight was over. | 1 |
3,706 | Soccer star Weah leads most counties in Liberia presidential election vote | MONROVIA (Reuters) - Former soccer star George Weah leads in early presidential election results in 11 of Liberia s 15 counties, National Elections Commission Chairman Jerome G. Korkoya said on Thursday. The two top vote-winners from the field of 20 candidates will advance to a run-off in November in the event that no one wins an outright majority. (Corrects number of counties Weah leads in to 11 from 10) | 1 |
3,707 | House tax chief urges business to avoid fight over tax breaks | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A chief proponent of Republican tax reform in Congress urged the business community on Thursday to avoid a battle over coveted tax breaks next year if companies hope to achieve reforms that lower tax rates to boost economic growth and productivity. “There’s incredible pressure in Washington not to change a thing, for everyone to keep every special provision there is,” said Representative Kevin Brady, chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives tax committee. “That tax code is dragging our economy down, wasting billions of dollars in compliance costs and hurting salaries and jobs and growth.” Brady was speaking to reporters after a speech on tax reform at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank, where he promoted his own plan to lower the corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent and repatriate an estimated $2.6 trillion in U.S. corporate profits stashed overseas. The House plan, released in June, closely parallels the latest tax reform proposals from President-elect Donald Trump, and the two sides are working to hammer out an agreement on tax reform legislation that could move forward early next year. The Republican plan would pay for tax cuts by eliminating hundreds of tax breaks, including one that allows businesses to deduct net interest costs on debt, a policy heavily favored by Wall Street investors. In addition to a sharply lower tax rate, it would provide businesses with other advantages, including the ability to immediately write off the cost of capital investments. The plan would also end taxation on revenues from exports and impose a new tax on imports. Brady says the approach would result in more buoyant economic growth and a vastly simpler tax code. “While some would like to have fights over individual provisions in the tax code, the debate we’re looking for in America is whether Americans want something this fair and this simple and this understandable and are willing to make the trade-offs,” he told his Heritage Foundation audience. “The ability to buy those new buildings, equipment, software, technology and items that not just grow the economy but grow productivity and wages for workers - we think that’s awfully important.” Brady said the staff of his Ways and Means Committee has begun writing tax reform provisions for next year but added that the panel will also accept feedback from the business community and other taxpayers through the end of 2016. | 1 |
3,708 | Impossible to calculate Brexit bill figure at present: EU's Barnier | BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said on Friday it was not possible to put a concrete figure on the amount of money Britain will have to pay the EU upon exiting the bloc because numbers may change in the future. I have never quoted any figures and will not start today ... because they can change, Barnier told a news conference. He said he was satisfied with the agreement between the EU and Britain that no EU country, including Britain, would have to pay more or receive less as a result of Britain s decision to leave the bloc in 2019. | 1 |
3,709 | PINT-SIZED MALCOLM X Kneels During Pledge of Allegiance…Mom’s Shocking Reaction Says It All | A first-grader in Florida must have been inspired by the anti-American jackwagons in the NFL. He refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. He took a knee a la Kaepernick. Instead of tanning his hide, his mother took the side of the disrespectful 6-year-old. The mother doesn t think that the Pasco County School District takes inclusion and diversity seriously.That boy s mother is speaking out because of a text message she received from her son s first-grade teacher about the incident.The text message read: I just wanted to let you know that this morning when it was time to do the Pledge of Allegiance, (your son) went down on one knee. I knew where he had seen it but I did tell him that in the classroom we are learning what it means to be a good citizen we re learning about respecting the United States of America and our country symbols and showing loyalty and patriotism and that we stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I know its [sic] a sensitive issue but I wanted to make you aware. Thanks The mom complained that the teacher doesn t have a right to tell her son to stand: She told him right away, based on what he told me, to stand up and to stop it That s not her right. Standing for the pledge is state law. No matter; the pint-sized Malcolm X is black. The whole point of the anti-American antics that now define the NFL is to bully people into accepting that laws should not be enforced when they are violated by persons of politically preferred pigmentation, because racism.The rules apply to EVERYONE .Read more: ABC | 0 |
3,710 | Pope Francis Demands Christians Apologize For Marginalizing LGBT People | As the United States celebrates gay pride, marriage equality enters its first year, and the world partakes in solidarity for those lost in the Orlando shooting, Pope Francis is issuing his own personal decree to fellow Christians: apologize for marginalizing LGBT citizens.After a holy trip to Armenia, Pope Francis bluntly stated that the Catholic Church, as well as other Christians, needed to apologize to gays and lesbians for not having comported itself well many times, many times and called all Christians sinners for ostracizing them for so many years: I believe that the church not only must say its sorry to this person that is gay that it has offended, but it must say it sorry to the poor, also, to mistreated women, to children forced to work. When I say the church: Christians. The church is healthy. We are the sinners. When responding to questions regarding German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who suggested the Church apologize, Francis doubled down: I will repeat the same thing I said on the first trip. I will also repeat what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: that [gay people] should not be discriminated against, that they have to be respected, pastorally accompanied. The matter is a person that has that condition [and] that has good will because they search for God. Who are we to judge them? Francis, using anecdotes from his younger days in Argentina, praised the shift of acceptance, saying, The culture has changed and thank God! Christians; we must say we are sorry many times; not only on this. These are the Pope s strongest words yet in favor of a broader acceptance of LGBTQ in the Church. As Republican lawmakers, many of whom are Catholic, continue down a generous and hateful road of bigotry and discrimination, the real Catholics (including the leader of the church) are standing firm against hatred and bigotry.Although not an endorsement of unions of love between same-sex couples, a big step in the right direction yet again no doubt. A culture of acceptance makes way for endless possibilities.Featured image via Wikipedia | 0 |
3,711 | CBO Posts Review Of Republican Healthcare Plan, It’s A Bloodbath: 24 Million+ Uninsured (DETAILS) | The Congressional Budget Office, tasked with providing Congress with a nonpartisan assessment of the effects of proposed legislation, has finally released its analysis of the Republican healthcare replacement plan and it s abundantly clearly why Paul Ryan tried to pass the bill before the CBO was able to take a look. It s a bloodbath.For starters, the CBO calculates that as many as 14 million people will lose their insurance within the year, many of which only recently started having health insurance thanks to the ACA. As a replacement this plan is clearly inferior. Even worse, by 2026, 24 million more people will be uninsured as compared to this very moment. America will see a near total collapse of the health care system as we currently understand it.Republicans argue that tens of millions more without health insurance is okay because they are saving America money. The CBO suggests the savings would be almost nonexistent relative to the costs (not to mention the human suffering). They calculate that GOP s bill will only save around $300 billion over a decade. Compared to the trillions of dollars that are budgeted out each year, that s a rounding error.#CBO is out 24 million more uninsured by 2026, $337 billion of budget savings over a decade. https://t.co/WlDNX8LEMy Marc Goldwein (@MarcGoldwein) March 13, 2017They also argue that this disruption will actually cost America around a trillion dollars in lost revenue, offsetting much of the savings it hopes to gain by cutting spending.CBO and JCT estimate that enacting the legislation would reduce federal deficits by $337 billion over the 2017-2026 period. That total consists of $323 billion in on-budget savings and $13 billion in off-budget savings. Outlays [i.e. what the government spends] would be reduced by $1.2 trillion over the period, and revenues would be reduced by $0.9 trillion.Yeah, this is very, very bad.And Republicans did not want the American people to see this.WH reading CBO pic.twitter.com/lLkWPXkZei Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) March 13, 2017Ryan s response will likely be the same one that he s been giving all week. The tens of millions who are about to lose their insurance are actually enjoying the benefits of choice. Choice, in his mind, translates to being rich and having health insurance (also a tax break) or poor and not having health insurance. That s freedom to Paul Ryan. What a guy.The CBO s review only reinforces the fact that the Republicans had 8 years to come up with a replacement plan, failed to do so, and when pressed quickly created one that is inferior to the ACA in every single way. The level of incompetence and cruelty required to draft something like this continues to remain astonishing.Featured image via Win McNamee/Getty Images | 0 |
3,712 | (VIDEO) SICKENING CHALLENGE GOES VIRAL: DISRESPECTING OUR AMERICAN FLAG BY STOMPING ON IT | A sick new challenge is going viral, urging people to disrespect and stomp on the American flag https://t.co/iNhTTmxNz2 FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) May 1, 2015A video challenge to show solidarity with a New Black Panther Party college student who s being sought by police asks watchers to stomp the American flag and post their pictures to the Internet.It s called the #EricSheppardChallenge, aimed at giving support to a Valdosta State University student who self-identifies as a terrorist toward white people, as WND previously reported. Sheppard, 22, first made national headlines when a female veteran tried to intervene in his flag burning on campus. The video of their exchange, and the veteran s subsequent altercation with police, went viral. Police later recovered a backpack belonging to Sheppard containing a gun and two clips, and kicked off a search for him.Sheppard, meanwhile, has disappeared, and his father has called for him to turn himself in to authorities. The college student is reportedly a member of the New Black Panther Party and calls himself a terrorist toward liars and those who are weak, as well as a terrorist toward white people. Now, social media activists are taking to Facebook and Instagram to display photos and videos of themselves treating the flag with disrespect.In one particularly graphic video, a poster named Erica Walker opens with a [Expletive] you flag before placing it on the ground and dancing on it, Campus Reform reported.Read more: WND | 0 |
3,713 | ARE THE ANTI-TRUMP PROTESTS Becoming The New “Ferguson” For Illegals And Democrats? [Video] | A California Donald Trump Rally turned into a violent riot by mostly young Latinos. This is the result of open borders lawlessness and disregard for other people s right to free speech:Hundreds of demonstrators filled the street outside the Orange County amphitheater where Donald Trump held a rally Thursday night, stomping on cars, hurling rocks at motorists and forcefully declaring their opposition to the Republican presidential candidate.Some video I shot of a police car being smashed by a protester: pic.twitter.com/aqHm5jP9y3 Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) April 29, 2016THE ILLEGALS ARE EXPRESSING THEIR FRUSTRATION BY THROWING ROCKS AT PEOPLE AND DESTROYING COP CARS Donald Trump is worthless! There won t be no United States without Mexicans. -Juan Carlos, 16 I m protesting because I want equal rights for everybody, and I want peaceful protest, said 19-year-old Daniel Lujan, one of hundreds in a crowd that appeared to be mostly Latinos in their late teens and 20s. This just happen #CostaMesa #DonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/t0hS8EEdIU Ruben Vives (@LATvives) April 29, 2016 Video footage showed some anti-Trump demonstrators hurling debris at a passing pickup. One group of protesters carried benches and blocked the entrance to the 55 Freeway along Newport Boulevard, with some tossing rocks at motorists near the on-ramp. Costa Mesa police confirmed that a total of 17 people 10 males and 7 females were arrested on suspicion of unlawful assembly. A MOTORIST GOT OUT OF HIS CAR AFTER BEING BLOCKED AND CONFRONTED THE PROTESTERS:SUV almost ran over protester. Passenger gets out and gets confronted by protesters near 55 Fwy #CostaMesa pic.twitter.com/LLA4K1rzEN Ruben Vives (@LATvives) April 29, 2016READ MORE: LA TIMES | 0 |
3,714 | New Zealand says unclear if TPP agreement can be reached this week | DANANG, Vietnam (Reuters) - It is not clear if countries in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) can reach an agreement this week at a meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders to carry forward the trade pact, New Zealand s trade minister said on Thursday. Ministers from the 11 countries are meeting in Vietnam s central resort of Danang on the sidelines of a summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) grouping to discuss how to proceed with the deal after the United States withdrew. The negotiation is proceeding but it has not yet been finalised, New Zealand Trade Minister David Parker told Reuters. There are many countries that want to achieve finality this week, but it s not yet clear whether consensus can be achieved. Parker added that the 11 countries were discussing suspension of certain provisions of TPP in order to proceed with the trade deal, but no consensus had been reached. | 1 |
3,715 | George Takei’s Powerful Message To Liberals: It’s Time To Unite, And Here’s Why (VIDEO) | Actor, activist and one of liberal America s strongest social media advocates George Takei has long supported the presidential primary campaign of Bernie Sanders. But this week, he has delivered a powerful message to his fellow Bernie supporters: it s time to admit the campaign is over, and unite behind Hillary Clinton.In a video released to his over 9 million Facebook followers, Takei made an impassioned plea to both Bernie and Hillary supporters, to treat each other with respect and civility. Ultimately, we Democrats know that a bit of a tussle isn t a bad thing it makes us stronger. Keeps us sharp, he said. And really, it s like a family squabble, where only family those very close to us can truly get under our skin. But remember this, too: it s precisely because we like and respect each other that the words and criticisms sting as much as they do. The video message came in response to Hillary Clinton securing victory over Bernie Sanders on four of the five recent primary states. As Clinton moves ever nearer to victory, it seems the fight between supporters is reaching fever pitch with fairly toxic commentary on both sides.It s okay for us to argue passionately for our beliefs; we don t hold them lightly. The differences between the Clinton and Sanders campaigns are not cosmetic; they go to the core of sincerely held and contrary views about how we share this nation wealth inequality, national security, foreign policy, Israel. These are not marginal issues, and the candidates have very different proposals for the country.For some on either side, those views are so contrary that they would rather vote Republican, or not at all, than for the opposing candidate. While that feels extreme, it is understandable.But Takei advises that we consider what America will look like after election day if liberal acrimony secures a victory for the likes of Donald Trump or Ted Cruz. The common ground between Sanders and Clinton is something we should not simply take for granted as we argue over the other issues. The separation of church and state, women s reproductive rights, LGBT and civil rights here is our common ground in 2016. Takei urges his fellow Sanders supporters to recall the words of their own candidate that on her very worst day, Hillary Clinton is an infinitely better candidate and President than the Republican candidate on his best day. If Bernie believes that, his supporters can, too, Takei adds.It s tough in a two party system. The churches on both sides of the aisle are broader than any single candidate can reconcile. The question is not do we agree on everything? but do we agree on enough? George Takei and Bernie Sanders argue that we do.Featured Image via Screengrab | 0 |
3,716 | U.S. imposes duties after finding seven producers dumped steel plate | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Commerce made a final finding that seven foreign producers dumped certain carbon and alloy steel cut-to-length plate in the U.S. market, allowing it to impose duties ranging from 3.62 percent to 148 percent, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Thursday. The determinations of dumping, or selling a product below its fair price, apply to imports of CTL plate from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, Ross said. In addition, there was a final finding that South Korean imports were subsidized, leading to a countervailing duty of 4.31 percent being slapped on those products, he said at a department event. “A healthy steel industry is critical to our economy and manufacturing base, yet our steel industry today is under assault from foreign producers that dump and subsidize their exports,” Ross told the audience. In 2015, imports of CTL plate from the seven producers totaled $732 million, with those from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea and Taiwan valued at an estimated $14.2 million, $19.8 million, $179 million, $196.2 million, $37 million, $54.9 million, $210 million and $21 million, respectively, department figures show. (bit.ly/2mSZM1Z) Cut-to-length steel is used in a wide range of applications, including buildings and bridgework; agricultural, construction and mining equipment; machine parts and tooling; ships, rail cars, tankers and barges; and large-diameter pipe. The finding followed an investigation prompted by a petition from Nucor Corp and U.S. subsidiaries of ArcelorMittal SA and SSAB AB. For Austrian producers and exporters, dumping duties on the Voestalpine group and all others were set at 53.72 percent. They were 5.4 percent for Industeel Belgium, 51.78 percent for the NLMK Belgium group and 5.4 percent for all other Belgium producers and exporters. Among French manufacturers and exporters, duty rates were set at 148.02 percent for Industeel France and 8.62 percent for Dillinger France and all others. In Germany, duties were set at 5.38 percent for AG der Dillinger Hüttenwerke, 22.90 percent for the Salzgitter group and 21.03 percent for all other exporters and producers. A spokesman for Salzgitter confirmed the company was facing duties, saying the decision to impose the duties and the level of them were incomprehensible. In Italy, the department set anti-dumping duty rates of 6.08 percent for Officine Tecnosider, 22.19 percent for Marcegaglia SpA and NLMK Verona SpA and 6.08 percent for all other producers and exporters. Among Japanese producers and exporters, Tokyo Steel Manufacturing Co Ltd was hit with a duty rate of 14.79 percent. A rate of 48.67 percent was imposed on JFE Steel Corp and Shimabun Corp, and for all others it was set at 14.79 percent. Taiwanese companies Shang Chen Steel Co Ltd and China Steel Corp had anti-dumping duties of 3.62 percent and 6.95 percent, respectively, imposed on them. The rate for other producers and exporters was set at 5.29 percent. For South Korea, the department imposed an anti-dumping duty of 7.39 percent on POSCO, as well as a countervailing duty of 4.31 percent to account for subsidies. The same rates apply to all other producers and exporters. The findings allow the department to ask U.S. Customs authorities to collect cash deposits from exporters based on those rates. On March 3, in a decision stemming from the same investigation, the U.S. International Trade Commission said it had made a final finding that U.S. industry was being harmed by the dumping and subsidization of imports of carbon and alloy steel CTL plate from China. That allows for the final imposition of duties by the Commerce Department on China’s producers and exporters of the plate. | 1 |
3,717 | Comey Learned He Was Fired When Background TVs Flashed The News While He Was Giving A Speech | Trump is famous for his You re fired catchphrase, but when it comes to actually firing someone, he s shown nothing but cowardice. His inability to face the person he s about to get rid of led to an incredibly humiliating moment for James Comey.Standing in front of an audience of FBI employees, Comey was reportedly mid-speech when phones began lighting up and the televisions dialed into cable news in the background broke the news that Comey should have been the first to hear: Donald Trump just fired you.According to the New York Times, the moment was understandably sheer chaos in the room:Mr. Comey, who is three years into a 10-year term at the helm of the F.B.I., learned from news reports that he had been fired while addressing bureau employees in Los Angeles. While Mr. Comey spoke, television screens in the background began flashing the news that he had been fired. Shortly thereafter, a letter was delivered to the F.B.I. s headquarters in Washington.The sheer lack of professionalism was so inconceivable that Comey laughed when he saw it and told the crowd that it was a great prank they just pulled.In response, Mr. Comey laughed, saying he thought it was a fairly funny prank.Then his staff started scurrying around in the background and told Mr. Comey that he should step into a nearby office.Nobody at the FBI was reportedly told ahead of time that their boss was about to be terminated. People are freaking out even those within the White House.Another administration official described that the decision which caught FBI officials and top lawmakers completely off-guard on Tuesday was kept very close to the chest within Trump s inner political circle up until the moment [we] were ready to pull the trigger on axing Comey.Adding insult to injury, Trump s abrupt firing of Comey leaves the now former FBI director stranded in Los Angeles.Legitimate question about how Comey will get home from LA. He's there with FBI plane. Does Trump allow him to fly home on it? Michael S. Schmidt (@nytmike) May 9, 2017Trump himself appears to have ordered his Attorney General to start finding reasons to fire Comey at least a week ago around the same time Trump went on Twitter to suggest Comey was in the tank for Hillary.Sessions was ordered to find a reason to fire Sessions a week ago. This is what Trump was tweeting a week ago pic.twitter.com/uiOHsOR4WD Don Moynihan (@donmoyn) May 9, 2017In his letter to Comey, Trump says he couldn t allow him to continue as FBI director and implied it was due to his refusal to publicly state that there was no investigation into Trump s connection to Russia. (Note: Testifying to that would have required Comey to perjure himself because there is an on-going investigation into Trump s connection to Russia.)In short: The White House is once again in complete chaos and the only person responsible is Trump himself.Featured image via Mark Wilson/Getty Images | 0 |
3,718 | Argentine president calls Trump a 'very tough negotiator' | DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Argentine President Mauricio Macri said on Friday U.S. Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump was a “very tough negotiator”. The new leader of Argentina, who was sworn in as president in December, also told Reuters that Venezuela was not respecting human rights. | 1 |
3,719 | Four Shot Dead, One Left To Face Charges As Family Of Drunken Gun Collector Fight Over Laundry | Alcohol and guns could be the worst idea ever conceived by humanity. Drinking too much induces poor judgement and anger. Guns produce death and destruction when subject to poor judgement and anger. That was certainly the case in Los Angeles, where a man described as a heavy drinker had himself a gun collection and an argument that led to a whole lot of death.The 54-year-old man was apparently arguing over the washing machine, according to the Daily Mail. That escalated into the man shooting and killing his bedridden wife, his son s girlfriend and a 27-year-old man who was visiting. His son then wrestled the gun from his father and shot him, bringing the senseless death toll over a washing machine to four.Neighbors said the son is a 28-year-old with an 8-month-old daughter. The police say they ve been called to the residence on many occasions.And therein lies the problem. Police sent to disturbances at a house like that are bound to know there are weapons on the premises. The man isn t obligated to show them to officers, produce registration or insurance, or prove that he is qualified to fire a weapon safely. If he s a habitual drinker, the end result was always going to be a lot of death. What can the police do? Nothing.Now the son is facing murder charges, which means after he got to witness his father murder his mother, his girlfriend and his friend in cold blood, he wrestled the gun away and executed his own father in what many would call a justifiable fit of rage and others would call another consequence of Americans having unlimited access to guns.The entire incident is nothing but a waste of human life and a tragic start to the mass shootings counter for 2016.Featured Image via downingcentrecourt.com.au | 0 |
3,720 | Fugitive Italian 'cocaine king' arrested in Uruguay | ROME/MONTEVIDEO (Reuters) - One of Italy s most wanted mob bosses has been arrested in Uruguay after 23 years on the run from convictions for mafia association, drug trafficking and other serious crimes, the interior ministries of both countries said on Monday. Rocco Morabito was considered the most wanted fugitive member of the Calabrian Ndrangheta, Italy s most powerful organized crime group and one of Europe s biggest importers of South American cocaine. The 50-year-old was arrested in Montevideo after Uruguayan police and Italian authorities worked together to determine his real identity, the Italian ministry said in a statement. Dubbed the cocaine king of Milan, Morabito had been wanted since 1994 after he was caught paying 13 billion lire ($8 million) to import almost a ton of the drug, Corriere della Sera newspaper reported. Morabito entered Uruguay in 2001, and took up residence with his wife in the coastal resort city of Punta del Este, the Uruguayan interior ministry said in a statement. He was living there under the false identity of Francisco Antonio Capeletto Souza, of Rio de Janeiro, it added. Morabito was jailed in Uruguay for using false documents while Italy s request for extradition is processed, the statement said, adding that $50,000 in cash was found at his home along with 13 cell phones. An international arrest warrant was issued in 1995 with the aim of tracking down Morabito and extraditing him to Italy, where he has been sentenced to 30 years in jail. The arrest ticks one member off the Italian interior ministry s five-strong list of the country s most-wanted organized criminals, on which Morabito had rubbed shoulders with feared Sicilian boss Matteo Messina Denaro. | 1 |
3,721 | DONALD TRUMP JR. Had The Best Reply Ever When He Discovered A Certain Republican Was Planning To Run Again In 2020 | Earlier today, the disgraced former host of MSNBC, Keith Olbermann, tweeted a picture of conservative Tomi Lahren, and admonished her for using the U.S. flag as apparel . Donald Trump used a screen shot of his tweet and placed it next to a photo of Olbermann wrapped up in an American flag with the flag resting on the ground around him. Trump Jr. s tweet said: Life is hard; it s even harder when you re stupid. Trump Jr. s tweet went viral.Life is hard; it s even harder when you re stupid. pic.twitter.com/rpS7svtfvf Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) October 29, 2017Only a little more than 4 hours later, the New York Post reported that Ohio Gov. John Kasich is plotting his third run for president.The New York Post tweeted:John Kasich is reportedly plotting another run for president https://t.co/4bQnEN3esS pic.twitter.com/FCn1HqF5A6 New York Post (@nypost) October 29, 2017Kasich, who s term in Ohio ends in 2018, has kept a skeletal campaign staff from last year s race and they re helping him decide whether he should pursue a primary run as a Republican or as an Independent in the general election in 2020, the magazine said.He denied he s plotting a run, saying that s just not where my head is right now during an interview Sunday on Fox News Sunday. But he told the magazine the Republican Party needs to update its platform. I think we need to be pro-environment, he told New York for this week s edition. I think we need to completely redo education. Look, I loved Ronald Reagan. I met Ronald Reagan. But Reagan was then. Now we gotta move on. A persistent critic of the president s coarse tone, Kasich told the publication that Trump s election and the failure of Republican leaders to publicly condemn his actions is a momentary lapse of reason. He said he would represent a different viewpoint, insisting he wants to restore basic principles of caring, of love, of compassion, of connectedness. There has to be a fundamental change, in my opinion, with all of us. I m willing to be part of that. I want my voice to be out there. I want it very, very much, he said.But criticizing the commander in chief is one thing, launching a Republican challenge to a sitting president is another.Donald Trump Jr., had a simple, but perfect reply that pretty much sums up how most Republicans feel when they think of Governor John Kasich running for President again LOL!LOL https://t.co/li2EMoreBd Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) October 29, 2017Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Republican, lashed out at Kasich, saying His behavior if not that of a regular Republican. He s also been criticized in his home state for being a RINO Republican in Name Only after he supported expanding Medicaid, a move that put him at odds with GOP hardliners. | 0 |
3,722 | Oklahoma Supreme Court rules fee on cigarettes unconstitutional | (Reuters) - Oklahoma’s Supreme Court declared a fee on cigarettes unconstitutional on Thursday, citing faulty lawmaking practices, prompting the state’s governor to suggest calling back the legislature to find a solution to replace the lost revenue. In a statement following the court’s decision, Republican Governor Mary Fallin said invalidating the fee would cause a $215 million budget shortfall. Most of the revenue created by the passage in May of the “cessation” fee - $1.50 per pack of cigarettes - was earmarked for health and human services agencies. “These agencies and the people they serve cannot sustain the kind of cuts that will occur if we do not find a solution,” Fallin said. “My belief is we will have to come into special session to address this issue.” The court called the fee a “revenue raising measure” that was passed in violation of the state’s legislative process that requires that such measures cannot be passed in the last five days of a session. The measure also did not garner either a required supermajority vote in favor, or a vote by the people to pass. Lawmakers were attempting to fill an $878 million shortfall. A special session would cost the state an additional $30,000 per day, according to a statement released Thursday by the House Democratic Caucus. Petitioners, which included both tobacco and wholesale distribution companies, argued that the fee was a revenue-raising measure. Attorneys representing the state said the principle purpose of the fee was not to raise revenue, saying that it primarily aimed at reducing smoking rates, and therefore did not have to follow the constitutional process. Oklahoma has a balanced budget requirement. Its fiscal-year 2018 budget totaled about $6.8 billion, according to Michael McNutt, a spokesman for Fallin. The yield on Oklahoma 10-year general obligation bonds traded 20 basis points over the benchmark Thomson Reuters Municipal Market Data AAA yield scale on Wednesday, according to the data available. The yield was little changed from the end of May, when the state’s legislative session ended. | 1 |
3,723 | Bette Midler Uses Cruz And Trump’s Own Insults Against Them In This DELICIOUSLY Vulgar Tweet | Bette Midler has been busy sticking it to the GOP Clown Car candidates on Twitter. It s easy to do; after all the lot of them are a national embarrassment. The Devine Miss M. just took her Twitter treatment of Clown #1 and Clown #2 Donald Trump and Ted Cruz to the next level, and this time it was their own words she used to give them yet another much deserved insult. Midler sent out a tweet on Wednesday afternoon that read: Trump called Ted Cruz a pussy ? Well, Trump s a dick so maybe they should get together and fuck off! Trump called Ted Cruz a "pussy"? Well, Trump's a dick so maybe they should get together and fuck off! Bette Midler (@BetteMidler) February 15, 2016What s so awesome about this is that Bette Midler didn t even need to come up with this on her own Trump and Cruz just handed her all the ammunition she needed, and she took it and fired the perfect shot. Likely, if Trump, at least, has seen this, he is likely foaming at the mouth and seething. That also means he likely is just itching to attack Midler in one of his infamously childish Twitter rants.However, even Trump must know better than to do that. Bette Midler is a universally loved icon. He d be a fool to go after her so publicly.Keep up the good work, Ms. Midler. We here in the party of sanity are loving it.Featured image via Bette Midler Twitter | 0 |
3,724 | HIGH SCHOOL V.P. Warns Students: “Only terrorists we need to fear are “domestic white ‘Christian’ men with easy access to guns.” | It s a wonder we have any sane children coming out of our Leftist indoctrination think tanks that are being passed off as schools. The Vote Bernie is an especially nice touch The vice principal of Camden Hills Regional High School has America s enemy all figured out: domestic white Christian men with easy access to guns. After a lone gunman killed two civilians and a police officer in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the vice principal, Piet Lammert, took to Facebook to post his thoughts the next day:It s Small Business Saturday. Buy localThere s a show in the Strom tonight. Buy ticketsThe only terrorists we need to fear are domestic white Christian men with easy access to guns. Vote BernieThat is all. Enjoy your dayFive Town CSD Superintendent Maria Libby criticized the post, but defended the administrator. I know Piet and he s someone who genuinely accepts all people, Libby tells WGME. The post does not reflect who he is as a person. She didn t stop there. It was a mistake, Libby says. It was a poor choice in words and it should never have been posted. The superintendent didn t specific what words would have been better to say.After it was posted, Libby said the situation has been handled, without giving any specifics. I have investigated it and I have taken appropriate action, Libby would only say.Lammert took to Facebook to apologize to those I offended, but also to attempt to explain his comments.I am writing to take responsibility and apologize for a post that I made on my private Facebook account yesterday. I mistakenly left my setting open to Public and in doing so made a post that offended some members of our community and beyond. I deeply regret doing so, take full responsibility, and hope that those I offended will accept my apology.Apparently still feeling the public blow back from his remarks, the school administrator posted another apology, saying it was an exaggeration. With true humility, I write to apologize for the offensive statement that I recently posted on Facebook. I did not intend this statement literally when I wrote it it was an exaggeration but soon after realized that it was unintentionally hurtful, offensive, and divisive at a time when more than ever we need compassion and understanding.In short, I did not mean what I said and wish with all my heart that I could take it back. But I need to take responsibility for it nonetheless, because I wrote it. It does not represent who I am or what I believe, but I wrote it. This post is an effort to at least begin to make amends.Had I simply written what I meant, the post would have reflected my urgent distress at the epidemic of mass violence in our country, which more recent events have proven to span all social groups. Ironically, in my effort to point out that we run the risk of simplifying the problem by singling out a particular ethnic group, I did exactly that to the group to which I belong. It was careless and rash.Lambert appears to have removed the offensive post from his Facebook page. He did however, leave this post up on his page, just in case anyone wonders where he stands on the evil NRA. Note the cute little nickname he appears to have given them:// <![CDATA[ (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); // ]]>NRA: Not Really ApplicablePosted by Piet Lammert on Monday, December 17, 2012WGME attempted to contact the public employee, but Lammert reportedly ignored their requests. Via: EAG News | 0 |
3,725 | White House seen easing limits on drone strikes: NY Times | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration is preparing to relax Obama-era rules on drone strikes and commando raids, paving the way for more frequent operations against Islamic State and other militant groups, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing officials familiar with the internal deliberations. President Donald Trump’s advisers have proposed relaxing a rule that generally limits drone strikes and raids to high-level militants deemed to pose a “continuing and imminent threat” to Americans, the Times said. The rule would be expanded to include foot-soldiers, it said. The advisers also want to eliminate a rule that drone strikes and raids by the military and the Central Intelligence Agency undergo high-level vetting, according to the Times. Officials have agreed they should keep in place a requirement of “near certainty” that no civilian bystanders will be killed, the newspaper said. A Cabinet-level committee approved the proposed rules on Sept. 14 and sent them to Trump for his expected signature, the Times said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. Former President Barack Obama established the rules in 2013 on operations by the military or the CIA outside of war zones like Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. | 1 |
3,726 | Taiwan says shut out of U.N. climate talks due to China pressure | TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan said its environment minister has been prevented from attending an annual U.N. climate meeting even with credentials as a non-governmental participant due to pressure from China. It represents the latest case of self-ruled Taiwan not being able to take part in an international event because of opposition from China, which objects to the island it claims under its one-China stand being accorded anything akin to the status of an independent state. Environmental protection agency minister Lee Ying-yuan had hoped to attend a U.N. climate change meeting in Bonn, Germany, the island s foreign ministry said in a statement late on Monday. Due to China s interventions, environmental protection minister Lee was unable to enter the UNFCCC meeting, it said, referring to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. Relations between Beijing and Taipei have nosedived since Tsai Ing-wen was elected the island s president last year. China believes she wants formal independence for Taiwan, a red line for Beijing. Tsai says she wants to maintain peace with China but will defend Taiwan s democracy and security. Taiwan s foreign ministry spokesman, Andrew H.C. Lee, told a news conference in Taipei the president believed climate change was an important issue and the island would endeavor to take part in international meetings to address it. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China s position was very clear. On the matter of Taiwan participating in international events, China s position is very clear; that is, it must comply with the One China principle, Geng told reporters, without elaborating. Organizers of the event in Bonn where were not immediately available for comment. Since 2009, when Taiwan announced its intention to participate in U.N. climate change meetings, the government has helped officials get credentials for talks as non-governmental observers to attend the international meeting. Taiwan participated last year with a lower-level delegation. Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations, having lost the seat it held in China s name in 1971 when the Communist government in Beijing assumed the position. Under the previous Taiwan administration of the China-friendly President Ma Ying-jeou, Beijing let Taiwan attend some U.N.-related events, including getting observer access at the annual U.N. World Health Assembly meeting in Geneva. This year, Taiwan was shut out of the health assembly, which the island also said was due to China s coercion and threats. China has previously blamed Taiwan for its exclusion from international events, saying it is due to Taipei s refusal to accept the one China principle. Nationalist forces, defeated by the Communists, fled to Taiwan at the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. | 1 |
3,727 | Pentagon making list of Iraqis who worked alongside U.S. forces after travel ban | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon was creating a list of Iraqis who had worked alongside U.S. troops, which will be passed to agencies implementing President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting entry for people from Iraq and six other Muslim-majority countries, a spokesman said on Monday. A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Captain Jeff Davis, said that over the weekend the White House had “provided the opportunity” to submit names. “There are a number of people in Iraq who have worked for us in a partnership role, whether fighting alongside us or working as translators, often doing so at great peril to themselves,” Davis told reporters. “We are ensuring that those who have demonstrated their commitment tangibly to fight alongside us and support us, that those names are known in whatever process there is going forward,” he added. It was unclear when the list would be complete and how many names it would include. Trump’s order suspending travel, which he signed on Friday, sparked anger in Iraq, where more than 5,000 U.S. troops are deployed to help Iraqi and regional Kurdish forces in the war against the Islamic State militant group. Iraq asked the United States on Monday to reconsider the travel ban on its citizens, taking a more diplomatic line than the Iraqi parliament, which demanded the government retaliate. The Iraqi parliament called on the government to impose “similar treatment” on U.S. nationals. | 1 |
3,728 | Ivanka Trump Tweeted About Religious Tolerance And Got Her Hypocritical A** Handed To Her | If Ivanka Trump really believes in religious tolerance she should tell her dad instead of the Twitterverse.Throughout his campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly attacked Muslims in this country, and his immigration ban targets Muslims from 7 countries just because they happen to practice Islam.Furthermore, Trump has wide support from white nationalists, who also tend to be anti-Semitic. Even Trump s top adviser Steve Bannon has been accused of being anti-Semitic. Hate crimes against Jews are on the rise, yet Trump can barely bring himself to condemn anti-Semitism.So Trump has been unsympathetic to Jews and Muslims alike, all while giving special treatment to conservative Christians.And that s precisely why his daughter Ivanka got her ass handed to her after she tweeted her support of religious tolerance on Monday.America is a nation built on the principle of religious tolerance. We must protect our houses of worship & religious centers. #JCC Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) February 20, 2017Indeed, religious tolerance is a cornerstone of the foundation of America. The question is, does she believe that applies to ALL religions? If so, she should send a memo to her dad and tell him to stop attacking Muslims and condemn his anti-Semitic supporters and stop turning conservative Christian hatred into policy.@IvankaTrump I wish there was someone else in your family who could get this message to a wider audience. Joe Berkowitz (@JoeBerkowitz) February 21, 2017@IvankaTrump pic.twitter.com/UzHQBIogTo Andi Zeisler (@andizeisler) February 21, 2017@IvankaTrump you know what would be a great way of doing that? Have your dad to tell all his nazi/klan supporters to eff off. Alex Leo (@AlexMLeo) February 21, 2017@IvankaTrump like white supremacist terrorists massacring houses of worship in Oak Creek & Charleston, which your father never condemned? Anil Dash (@anildash) February 21, 2017.@IvankaTrump Hey real quick, since your dad and his friends won t say it, remind me what the J in #JCC stands for? pic.twitter.com/kvaDN1ZKql Nick Amadeus (@NickAmadeus) February 21, 2017@IvankaTrump You are morally bankrupt and will not only find yourself on the wrong side of retailers, but on the wrong side of history. Stephen Falk (@stephenfalk) February 21, 2017@IvankaTrump Please talk to your father then. If you want to stop being reviled, you can actually do some good. Caroline Leavitt (@Leavittnovelist) February 21, 2017@IvankaTrump pic.twitter.com/2s6Uoz1QSf Alafair Burke (@alafairburke) February 21, 2017.@IvankaTrump it would be super super cool if you would lecture your dad on this subject. but let s be real, this tweet is to save face. Victor Huckabee (@popesaintvictor) February 21, 2017.@IvankaTrump Seriously #Ivanka? Are you so tone-deaf, or drowning in hubris, that u don t realize how disingenuous & ironic this tweet is? Andy Ostroy (@AndyOstroy) February 21, 2017@IvankaTrump you have your father muted on Twitter, don t you? Cher (@thecherness) February 21, 2017Featured image via Mark Makela/Getty Images | 0 |
3,729 | NEW EMAILS: Clinton Foundation VIP donors buy access – while Hillary was Secretary of State | 21st Century Wire says In the old days, this scandal would be filed under gross conflict of interest or government corruption . In the America in 2016, it s simply filed under news. Far from being a great charity organization, the Clinton Foundation appears to be merely a vehicle for those who want access to a US-based syndicate of international oligarchs, elite financial institutions, foreign governments, and even dictator-friendly Lebanese-Nigerian billionaires.As 21WIRE reported last week, this international syndicate stretches right through the heartland of Islamist radicalization and state-sponsored terrorism to the feudal monarchs in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and others.To be sure, this is only the tip of a much larger political iceberg RTNewly released emails reveal more ties between the Clinton Foundation and the State Department during Hillary Clinton s tenure as secretary of state, showing that major donors received special perks including lunch with the Chinese president.The State Department emails were released as part of a public records lawsuit by conservative group Citizens United. The documents were then shared exclusively with ABC News. After more than two years of Freedom of Information Act requests and lengthy litigation, the truth is finally coming out, David Bossie, president of Citizens United, said in a statement. Hillary Clinton s senior staff at the State Department routinely worked with the Clinton Foundation to reward big donors with special access and favors for four years. The emails seem to suggest that some of the Clinton Foundation s biggest donors were given special treatment, including seats at a meal attended by Chinese President Hu Jintao.One particular email chain dated December 2010 includes correspondence between Clinton s closest aide, Huma Abedin, and then-top Clinton Foundation official Doug Band.The email gives names of those expected to attend a State Department lunch with the Chinese president scheduled for January 2011 and some of the foundation s biggest donors were on the guest list.The list included three executives from organizations that have donated millions to the Clinton Foundation Bob McCann, then-president of wealth management at UBS; Dr. Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation; and Hikmet Ersek, the CEO of Western Union.According to the Clinton Foundation s website, UBS has contributed between $500,000 and $1 million to the organization. The Rockefeller Foundation has donated between $10 million and $25 million, and Western Union and its foundation has given between $1 million and $5 million.Nearly two weeks after the initial email, Band sent a follow-up requesting that Rodin be seated at Vice President Joe Biden s table. I ll ask, Abedin wrote in response.In a separate email, Abedin forwarded Band an attachment titled Updated China RSVP Guest List 1-5-11. The attachment itself was not included in the documents seen by ABC Read more at RTREAD MORE CLINTON NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Clinton Files | 0 |
3,730 | War crimes court backs Burundi investigation | AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court approved a prosecution request on Thursday to investigate war crimes allegedly committed in Burundi by the government and government-linked groups against political foes from April 2015 to October 2017. The decision follows Burundi s decision to withdraw from the court as of Oct. 26, 2017. However, the court will still have jurisdiction over crimes committed while Burundi was a member. A court statement said the country s government launched a widespread and systematic attack against the Burundian civilian population... targeting those who opposed or were perceived to oppose the ruling party. In a statement, the court said the prosecutor had presented enough evidence of crimes against humanity to merit a formal investigation, including murder, torture, rape and persecution, that led to more than 1,000 deaths. Unrest has gripped Burundi since the announcement, in April 2015, that President Pierre Nkurunziza would seek a third term in office. He won in July of that year, despite protests that the vote was rigged and that his seeking a third term violated both the constitution and the terms of an agreement that had ended a previous rebellion. UN rights investigators and independent activists have accused government forces of widespread violations, including forced disappearances, and of orchestrating a campaign of terror. Around 400,000 people have fled to neighboring countries amid the unrest, which has crippled Burundi s economy. Reacting to the court decision, top Nkurunziza adviser Willy Nyamitwe tweeted: The corrupt ICC just shot itself in the foot. This is obviously cheating, but no doubt Burundi will be the winner in this battle. This is the last card of the Western powers, he said. | 1 |
3,731 | FOX NEWS REPORTER Busts Spying On Trump Wide Open…Additional “Unmaskings” That Had Zero To Do With National Security [Video] | FOX NEWS ALERT: New details on @adamhousley s report; sources telling him the official who unmasked Trump associates is very high up pic.twitter.com/nowhUIIDSb FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) April 3, 2017 | 0 |
3,732 | Presidential vote runner-up in Kyrgyzstan concedes defeat | BISHKEK (Reuters) - Kyrgyz opposition leader Omurbek Babanov said on Monday he had lost Sunday s presidential election after preliminary figures showed his main opponent winning outright with more than 50 percent of the vote. Babanov said he planned no immediate public protests in Kyrgyzstan, although his campaign staff would follow up on all reported violations of electoral rules. | 1 |
3,733 | Pro-business parties try to hem German Greens in with red lines | BERLIN (Reuters) - The premier of Germany s most populous region warned that the Green party would have to step back from some of its environmentalist red lines if it wanted to join a mooted three-party coalition led by conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel. Armin Laschet, premier of the industrial heartland state of North Rhine-Westphalia, said in an interview with Handelsblatt newspaper that his and Merkel s Christian Democrats (CDU) would not do a coalition deal at any price. Earlier, Christian Lindner, leader of the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), the likely third coalition partner, had also said the Greens would need to sacrifice a commitment to environmentalist subsidies and accept tax cuts. With a Jamaica coalition of the conservatives (black), the FDP (yellow) and the Greens the most plausible coalition after last Sunday s national vote, the parties that enjoy the overwhelming support of Germany s business community rushed to hem in the leftist Greens with red lines. A Jamaica coalition agreement must make clear that there will be no de-industrialization, said Laschet, whose state is home to one of Germany s largest concentrations of heavy industry. The Greens wish for fixed target dates for banning polluting combustion engines or coal-fired power stations would harm industry, he added. Lindner, whose party is popular among the family businesses traditionally seen as the backbone of the German economy, told mass-selling paper Bild am Sonntag that he would be happy to accept a tax-cutting Green as finance minister. It would be fine to have a Green finance minister who cuts the tax burden on the middle classes, said Lindner, seen as one of the leading candidates for the key finance job in a Jamaica coalition. The Greens voted on Saturday to start exploratory talks on a deal, indicating that they would like to see a softening of the FDP s tough line on immigration. Laschet said talks on a post-election three-way deal, the first in Germany since the 1950s, could last into next year, though he hoped for a deal before January. | 1 |
3,734 | Kremlin says Putin-Trump meeting possible before July | MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday there was talk of a possible meeting between President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump taking place before a G20 summit in July, but there was nothing specific to report so far. The two men have never met, but both have said they want to try to mend battered U.S.-Russia ties, which fell to their lowest level since the Cold War after Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea. The new U.S. administration is under pressure over Russia however because Michael Flynn, Trump’s national security adviser, is struggling to get past a controversy over a call he had with the Russian ambassador to the United States Sergei Kislyak before Trump took office. Top White House officials have been reviewing over the weekend Flynn’s contacts and whether he discussed the possibility of lifting U.S. sanctions on Russia once Trump took office, which could potentially be in violation of a law banning private citizens from engaging in foreign policy. When asked about it on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with reporters that Flynn and Kislyak had not discussed lifting sanctions on Moscow. “Obviously every ambassador informs the center (Moscow) about all the contacts he has so the information gets to us, but we are not willing to comment on internal discussions being held in Washington,” Peskov said. Asked if there had been talks between any Russian and U.S. representatives on easing sanctions, Peskov said: “We have already said there have not been any (such talks)”. | 1 |
3,735 | Christian Charity President Embezzled The Entire Fund To Finance Sex Addiction | One of the tenets of Christianity is Thou shalt not steal, but, apparently, Jon S. Petersen s pastor never bothered to tell him that.On Monday, Petersen admitted to a federal judge that he has stolen almost all of the money people have donated to World Ambassadors, Ltd., the charitable organization that he has been the president of for years. He pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false tax return a crime that could lead to a three-year prison sentence, restitution and a $250,000 fine. The reason for his thievery? He has a sex addiction:In his plea deal, Petersen admitted that he moved $475,000 in donations from the charity to his personal checking account between 2010 and 2014, draining virtually all of its funding, prosecutors said. The group had about three dozen contributors annually. The guilty plea concerned his personal 2013 tax filing, when he failed to report $114,000 diverted from the group as taxable income. The charge carries up to three years in prison, and Petersen may be required to pay restitution to the group s donors.Petersen said he struggled with a sex addiction over the last decade and used the donations to pay for it.I don t think Jesus would approve of this behavior.More than thirty people donated a total of $476,466 to the organization, and Petersen moved $475,555 of it to his personal accounts. What s even more alarming is the fact that this wasn t the only money he was using to feed his supposed sex addiction. He said that he was also using his home s equity and credit cards to pay for it.Think about this for a moment, not just about the Christian hypocrisy, but he probably paid half a million dollars for sex. Whoah.Now, sex addiction is a real thing and we really shouldn t laugh about it (I know it s hard no pun intended). According to Recovery Ranch:Sex addiction, also known as hypersexual disorder, is characterized by persistent and escalating sexual thoughts and acts that have a negative impact on the individual s life. Sex addicts struggle to control or postpone sexual feelings and actions. Most sex addicts do not know how to achieve genuine intimacy, forming little or no attachment to their sexual partners. Eventually, the pursuit of sex becomes more important than family, career, and even personal health and safety.Just like any addiction it can take over and destroy someone s life. If he is telling the truth, that is definitely what happened here. However, if he is using this as an excuse (which is entirely possible) to cover up his crimes, I hope the judge throws the book at him not the Bible, but that would work too.Find out more about sex addiction here.Featured image via Wdea.am | 0 |
3,736 | BOMBSHELL: Melania Trump Refuses To Believe Access Hollywood Tapes In BIZARRE Interview (VIDEO) | With the release of the 2005 Access Hollywood tape revealing Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump saying lewd remarks that revealed him to be a sexual predator, there hasn t been anyone capable of defending him.However, now, in an interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN, Melania Trump is coming to her husband s defense and seemingly blaming Billy Bush, the other man on the Access Hollywood tape.According to Melania, Bush egged Trump on. Although, if you listen to the tapes it was clearly the other way around.Melania told Cooper: I said to my husband that, you know, the language was inappropriate. It s not acceptable. And I was surprised, because that is not the man that I know. She also said, now making excuses for his horrific behavior: And as you can see from the tape, the cameras were not on it was only a mic. And I wonder if they even knew that the mic was on. Then when asked if she s ever heard her husband speak like that, she said: No. No, that s why I was surprised, because I said like I don t know that person that would talk that way, and that he would say that kind of stuff in private. Melania seems to either be in complete denial that her husband does, in fact, speak that way, or she s been instructed by her husband and his campaign to shift blame to Billy Bush and away from Donald. Either way, it s very, very bizarre.In a statement after the tapes were released, Melania had said: The words my husband used are unacceptable and offensive to me. But now she s making excuses for them. Who knows what the hell is going on, really? Yet, what we do know is that Donald Trump said those horrific remarks and needs to be kept as far away from the Oval Office as possible.Watch the video here:Melania thinks Billy egged on Trump into saying dirty and bad stuff, like these two are school boys at recess. https://t.co/fCL9SgXhP3 pic.twitter.com/UfnTQrSMad Andrew Kirell (@AndrewKirell) October 17, 2016Featured image via video screen capture | 0 |
3,737 | Segregation fans fears of fresh 'cleansing' in Myanmar's Rakhine | MYEBON, Myanmar (Reuters) - Buddhist villagers in relatively peaceful parts of Myanmar s Rakhine state are enforcing a system of local apartheid that punishes people trading with minority Muslims, fuelling fears that violence in the far northwest could spread to new areas. Ethnic Rakhines, who form the majority in central parts of the state, have set up committees in several districts that have meted out sanctions ranging from fines to public beatings and expulsions. They say the measures are necessary to protect their communities from Rohingya Muslim militants. Muslim residents say they are being cut off from essential supplies and accuse authorities of turning a blind eye. Aid workers fear thousands will attempt to escape via perilous sea routes to Thailand and Malaysia when the monsoon rains abate. About 250,000 Muslims live in central Rakhine, an area not directly affected by a military offensive against Rohingya militants who attacked security forces in the northern part of the state in late August. The army operation has forced more than half a million people to flee to Bangladesh, in what the United Nations has denounced as ethnic cleansing. In the current situation, it s not possible for different communities to live together, said Ashin Saromani, a Buddhist monk in the central Rakhine town of Myebon, where one such committee was set up at a meeting in a monastery four days after the Aug. 25 militant attacks in the north. The government can t reconcile them. That s why we prohibited communication with the Muslims, to prevent conflict. Rakhine state government spokesman Min Aung said he was not aware of efforts to punish Buddhists who had contact with Muslims. He said he thought tensions could best be eased by interfaith community groups. Other states and regions have interfaith groups working for peace. In Rakhine there s no group like that, he said. Tension between ethnic Rakhines and Muslims have simmered for years. Nearly 200 people were killed and 140,000 displaced in communal violence in the state in 2012. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the violence seen in the north of the state could easily spread. The failure to address this systematic violence could result in a spillover into central Rakhine, where an additional 250,000 Muslims could potentially face displacement, said Guterres in a recent speech. They are outnumbered by Rakhine communities, some of whom have engaged in violent acts of vigilantism against their Muslim neighbors. In Myebon, about 3,000 Muslims have been confined to a camp for displaced people since the 2012 violence, surrounded by tens of thousands of hostile Rakhine Buddhists. They have relied on aid from international agencies and fishing, supplemented by a small amount of trade in the town. Since late August, loudspeakers mounted on tricycle rickshaws have rolled around the town, blaring messages from local monks and Rakhine community leaders exhorting Buddhists to avoid contact with Muslims. One Rakhine woman who ignored the warnings, 35-year-old Soe Chay, told Reuters she was surrounded by a mob on Sept. 12 after buying goods at a market to sell to Muslims. They beat her, cut her hair and marched through the town with a sign reading national traitor hung around her neck. Kyaw Swar Tun, deputy director of the Rakhine General Administration Department (GAD) that overseas the local bureaucracy, said the case was an individual problem that was already being dealt with by the courts. Two women and a man have been charged with assault on Soe Chay. The two women were members of the Arakan Women s Network in Myebon, which denied taking part in the attack. People got angry because they don t have a nationalist spirit, even though they know that 30 police stations were attacked and locals from Maungdaw were beheaded, said Khin Thein, leader of the network in the town, describing the incident. He was referring to the Aug. 25 attacks, which concentrated in northern Rakhine s Maungdaw township. Buddhist community leaders in Myebon have also blocked international aid agencies from reaching the camp, saying only the government can deliver aid, which must be checked by Buddhists. We are concerned that if we don t check that boat of the NGOs communicating directly with the Bengalis, they might include weapons together with the aid, said Ashin Saromani. Bengali is a derogatory term for the Rohingya implying they are interlopers from Bangladesh. Similar community-enforced restrictions on aid have been in place elsewhere in Rakhine, according to aid workers. Anti-Muslim sentiment has been bubbling up elsewhere in mostly Buddhist Myanmar since the conflict erupted in Rakhine. Police had to disperse a mob that attacked Muslim homes and businesses in the central Magwe division on Sept. 10. In Kayin state in the east, Muslims were told last month they must get special permission from authorities before traveling outside of their villages, because of security concerns. Closer to the conflict zone, Muslim villagers in Rathedaung township say they have been directly pressured to leave by their Rakhine neighbors. In Ku Taung village, near the besieged Muslim villages, a group of 46 Rakhine Buddhist elders has formed a disciplinary committee . They have fined Buddhists as much as 500,000 kyat ($370) for infractions including selling betel leaves to Muslims, according to farmer Tun Thar Sein. Some Rakhine villages have set up security teams to protect against the spread of militancy. In Mrauk-U and Minbya, an area that saw several unexplained explosions last month, residents said Muslims were no longer allowed into Rakhine villages. Kyaw Swar Tun, the local administrator, said authorities would deal with any cases brought to them according to the law, but was not aware of any such problems in central Rakhine. Back in the Myebon camp for displaced people, Muslims say they will have to move away. It s not possible for us to go back and stay together in Myebon because the Rakhine who destroyed our homes will be afraid to face us. said Cho Cho, a Muslim resident. They fear that Muslims will take revenge. | 1 |
3,738 | Six civilians killed by roadside bomb in Afghanistan | KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A roadside bomb in Afghanistan s southern province of Kandahar killed at least six civilians traveling in a car that hit the device, officials said on Monday. It was a bomb which had recently been planted by the Taliban to target Afghan forces but a civilian car went through it, said Fazel Bari Baryalai, a spokesman for the provincial governor, adding: All the people killed in the car were young people from the area. The incident highlights the threat from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) such as roadside bombs, one of the deadliest threats to civilians in Afghanistan. In the first half of the year, according to United Nations figures, 252 civilians were killed and 295 injured by pressure plate devices that typically explode when hit by a vehicle. | 1 |
3,739 | Rubio Copied One Of Obama’s Most Famous Speeches – And Obama’s Speechwriter Just Called Him On It | Marco Rubio may have come in third in the Iowa caucus behind both Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, but for reasons that remain unclear his team and the media are treating it like he just locked up the presidency. (Don t break out the champagne just yet, Rubio fans, third place finishers almost never end up winning the nomination.)But clearly thrilled with the narrative that he had pulled off a political upset by coming in third Rubio delivered a tone-deaf victory speech about how no one thought he could do it come in third, that is. So this is the moment they said would never happen. For months, for months they told us we had no chance. For months they told us because we offer too much optimism in a time of anger, we had no chance. For months they told us because we didn t have the right endorsements or the right political connections, we had no chance. They told me that we have no chance because my hair wasn t gray enough and my boots were too high. To political insiders watching the speech, there was growing bafflement. Anyone with any familiarity with one of Obama s most iconic speeches when he won the Iowa caucus in 2008, a very real upset noticed immediately that Rubio was pretty much plagiarizing the sitting-president almost verbatim.Here s Obama s: They said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high. They said this country was too divided, too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose. But on this January night, at this defining moment in history, you have done what the cynics said we couldn t do. Like any copy-cat, Rubio s version paled in comparison to the original. Obama s speech was forceful, aspirational, and concise. It set the tone for Obama s entire campaign. Here was an underdog who no one believed could do it, handily beating the favored choices. As a result, Obama s comments felt earned. Rubio is using a more fake it til you make it approach.Hilariously, Obama s former speechwriter was one of the people scratching their heads at Rubio s carbon copy. He scorched Rubio s campaign in a tweet.He could've at least thanked Obama for the opening line https://t.co/meP627U6pv Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) February 2, 2016Obviously, Rubio couldn t thank Obama for giving him his speech. Rubio has, like all Republicans, continually bashed the president to score cheap political points. Ironically and this really is shaping up to be the year that irony jumped the shark Rubio may owe his entire presidential campaign to Obama s history-making one just eight years ago. Like Obama, Rubio is young and relatively inexperienced in national politics. He s considered a long-shot, but one who hopes to appeal to younger generations.However, before we start viewing Rubio as a conservative Obama, let s remember the things that separate the two: Obama was young, but he was also a great magnetic personality. The vibrancy of his campaign and his own charisma gave him a huge boost, where so far Rubio blends into the background of nearly every stage he takes. He also has a history of politically-motivated flip flops, a Romney-esque ability to change with the direction of the wind and come out looking like both a moral coward and a shameful opportunist.But perhaps the most telling sign of Rubio s paper thin comparison to Obama is the fact that he has so little to say that he needs to borrow the words of Obama just to have a coherent message at all. Obama love him or hate him was his own man, Rubio is whoever you want him to be. And that s pretty sad.Feature image via Flickr | 0 |
3,740 | Trump Just Made Sarah Palin Sound Like A Genius With This Answer About Russia (VIDEO) | During an interview on ABC s This Week, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was questioned by the show s host, George Stephanopoulos, about Russia s involvement with Crimea. Trump s answer is so completely ignorant that it definitively proves that Trump has a childlike understanding of current foreign affairs.While being questioned about Vladamir Putin and the GOP s stance regarding Ukraine, Trump insisted that Putin is not moving into Crimea despite the fact that Putin had already moved into Crimea in 2014. He s not going into Ukraine, OK, just so you understand. He s not going to go into Ukraine, all right? You can mark it down. You can put it down. You can take it anywhere you want, Trump said. Well, he s already there, isn t he? Stephanopoulos responded.Trump said: OK well, he s there in a certain way. But I m not there. You have Obama there. And frankly, that whole part of the world is a mess under Obama with all the strength that you re talking about and all of the power of NATO and all of this. In the meantime, he s going away. He takes Crimea. Trump then seemed to imply that Russia had a greater claim to the Crimean than the Ukraine. I m going to take a look at it, Trump said. But you know, the people of Crimea, from what I ve heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were. And you have to look at that, also just so you understand, that was done under Obama s administration. Trump went on to say: And as far as the Ukraine is concerned, it s a mess. And that s under the Obama s administration with his strong ties to NATO. So with all of these strong ties to NATO, Ukraine is a mess. Crimea has been taken. Don t blame Donald Trump for that. Trump, at no point during the line of questioning Stephanopoulos gave him regarding the Ukraine, seemed to know what he was talking about. He appears to have no knowledge of one of the biggest events to happen so far in the 21st century.You can watch the relevant part of the interview below..@realDonaldTrump to @ThisWeekABC: Putin's "not gonna go into Ukraine, all right? You can mark it down." #ThisWeek https://t.co/C2PQQYg1c9 ABC News (@ABC) July 31, 2016Featured image via video screen capture | 0 |
3,741 | HILLARY MAKES FIRST APPEARANCE Since Election…Wow America! You Dodged A Bullet! | CLINTON ADMITS SHE CAN T HANDLE THE LOSS CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW SHE D HANDLE THE PRESIDENCY? "Now, I will admit, coming here tonight wasn't the easiest thing for me," Hillary Clinton says at Washington dinner: https://t.co/J54RiABFFl pic.twitter.com/bsNSbj5fUR CBS News (@CBSNews) November 17, 2016 Entire Speech to the Children s Defense Fund: | 0 |
3,742 | Trump makes two conservative picks for Fed: NY Times | (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s picks for two open spots on the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors may push for tighter monetary policy if they receive the Senate confirmation needed to join the Fed’s rate-setting panel, their records suggest. Trump will nominate Carnegie Mellon University professor Marvin Goodfriend and former Treasury Department staffer Randal Quarles to fill two of the three open seats on the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors, the New York Times said on Friday, citing unnamed people with direct knowledge of the decision. The conservative picks come as Fed Chair Janet Yellen continues to slowly raise interest rates and lay out plans to shed some of the trillions of dollars of bonds bought in the wake of the financial crisis. Goodfriend in particular has been skeptical of the Fed’s bond-buying programs, saying that it is too close to fiscal policy. Goodfriend and Quarles did not immediately respond on Friday to requests for comment. A White House spokeswoman said officials were not ready to make an announcement yet. Goodfriend, 66, a former Richmond Fed policy advisor, also has urged the central bank to adopt simpler rules governing policy decisions. That view has support among many congressional Republicans, though Yellen has strongly opposed their proposed legislation on grounds that it would tie the Fed to make mechanical decisions that would harm the economy. The rule at the center of that legislation suggests the Fed should be raising rates more aggressively than the three annual rate hikes policymakers currently expect for both 2017 and 2018. That could make for an interesting dynamic with bond investors increasingly skeptical of faster rate hikes amid uncertainty over the outlook for tax cuts under Trump’s young administration. After Friday’s report that employers added fewer than expected jobs in May, short-term interest-rate futures traders were still pricing in a June rate hike, but Treasury yields fell as investors reduced bets on subsequent hikes. One area Goodfriend may agree with Yellen is on the Fed’s plan to start shrinking its $4.5-trillion balance sheet before the end of the year. Though the Fed has not published its plan in detail, policymakers have said the portfolio would shrink as if on “autopilot.” In an interview with Reuters last November, Goodfriend appeared to also support such a preset plan. “The Fed should choose a rule for shrinking the balance sheet so that, as it sold off its assets, it was pre-committed and markets could anticipate sales and prepare for them,” he said. Despite differences of opinion with Yellen, he said then, “If there is interest in my point of view and my 30-something years of thinking, writing, and teaching about the Fed and central banking, then I would have to consider serving.” A lawyer by profession, Quarles, 59, worked on financial regulation at the U.S. Treasury for years, including during the 2007-2009 financial crisis. Reuters had earlier reported he was a leading candidate to be Trump’s pick for the Fed’s vice chair in charge of banking supervision. “Many market participants have been barking up the wrong tree, arguing that Trump is an easy money guy because he borrowed a lot when he was a real-estate tycoon,” said Stephen Stanley, Amherst Pierpont’s chief economist, who worked for Goodfriend when he was at the Richmond Fed. “If these two nominees are eventually confirmed, the tone of the Fed Board will instantly swing to a far more hawkish tenor.” | 1 |
3,743 | Damaged A380 to be flown to France to investigate engine blast | PARIS (Reuters) - French investigators are preparing for an intricate operation to repatriate an Air France Airbus A380 passenger jet that was forced to make an emergency landing in Canada after one of its engines came apart in mid-flight, people familiar with the maneuver said. The Airbus superjumbo diverted to Goose Bay in Labrador on Sept. 30 after one of its four engines exploded over Greenland, sending the front part of the engine including its 3-metre-wide fan into the ice sheet 37,000 feet below. More than 500 passengers and crew, some of whom had reported a bang and vibration, were picked up on two replacement jets after waiting for hours onboard due to problems in accommodating the world s largest airliner at the remote military airport. But the aircraft itself remained stranded while French-led investigators collected evidence and developed a plan for returning it to France. Making the roughly 2,300 nautical mile (4,260 km) trip will need a switch in engines to help the mammoth jet fly smoothly. First, the rump of the broken engine will be taken off the wing and flown to Wales, where manufacturer General Electric can examine it at its Cardiff repair workshop, the people said. Then a spare engine will be mounted on the right wing in the same outer position as the damaged one. But this will only be used to balance the weight during flight and that engine will not be operable. The people declined to be quoted as the plans have not yet been announced. France s BEA accident agency declined comment. The operation to fetch the double-decker jet is not the only challenging errand triggered by the mid-air explosion. Some parts of the engine were retrieved by helicopter in Greenland on Oct. 6 and dispatched to BEA headquarters in Paris. But investigators still face a tricky search in uncertain weather conditions to try to find other missing elements before they are buried by snow. Although nobody was injured, the engine break-up has led to what could be a lengthy investigation to ensure other aircraft are not exposed to the risk of damage from high-speed engine debris. Experts say such incidents are very rare, however. GP7200 engines used on Air France A380s are made by Engine Alliance, co-owned by GE and Pratt & Whitney. In 2010 a Qantas A380 engine built by UK rival Rolls-Royce blew up shortly after take-off. Investigators cited a poorly manufactured part. | 1 |
3,744 | DID BILL CLINTON FALL ASLEEP During Hillary’s Acceptance Speech? [Video] | How bad is it that Bill Clinton looks like he s asleep during Hillary s big moment last night? Watch her VP pick try and cover for Bill too funny! | 0 |
3,745 | report new york times profit plummets | desperate obama rips comey we dont operate on innuendo by november
barack obama must be pretty worried
earlier this week white house press secretary josh earnest told the media that fbi director james comeys decision to reopen an investigation into hillary clinton didnt spring from bias or politics he explained
director comey is a man of integrity and principle and well regarded by officials in both parties and served as a senior position in the bush administration and got bipartisan support when his nomination to be director of the fbi was considered by the united states senate they speak to his good character and the presidents assessment of his integrity and his character has not changed for example the president doesnt believe that director comey is trying to influence the outcome of the election and the president doesnt believe hes secretly supporting a candidate or political party hes in a tough spot hes the one who will be in the position to defend his actions in the face of significant criticism from a variety of legal experts including officials who served in senior justice position for presidents led by both parties
now with the polls closing to within the margin of error president obama has had second thoughts he told nowthisnews
i do think that there is a norm that when there are investigations we dont operate on innuendo and we dont operate on incomplete information and we dont operate on leaks we operate based on concrete decisions that are made when this was investigated thoroughly last time the conclusion of the fbi the conclusion of the justice department the conclusion of repeated congressional investigations was she had made some mistakes but that there wasnt anything there that was prosecutable
its worthwhile pointing out the hypocrisy here obamas entire administration has been built on innuendo his department of justice has destroyed police departments around the country with unsubstantiated innuendo about systemic racism his irs used innuendo to destroy conservative cs his entire campaign was rooted in innuendo about mitt romneys supposed secret evils
but more than anything the obama flip here shows serious desperation what changed the polls on monday it looked like the fbi scandal would detract from hillarys polling numbers but wouldnt kill her now it looks like she might go down in flames this shows how faithless obama is comey was wonderful just up until the point he threatened hillarys chances at which point he became a slanderer trafficking in innuendo
if comey has any stones he should resign in protest at obamas accusations hes already been thrown under the bus by his commanderinchief for not playing dead for him long enough to move hillary into the white house hes got no future in his position no matter what he does it would be a final redeeming move of honor to tell obama and his cronies to stuff it now tags | 1 |
3,746 | LIBERAL Lansing, MI Mayor Forced To REMOVE “Sanctuary City” Status After MI Residents Hammer Him For Arrogant Announcement On Tucker Carlson [VIDEO] | Watch his appearance on Tucker Carlson where he announced that Lansing, MI would be designated a sanctuary city here:The city council in Lansing, Mich. voted Wednesday to rescind its decision to deem itself a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants after concerns from the businesses that the status would draw unwelcome attention to the city.The term sanctuary city generally refers to jurisdictions that do not cooperate with U.S. immigration officials. Under Lansing city policy, police don t ask for people s immigration status, except as required by U.S. or Michigan law or a court order.Council members voted 5-2 to reverse last week s 6-0 vote to give the city sanctuary status. Immigration advocates in the crowd called called council members spineless and said you re all losing your seats. The dispute comes as several cities are battling President Donald Trump s promised crackdown on places that block cooperation between their police departments and U.S. immigration authorities. The Trump administration has warned that sanctuary cities could lose federal money for refusing to cooperate with immigration authorities.After last week s vote, council members received a letter from the Lansing Regional Chamber and Michigan Chamber of Commerce urging them to remove references to sanctuary city from its resolution. Lansing is a diverse community, rich with history and culture. It s what makes our city a welcoming destination to live, work and thrive, the business groups letter says. Recent actions of City Council, whether intended or not, have placed an unnecessary target on the City of Lansing while jeopardizing millions of dollars in federal funding that impacts the city budget. The term sanctuary in the resolution has become very problematic and distracting so distracting in my opinion that s it s taken away from the intent of our resolution, which is to protect individuals, said Councilwoman Judi Brown Clarke. It s basically a don t ask policy, which was outlined by the mayor s executive order and what we had in our policy complements that. That was already the policy in Lansing before last week s vote, but Lansing called itself a welcoming city, rather than a sanctuary city. Neither the welcoming city resolution nor the sanctuary city resolution called for Lansing to prohibit workers from providing information on a person s immigration status with U.S. immigration officials a ban that s at the heart of some urban sanctuary cities disagreements with the Trump administration.The issue also has touched off debate in the Republican-controlled Michigan Legislature, which is considering banning local governments from enacting or enforcing rules that limit communication and cooperation with federal officials concerning people s immigration status. Similar legislation died in the last session. FOX News | 0 |
3,747 | LIBERAL NIGHTMARE! HUNDREDS OF VOTERS WITHDRAW Registrations As States Comply With Trump’s Voter Fraud Commission [VIDEO] | If this keeps up, the Democrats will never win another election Several county clerks in Colorado said they ve seen hundreds of people withdraw their voter registrations following the state s announcement that it would comply with President Trump s voter fraud commission.In Denver, a spokesperson for the Denver Elections Division said 180 people have withdrawn their registrations in the county since Monday, according to a Denver Channel report.In Arapahoe County, which contains the city of Aurora, at least 160 people have withdrawn their registrations since July 1.The counties normally see fewer than 10 withdrawn registrations in similar time frames.Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams said last week he would submit the registrations requested by the Trump administration.Numerous states have said they won t comply with the request for voter registrations, which include the last four digits of Social Security numbers and other identifying information. CNN reported earlier this week that 44 states refused to comply with the request by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who serves as vice chair of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.Kobach disputed that number Wednesday, saying only 14 states and the District of Columbia have refused. Washington Examiner | 0 |
3,748 | Democrats link U.S. debt limit vote to Republican tax cut moves | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. Congress warned on Tuesday that Republican moves to grant new tax breaks to the wealthy could jeopardize Democratic support for an increase in the government’s borrowing authority later this year. “If they’re (Republicans) going to put on the table a massive tax cut for the very wealthy that increases the deficit by trillions (of dollars), it’s harder to get Democrats to increase the debt ceiling,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told reporters. A healthcare reform bill passed by the House of Representatives contains a tax cut for the wealthy, and a major tax reform initiative by Republicans this year could contain additional reductions. | 1 |
3,749 | gruesome video shows turkish soldiers execute female kurdish pkk fighters by shooting in their heads | bill clinton and his cabinet members pursued antiindia activities and as secretary of state hillary did the same as president she will no doubt continue to bully india shares
there are only weeks left until we find out if we have a president trump or a president clinton donald trump is perceived as the candidate who is against the corrupt establishment while hillary clinton is seen as part and fabric of the establishment and as the most corrupt candidate to run for president in the history of the country
a president clinton in a few weeks would return us to the hostile climate towards india that we saw in the s overseen by her husband after he took office in the us relationship with india went on a considerable downslide for nearly a year clinton did not bother appointing an ambassador to india even as he went about opposing india on multiple fronts leading to anger in the indian establishment initially he was intent on disarming and weakening india by preventing access to technology and also mounted a sustained attack on the indian economy by imposing several economic sanctions
in senator joe biden who is now the vice president under barack obama introduced an amendment in the bill granting aid to russia making the aid conditional on the fact that russia could not sell cryogenic engines for indias space programme the clinton administration was hellbent on hurting the development of indias space and technology sectors and blocked the sale of cray supercomputers that had been approved under the ronald reagan administration india was also targeted for several economic sanctions and was threatened under what was called the super clause of the american trade law
these economic sanctions were specifically borne out in the way mr clinton attacked the indian textile and carpet industries throughout the s the terms dunkel draft super wto and patent laws became synonyms for the us attempts to retard the indian economy and led to many protests in india
by india was justified in believing that indous relations had hit the lowest point but things took a dramatic turn for the worse during bill clintons second term in office madeleine albright became the new secretary of state and she was increasingly hostile to india especially through her pseudoracist television outbursts in fact she loved attacking india so much she went at it after leaving office and called for a plebiscite in kashmir justifying the actions of violent groups in the process
more clintons policies look like a death sentence for americans things to expect with a hillary clinton presidency hillary clinton must be indicted how hillary clinton ushered in a one party dictatorship of monopoly capital remember this is the same bloodsoaked albright who advocated bombing yugoslavia and then got her investment firm to attempt a takeover of mines in that country like the clintons she also knows how to abuse her power lest we forget albright also justified the deaths of half a million iraqi children and claimed that the deaths were worth it and the icing on the cake for this particularly nasty woman albright has already threatened women in america and claimed that there was a special place in hell reserved for them if they did not vote for hillary clinton
there is already talk of joe biden in the frame as secretary of state under hillary clinton biden would continue his antiindia agenda and try to thwart the development of indias space programme and other technological advancements then of course there is hillarys closest confidante a duplicitous lady called huma abedin who is of pakistani descent and whose family has links to radical elements in pakistan and saudi arabia abedin could end up playing an important role in determining american foreign policy and would be certainly antimodi
another point against hillary clinton is that the hawkish henry kissinger has supports her and her oeuvre as secretary of state this is the same kissinger who is so hostile against india many of his racist statements are even on tape to that end
it is in the light of this setting that many indianamericans have opposed the candidacy of hillary clinton and have come out in support of donald trump in contrast to the policies of the clintons trump has promised to make india the best friend of the us and has stated that he looks forward to working with prime minister narendra modi trump has also reached out to hindus in us while there is always a risk of the unknown and it is not clear if trump can make the change he wants to a hillary presidency will certainly be a major step back for india
in order for india to build a constructive relationship with us it requires people in both countries to have good intentions it is clear that india cannot have a strong and forward looking relationship with the us if hillary clinton is running the corridors of power on the other hand donald trump has articulated the right intent and his stance holds promise for india | 0 |
3,750 | White House committed to helping Puerto Rico recover from hurricane: spokeswoman | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Thursday that it is committed to helping Puerto Rico recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria and is working with the territory’s governor and the U.S. Congress on the government’s response. “We are committed to helping Puerto Rico. Our administration is working with Governor (Ricardo) Rossello and Congress to identify the best fiscally responsible path forward,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement. Sanders was responding to questions about a series of tweets by President Donald Trump where he appeared to question federal aid to the territory. “Successful recoveries do not last forever; they should be as swift as possible to help people resume their normal lives,” Sanders said. | 1 |
3,751 | BREAKING: HUGE VICTORY For Free Speech And Unborn Babies Against Planned Parenthood [Video] | Our good friends at Thomas More Law Center just won a great case for free speech and the unborn! The judge who rendered the decision is an Obama appointee which makes this victory all the sweeter!In a huge victory for free speech and unborn babies, United States District Judge Nancy Torresen, yesterday, issued a preliminary injunction barring the Maine Attorney General and City of Portland police officers from enforcing the Noise Provision of the Maine Civil Rights Act ( Act ). Under the Act, after being warned by a police officer, it is illegal to make noise that can be heard inside an abortion clinic with the intent to interfere with a medical procedure.In a 35 page opinion and order, Judge Torresen, an Obama appointee, held that the Noise Provision of the Act is content-based because it restricts speech based on its purpose, and therefore, is facially unconstitutional. The Thomas More Law Center ( TMLC ), a national, nonprofit public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, filed a lawsuit in December 2015, on behalf of Pastor Andrew March after a Portland police officer officially warned Pastor March under the Act, and ordered him to quiet his pro-life speech on the public sidewalk outside the Portland Planned Parenthood facility or face prosecution. Despite this threat of prosecution, Pastor Andrew March courageously continued to plead for the lives of the unborn at the doors of the Planned Parenthood facility. | 0 |
3,752 | Republican Senator John McCain leaves Washington before expected tax vote | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. Senator John McCain is expected to miss an upcoming vote on a tax code overhaul, after his office said he had returned to his home in Arizona following medical treatment. The Senate is expected to vote as early as Tuesday on tax legislation. But McCain, undergoing treatment for brain cancer, will be out of Washington until January, his office said on Sunday. Top U.S. Republicans said on Sunday they expected Congress to pass the tax bill. | 1 |
3,753 | Former Zimbabwe finmin Chombo detained until bail hearing Monday | HARARE (Reuters) - Ousted Zimbabwe finance minister Ignatius Chombo, charged with three counts of corruption in offences that allegedly took place more than a decade ago, will be detained until Monday, when the court will rule on his bail application. Chombo was among those detained by the military when it seized power before Robert Mugabe resigned as president on Tuesday. Several members of a group allied to Mugabe and his wife Grace were detained and expelled from the ruling party, including Chombo. | 1 |
3,754 | Final tally in New Zealand's inconclusive election to be released | WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A final tally in New Zealand s inconclusive election due to be released on Saturday could see opposition Labour and the Greens gain a few seats, but will still leave nationalist New Zealand First holding the balance of power. New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has said he will not make a decision on which party to back to form a coalition government until after the final count. Peters has held initial talks with Prime Minister Bill English and his ruling National Party and Labour leader Jacinda Ardern, but more formal talks will take place next week. Peters has said he will make a decision by Oct. 12. The National Party has won 58 seats in the 120-seat parliament, ahead of a possible coalition of 52 seats between Labour and the Greens. New Zealand First holds the balance of power with nine seats. Judging by past elections the National Party could lose one or two seats in the final tally, which will count special votes which make up 15 percent of ballots and include overseas votes, said Oliver Hartwich, executive director of think-tank New Zealand Initiative. Labour or the Greens or both of them are going to pick up the seats from National. It would be quite surprising if they didn t because ... the special votes usually favor the left, Hartwich said. Peters has in past elections formed coalition governments with both the National Party and Labour, and some analysts believe if Labour and the Greens gain more seats in the final tally it could make Peters more comfortable to again join them. Peters policies are thought to have more in common with those of Labour - both want to curb immigration, renegotiate certain trade deals and adjust the role of the central bank albeit in different ways. Nobody can really tell at the moment. He (Peters) has completely kept the cards (close) to his chest, nobody can read what he is going to do, Hartwich said. While National and the Greens have enough seats to form a coalition government, Green Party leader James Shaw played down recent speculation that they may enter talks. The Greens have a working agreement with Labour. | 1 |
3,755 | White House says no determination yet on 'Dreamer' immigrants | WASHINGTON/MIAMI (Reuters) - The Trump administration is still reviewing a policy set in 2012 by U.S. President Barack Obama that protects from deportation nearly 600,000 immigrants brought into the country illegally by their parents, known as “Dreamers,” a White House spokesman said on Friday. “No final determination has been made,” said the spokesman, who asked that his name not be used. Rescinding the policy known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, would anger those who have said President Donald Trump is already too tough on immigration enforcement. But leaving it in place would conflict with a promise Trump made on the presidential campaign trail. There was confusion over whether the policy would remain in place late Thursday after the Department of Homeland Security published a notice that it would rescind another Obama-era immigration policy. The other policy, known as Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA, was written in 2014 to protect illegal immigrant parents with children who are U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. The policy never went into effect because federal courts put it on hold. The head of the Department of Homeland Security, John Kelly, said on Friday that the agency only rescinded the policy that had faced legal challenges. DAPA “was immediately enjoined by the courts and it languished in limbo for two or three years, so my action yesterday was just a little housecleaning,” Kelly said at a meeting in Miami with Latin American leaders on security in Central America. “DACA that applies to students has not been changed,” Kelly said. The DHS statement also said DACA “will remain in effect.” The White House spokesman said the statement was only meant to clarify that the rescission of the program for parents would have no impact on the program for immigrants who arrived as children. Trump had pledged on the campaign trail to rescind all of Obama’s executive orders on immigration, including DACA. But as president, he has said his administration was devising a policy on how to deal with individuals covered by DACA. No formal changes have been announced. | 1 |
3,756 | the psychopathic and insincere jihad | a look at the universitys new mission october jack kerwick
jonathan haidt a professor of social psychology at new york university argued in a recently published essay that while its traditional telos end or goal has been truth within the last few decades the university has assumed another social justice
the university however can only have one telos
the conflict between these two goals has raged for decades haidt claims last year though it became unmanageable when student groups at universities and colleges around the country issued demands to administrators demands for social justice that by and large were met
the following statement is posted at blackliberationcollectiveorg
we demand at the minimum black students and black faculty to be reflected by the national percentage of black folk in the state and the country
we demand free intuition for black and indigenous students
we demand a divestment from prisons and an investment in communities
a statement of principles follows the black liberation collective blc opposes antiblackness sexism ableism capitalism white privilege inequality and heteronormativity it rejects as well nonviolence considered as a principle in contradistinction to a tactic
antiblack racism is woven in the fabric of our global society says the blc when social systems are racialized by white supremacy whiteness becomes the default of humanity and blackness is stripped of its humanity becoming a commodity becoming disposable
the blc is antisexist insofar as it affirms the value of all black womens lives whether cisgender transgender or genderqueer in addition to rejecting eurocentric beauty standards that are made to lessen the beauty of black women and black womens features being antisexist also means realizing that police brutality the prison industrial system school to prison pipeline and the like are aspects of structural racism that affect black women as much as they impact black men
black liberation entails queer liberation and trans liberation we also seek to destroy the heteronormative norms that dehumanize black queer people the blc asserts the homophobia within the black community comes by way of the same hands responsible for white supremacy
presumably transphobia within the black community is also a legacy of white supremacy in cooperation with cissexism and the gender binary transphobia has been used as a means of invalidating and erasing our trans family members the blc pledges to eliminate such systemic biases
these social justice warriors sjws are staunch opponents of the capitalist notions of infinite profit homogenized markets and a privatized means of production capitalism they insist is the economic system thats been used to justify the oppression marginalization and exploitation of blacks
nor is the solution to this oppression to be found in supporting blackowned businesses the blc explains that we cannot adopt the patriarchal exploitative tools of our oppressors as we seek liberation rather the solution is to dismantle antiblack capitalist corporations that benefit from our oppression
it isnt only the capitalist corporations that these students want destroyed they demand as well the eradication of all institutional practices and policies that discriminate against the black community and the removal of all federal state and local government officials who do not abide by our principles
the state and all its institutions that deny black humanity and black agency must be dismantled and replaced with those that produce black liberty
concerning its attitude toward america the blc is clear this country was built to systematically oppress groups of people and the black liberation collective will not stand for it
haidt misspeaks in characterizing as the year when the university experienced a crisis of identity an unmanageable conflict of goals to judge from the vast majority of liberal arts humanities and social sciences departments social justice long ago eclipsed truth as the raison detre of the academy interestingly it is these sjw demands from last year that bear this out
perhaps it is because ive spent the last couple of decades in the academy in the capacity of both student and faculty that i may be more privy to this than are some others but its painfully obvious that these student activists did not come up with these demands on their own if they didnt have their professors actually write the demands for them then the black liberation collective unquestionably derived the concepts and language of their statement of demands from their mentors
to put it bluntly one must attend college major in the liberal arts and humanities and study under far left professors in order to think in the terms that are characteristic of social justice warriors
leftist ideologues are training their students to bend the university to their will this is the first point there is though another a rich irony that is lost upon these selfstyled radicals
for all of their bluster over systemic racism and structural white supremacy ie phenomena that are omnipresent and hence largely unconscious these black students their white collaborators and their professors fail to realize that their thinking for lack of a better term on these issues is about as eurocentric as one can get the critical race theory to which the blc subscribe is a version of marxism the philosophical vision of a th century germanjewish man the marxist tradition within which they are enmeshed was fleshed out over a span of generations by mostly white heterosexual men
but theres more to it than this
the idea that racism sexism homophobia transphobia ableism and the like against which sjws rail are evils to be defeated is itself peculiar to the moral traditions of european civilization if these isms and phobias are immoral it can only be because those who are guilty of them fail to judge the individual as an individual color gender sexual orientation ability and so forth are neither constitutive of nor essential to the moral identity of the individualbut only if the framework of the doctrine of individualism is accepted
yet this conception of the sacrosanct individual is as eurocentric as the proverbial apple pie is american
the social justice warriors intellectual landscape is as much a european colony as was any west african country in the th or early th centuries those in the black liberation collective have most definitely internalized the modes of thought of their oppressor
now they would have been well aware of all this had they received a genuine education in college rather than a training in social justice | 1 |
3,757 | China says hopes South Korea continues to appropriately handle THAAD issue | BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha on Wednesday that Beijing hopes Seoul continues to appropriately handle their dispute over the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system in South Korea, state media said. The installation of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system had angered China, which fears its powerful radar could look deep into China and threaten its own security. | 1 |
3,758 | HOT MIC: REPUBLICAN SENATOR CALLS CONGRESSMAN Who Challenged Her to a Duel ‘Fat’ and ‘Unattractive’ in Hot-Mic Moment…as Democratic Friend Says She Could ‘Beat the Sh*t Out of’ Her Aggressor [Audio} | IT S BAD ENOUGH THAT DEMOCRAT SENATORS are speaking this way but RINO Susan Collins didn t even defend her fellow Senator! She took it to a new low. You can hear the harsh comments at the 1:30 point:Sen. Jack Reed (D., R.I.) was caught on a hot mic telling Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine) on Tuesday that she could beat the shit out of a Republican congressman who had criticized her and other female Republican senators who were hampering Obamacare repeal efforts.The two senators were at the markup of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2018 discussing multiple issues among themselves when Reed skewered Rep. Blake Farenthold (R., Texas).Farenthold said in an interview last Friday that he might settle Republican opposition to health care efforts Aaron Burr-style if the senators were men from his home state of Texas, according to CNN.Reed said that there were some crazy people in the House, which prompted Collins to ask him whether he had heard of Farenthold s remarks. The comment appeared to be a reference to the 1804 duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, which resulted in Hamilton s death. I know, trust me. You know why he challenged you to a duel? Because you could beat the shit out of him, Reed said. He s huge! He s so unattractive, it s unbelievable COLLINS WOULD BE A DEMOCRAT IN ANY OTHER STATE! WE RE HOPING SHE S DEFEATED NEXT TIME AROUND! | 0 |
3,759 | Mexico will not recognize Catalonia's independence: President | MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico will not recognize Catalonia s declaration of independence from Spain, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto wrote in a post on Twitter on Friday evening. The political turmoil in Spain intensified on Friday as the Madrid government dismissed Catalonia s president and parliament hours after the region declared independence. Pena Nieto made it clear he will stand beside Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy as he confronts the nation s most acute political crisis since it embraced democracy in 1978. Mexico will not recognize the unilateral declaration of independence of Catalonia, Pena Nieto wrote. We hope for a political and peaceful solution. Nations including France, Germany and the United States have also voiced their support for Spanish unity. Spain was plunged into uncertainty on Oct. 1 when Catalonia, a prosperous northeastern state that accounts for 20 percent of Spain s gross domestic product, held an independence referendum, though courts had declared the proceedings illegal. Separatists declared victory despite a participation of only 43 percent. Shortly after the referendum, Mexico s Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said in a statement that the country favored a unified Spain. | 1 |
3,760 | BILL O’REILLY ANNOUNCES 2 Week Vacation…Will Murdoch’s Liberal Son Who Pushed To Fire Roger Ailes Make His Vacation Permanent? [VIDEO] | Embattled Fox News host Bill O Reilly announced on Tuesday that he will be going off the air for almost two weeks, to take a vacation.The anchor s announcement comes amid an ongoing controversy over sexual harassment allegations made against him and a new report that James Murdoch wants him out of the company for good.The exodus of sponsors followed a recent report in The New York Times that five women were paid a total of $13million to keep quiet about harassment allegations.The accusations surrounding O Reilly, which date back 15 years, include claims of dirty phone calls, unwanted kisses and hotel room invites. The assumption is that he ll exit in a non-embarrassing way, one senior Fox News staffer told the magazine.O Reilly declined to share where he was heading, but has launched an online contest for fans to vote on where they think his vacation destination is. He made the point that the time off was voluntary.Bill O Reilly kept his announcement to leave FOX News for a two-week vacation upbeat:The claims prompted 60 sponsors to drop advertising deals with the prime time show and led to an internal investigation.Four network sources told New York Magazine that it s possible O Reilly s getaway could turn into a permanent vacation.The Murdoch family, the owners of Fox, are reportedly split on what to do about O Reilly. Rupert Murdoch and his eldest son Lachlan are said to be inclined to keep O Reilly, while younger son James the CEO of 21st Century Fox wants to give him the boot.James also pushed to fire Roger Ailes amid last summer s sex scandal, and sources think he could be successful in weeding out O Reilly this time around. Daily MailJames Murdoch is said to have convinced his father, 76, to go green in a major May 9 speech. In the speech, Rupert Murdoch sounded like Al Gore, saying that Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats and that We may not agree on the extent, but we certainly can t afford the risk of inaction. Marc Gunther of Fortune magazine commented that Murdoch has boldly promised to make News Corp. carbon neutral by 2010 and to weave environmental issues and themes into his newspapers, TV shows, movies and online properties-a tricky business, particularly when it comes to news. (emphasis added)The Hillary front organization known as Media Matters has challenged Murdoch to rein in the various Fox News personalities, including Hannity, who have voiced skepticism about the man-made global warming theory. The group complains that conservative voices on Fox far outnumber progressive voices and that Fox anchors, reporters, and guests inject pro-Republican views into the shows.Murdoch s decision to hand the European and Asian operations of his company to his son James has been widely interpreted as a sign that James will soon inherit control of the entire company. That means that James liberal philosophy on environmental and other matters could become the party line not only of News Corporation but the Fox News Channel.The New York Times has described James Murdoch as steadfastly liberal and notes that he has supported Bill Clinton and Al Gore whose daughter he befriended at Harvard. Aim | 0 |
3,761 | Trump increases federal funding for debris removal: White House | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday authorized an increase in the level of federal funding for debris removal and emergency protective measures as a result of Hurricane Harvey to 90 percent from 75 percent, the White House said. “President Trump increased cost sharing to 90 percent federal funding for debris removal, including direct federal assistance, and a 100 percent federal funding for emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance,” the White House said in a statement. | 1 |
3,762 | Trump: If I’m Elected, I’ll Appoint Justices Who Will Destroy Marriage Equality | The nightmare that is Donald Trump just keeps barreling on, and there seems to be no end in sight. In fact, it seems that he just might become the GOP nominee for the 2016 presidential election. There are endless reasons that this is beyond scary, and he has given us yet another.Earlier this week, Trump showed just how ignorant he is of the law in a bumbling interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC s This Week. The host didn t go easy on Trump in a conversation about the Supreme Court and the appointment of justices, and Trump showed himself to be utterly unqualified to be in any position of political power, much less president of the United States and leader of the free world. Here is a transcript of the exchange, courtesy of The New Civil Rights Movement:STEPHANOPOULOS: Let s talk about some of the issues. Judges. What kind of judges will you appoint? Will they be conservative?What does that mean to you and how will you ensure it?TRUMP: Well, first of all, we have a lot of judges that have to be appointed because we have a lot of openings in terms of judges. And I m very happy about that, to be honest, because I think, you know, appointing judges is a very important and a very, frankly, a very, very important element of what we re doing.STEPHANOPOULOS: But Ted Cruz says he s going to appoint rock rib conservatives with a paper trail. What are you going to do?TRUMP: Well, I m going to appoint conservative judges. I m going to appoint people that have great reputations, that are great with the legal profession STEPHANOPOULOS: Like?TRUMP: Well, I can say like any you know a judge who is a totally underrated and not spoken is Justice Thomas. I mean, if you look at if you look at some of the judges that we have like on the Supreme Court, Justice Roberts turned out to be a nightmare for conservatives. I mean STEPHANOPOULOS: But how are you going to TRUMP: Wait, let me first say. Ted Cruz, was the one that really wanted Justice Roberts to go on the Supreme Court. You know that, right? Have you heard that?STEPHANOPOULOS: So, how are you going to make sure you don t get a Justice Roberts? Are you going to ask your appointees TRUMP: Well, excuse me, excuse me, how are they going to make sure? Bush appointed him. And Cruz was the biggest advocate. Cruz fought like hell to get Justice Roberts in there. Justice Roberts turned out to be an absolute disaster. He turned out to be an absolute disaster because he gave us Obamacare. So, you tell me, ask Cruz, why did he push STEPHANOPOULOS: I m asking you. How are you going to make sure?TRUMP: No, I m asking you, why did he push so hard to have a judge who has absolutely set the conservative movement back and said everything STEPHANOPOULOS: When I interview him, I ll ask him. How you re going to make sure you don t get betrayed by your appointees.TRUMP: I will study it carefully. I will work with people that I respect, conservative people, and we ll appoint judges that will be good. And I don t think I ll have any catastrophic appointment like Justice Roberts, which was really more than anybody else, pushed by Cruz and Bush.With this level of incompetency on full display for all to see, Trump went on Fox News Sunday to redeem himself on the same issue and this time, he did what every Republican does when trying to woo audiences and cover up for mistakes: he turned the discussion to those Fox viewers hate the most: LGBT people. In fact, Trump says that if he is elected president, the justices on his Supreme Court will be those who oppose marriage equality, and he would find a way to have them throw out the Obergefell v. Hodges decision that made equal marriage the law of the land.First, Trump dodged the question, simply telling host Chris Wallace: They have ruled on it. I wish it was done by the states. Wallace didn t let Trump off the hook though, and plowed on, finally forcing Trump to say to the conservative audience on the issue of justices who would overturn the marriage equality decision: I would strongly consider that, yes. There you have it, folks. We knew Trump was a bigot, but he had never come out and said he d actively work to roll back LGBT right on this level. Not surprising at all, though. Just another reason to make sure his fantasy of ruling America never becomes a reality.Featured image from Gage Skidmore/Flickr | 0 |
3,763 | Healthcare scramble writes new chapter in Trump's 'Art of the Deal' | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In the middle of a confused three-day scramble by U.S. Republicans to save their plan to dismantle Obamacare, President Donald Trump telephoned a former small-town sandwich shop owner from the North Carolina mountains on Wednesday afternoon. Representative Mark Meadows took the call during a meeting of the Freedom Caucus, a conservative faction of the House of Representatives he chairs. His talk with Trump thrust Meadows into the eye of a legislative storm that led to a pivotal vote on the bill being postponed. Then, late on Thursday after Trump demanded action by the House, a final vote was set for Friday. Through it all, Meadows has been a key player in Trump’s first major legislative initiative, an effort as chaotic and unpredictable as his campaign for the White House, with its ultimate outcome still in doubt late on Thursday night. After promising for months as a candidate to repeal and replace Obamacare, Trump has still not produced his own plan to do so, choosing instead to support a rollback bill drafted by senior House Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan. Financial markets have watched the drama over the bill nervously, concerned that defeat or delay for it could undermine Trump’s ability to carry through on promises to cut taxes and reduce regulation that have lifted U.S. stocks for weeks. In a schism among Republicans who now control Congress and the White House, moderates oppose Ryan’s bill, saying it goes too far. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated it would result in 24 million fewer Americans having insurance by 2026 than if Obamacare remained in place intact. Meadows and the Freedom Caucus don’t like it either, but for very different reasons, making a compromise challenging. They say it doesn’t go far enough to repeal the healthcare law put in place in 2010 by former Democratic President Barack Obama. To deal with this problem, Trump stepped in personally earlier this week to try to win over Meadows and his maverick conservative faction, according to interviews with dozens of lawmakers and congressional aides. But, even after marathon phone calls and meetings at the White House, Trump, who prides himself as a master negotiator, failed to secure the deal. Meadows told reporters on Thursday night he still opposed the bill, but was optimistic that a deal could be reached. “I am still a no,” he said, taking basically the same position he took on Wednesday afternoon after his phone call with Trump. When he embraced Ryan’s bill and then decided to intervene to try to save it, Trump opted for a strategy in which he would concentrate on winning over Meadows and the conservatives. Ryan and House leaders would deal with “everybody else,” Republican Representative Tom Rooney said Thursday. That strategic approach soon had embarrassing consequences. Trump’s push began in earnest on Tuesday, when he visited Capitol Hill seeking support for the plan among Republicans. On Wednesday, the House Rules Committee held marathon meetings to finalize the bill that would go to the floor. After his Wednesday phone call with the president, Meadows spent much of Wednesday night negotiating with Trump, said a Republican lawmaker. “Mark Meadows has been at the White House more in the last 48 hours than any other times in his life combined,” said one conservative lobbyist with knowledge of internal discussions. As Meadows and other Freedom Caucus members such as Representative Jim Jordan negotiated with Trump, more and more right-wing amendments were added to the bill to placate conservatives. The conservative concessions hurt moderates. “The vast majority of us in the Republican conference have been left out of these discussions,” Representative Bradley Byrne said Thursday. “That is a growing problem for our leadership and I think it’s a growing problem for the chances of this bill.” At some point, Ryan himself balked when he learned of the agreements struck between Trump and the conservatives, according to the conservative lobbyist, setting in motion a frantic push to save a vote on the bill that had been set for Thursday. By late afternoon, that rescue effort had collapsed and the vote was scrapped. Trump responded forcefully, dispatching top White House lieutenants to a meeting with lawmakers with a clear message: the president was done negotiating. The message was “it’s done tomorrow or Obamacare stays,” said Republican Representative Chris Collins. With that, lawmakers announced that a decisive vote on the bill would be held on Friday afternoon. Earlier, even as the vote that had been set for Thursday was falling apart, Trump was meeting with trucking industry representatives and gleefully climbed into the cab of an 18-wheeler. He said then that everyone would find out in a couple of hours whether Republicans had enough votes to pass the healthcare bill, unaware that the vote had already been delayed. | 1 |
3,764 | Trump’s Logo Failed So Miserably He Removed All Trace Of It After Only One Day Of Mockery | Donald Trump announced Indiana governor Mike Pence as his vice presidential pick via Twitter on Friday and unveiled his campaign s new logo. To say the least, it didn t go over well, at all. Twitter erupted in brutal mockery of the Trump/Pence logo almost immediately. For reference, here is the image. It may well go down in history as the worst logo ever created.People were quick to point out that TP stands for toilet paper, which is remarkably appropriate when you consider all the crap that spills from Trump s mouth every time he opens it. And of course, they had to drag poor Beavis into it.Others were more taken aback by the way the T penetrates the P. An angle that Samantha Bee from Full Frontal had quite a bit of fun with, posting the following GIF with the caption Breaking the Mattress of America. Breaking the mattress of America. pic.twitter.com/M4Cq62YS2c Full Frontal (@FullFrontalSamB) July 15, 2016Apparently, the heat got a little too hot for the presumptive Republican nominee, because by Saturday morning the logo had completely vanished. Trump and his conservative minions had scrubbed the image. Trump s website no longer features the logo or even a picture of his new running mate, instead going with just a picture of the bigoted billionaire himself and his trademark slogan Make America great again. The logo is also missing in action from Republican the National Committee s website.If Trump and his new best buddy Pence thought it would be that easy to erase the existence of their disastrous logo failure, they clearly don t have a full understanding of how this whole internet works. This pitiful blunder will live on, if only for our amusement. In the future, Trump s campaign would be well advised to use a different design company when it comes to creating their logos. Honestly, you have to wonder if the logo s creator was really so clueless that the obvious shortcomings of the design just happened to slip under their radar, or if the image was just a very public trolling. Either way, Trump is trying really hard to pretend it didn t happen.Featured image via Real Time Politics and Twitter screen capture | 0 |
3,765 | U.S. says strategy on North Korea centers on sanctions, open to talks | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s strategy on North Korea aims to pressure Pyongyang to dismantle its nuclear and ballistic missile programs by tightening sanctions and Washington is open to negotiations, the Trump administration said on Wednesday. The U.S. stance, which appeared to signal a willingness to exhaust non-military options, was put forward in a statement following an unusual White House-hosted briefing for the entire Senate. It described North Korea as “an urgent national security threat and top foreign policy priority.” “The United States seeks stability and the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. We remain open to negotiations towards that goal,” it said in a joint statement by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats. “However, we remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies.” Although the statement emphasized diplomacy, Democratic Senator Christopher Coons told reporters after the White House briefing that military options were discussed. “It was a sobering briefing in which it was clear just how much thought and planning was going into preparing military options, if called for, and a diplomatic strategy that strikes me as clear-eyed and well proportioned,” Coons said. | 1 |
3,766 | Turkey's talks with U.S. on visa crisis going in 'good direction', Erdogan spokesman says | ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey s talks with the United States over an on-going visa crisis are headed in a good direction , President Tayyip Erdogan s spokesman said on Wednesday. Visa operations were mutually suspended by the two countries on Oct. 8, in a widening diplomatic row over Ankara s arrest of Turkish national employed by the U.S. consulate in Istanbul. A delegation from the United States arrived in Turkey on Tuesday to discuss the resolution of the crisis. Erdogan s spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, made the comment in an interview broadcast by state channel TRT Haber. | 1 |
3,767 | Kentucky clerk opposed to gay marriage to run for 2018 re-election | LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Reuters) - The Kentucky county clerk who drew worldwide attention for her refusal to issue marriage licenses to gay couples two years ago will run for re-election next year, her attorney said on Tuesday. Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis will run to retain her seat in 2018 despite suggestions from some people that she run for a higher local or statewide political position, said Mat Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel. Davis spent five days in jail in September 2015 after refusing a court order to issue marriage licenses following the Supreme Court’s decision legalizing same-sex marriage. Davis claimed same-sex marriage went against her Apostolic Christian beliefs. Staver’s organization represented Davis in the resulting lawsuit filed by four couples against her. “She’s not interested in any other office,” Staver said. Last month, Davis and a representative of Liberty Counsel traveled to Romania, where those against same-sex marriage seek a referendum on the issue this fall, to meet with religious and political leaders, Staver said. Davis’ case in 2015 drew hundreds of protesters and supporters to her office in Morehead, in rural eastern Kentucky. While she was in jail, then-Republican presidential candidates Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz visited her. Less than a month after she was released from jail, Davis, who won election to the office in 2014 as a Democrat, changed her affiliation to the Republican Party. Rowan County Democratic party officials could not be reached for comment. Prior to her election, Davis served as a deputy to her mother, Jean Bailey, who served as the county clerk for nearly four decades. After her case, Kentucky lawmakers removed all county clerks’ names from the state marriage license form. A federal judge later ruled that while the new law made the suits against her moot, the couples’ attorneys were still entitled to legal fees. The earliest Davis will be able to file for re-election is Wednesday, according to the Kentucky Secretary of State’s office. | 1 |
3,768 | California voters embrace recreational marijuana | SACRAMENTO, Calif./LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A ballot measure to make recreational marijuana legal for adults was approved in California, opening the most populous U.S. state to a burgeoning commercial cannabis market in a major victory for supporters of liberalized drug laws. Proposition 64 passed easily as statewide returns from the election showed nearly 56 percent of voters favoring the measure and 44 percent opposed, according to results on Wednesday morning reported from more than 90 percent of precincts. California was by far the largest of five states with ballot measures seeking to legalize the use of marijuana for the sheer pleasure of its intoxicating effects, and approval there extends legalization to the entire U.S. Pacific Coast. Recreational marijuana was first approved in 2012 by Washington state and Colorado, and later by voters in Oregon, Alaska and the District of Columbia. Victory also was declared on Tuesday by supporters of a similar measure in Massachusetts, giving legalized recreational pot its first toehold in New England. Nevada voters also backed legalization for recreational purposes, but neighboring Arizona rejected a similar proposal. In the fifth state, Maine, the result was too close to call on Wednesday morning. The Marijuana Policy Project, the nation’s leading organization supporting liberalization of cannabis laws, likewise projected passage of measures permitting medical use of marijuana in Florida, Arkansas, North Dakota and Montana. Before Tuesday, 25 states had already legalized cannabis in some way, whether for medical or recreational uses, or both. [here] Approval in California alone, home to 39 million people, means that almost a fifth of all Americans live in states where recreational marijuana is legal, according to U.S. Census figures. California was the first U.S. state to legalize medical marijuana, doing so in 1996. The new measure, spearheaded by a coalition of supporters that included Democratic Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom and billionaire high-tech entrepreneur Sean Parker, allows adults to possess and use up to an ounce of pot for private, recreational use. It also permits personal cultivation of as many as six cannabis plants. Moreover, it would establish a system to license, regulate and tax sales of marijuana, while allowing city governments to exercise local control over commercial distribution within their borders. California voters defeated a similar initiative in 2010, but public opinion polls show attitudes have since shifted. Opponents of liberalized marijuana laws have argued that such measures carry major public safety risks and would make pot more accessible to youngsters. Experts say the latest initiatives include more sophisticated regulatory mechanisms aimed at keeping cannabis away from children and banning the involvement of criminal gangs and drug cartels. They also point to the potential for hundreds of millions in additional state tax revenue from pot sales and billions in economic activity. Investors new to the sector said they are eager for a piece of a recreational marijuana market that by some estimates will reach $50 billion over the next decade. “It’s changed in the minds of these voters from being like cocaine to being like beer,” said University of Southern California political scientist John Matsusaka. Civil rights groups have also embraced legalization, arguing that current marijuana laws have led to a disproportionate number of minorities being incarcerated for minor drug offenses. | 1 |
3,769 | White House confident it will 'prevail' on travel ban | ON BOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - The White House is confident that it will prevail in a legal back-and-forth over President Donald Trump’s executive order to prevent travelers from seven countries entering the United States, spokesman Sean Spicer said on Monday. “Clearly the law is on the president’s side,” Spicer told reporters on Air Force One. “He has broad discretion to do what’s in the nation’s best interest to protect our people, and we feel very confident that we will prevail in this matter.” | 1 |
3,770 | Trump’s Kids Thought They Could Post This Without The Internet Perfectly Mocking Them (TWEETS) | Seldom in life are you set up so perfectly with a joke that you wonder if the moment could actually be real, but on Friday evening Donald Trump Jr. gave the internet a gift. In an effort to try and look cool and appear to be part of the outsider campaign of his father, Trump Jr. posted a pic of himself, his brother Eric and sister Ivanka:This election is not about Republican vs Democrat it's about insider vs outsider. It's time for a change in DC! # pic.twitter.com/0wYBx8DOsp Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 2, 2016Now, if your first reaction wasn t that it looks like a compilation of 1990s movie villains, maybe it was one more like one of these brilliant remixes. Twitter users definitely just had way too much fun, and we re all eternally grateful:pic.twitter.com/67xufVir1f Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) September 3, 2016pic.twitter.com/EneCCVx5Mn jon gabriel (@exjon) September 3, 2016fixed it pic.twitter.com/NejaqyI3CF Ashley Feinberg (@ashleyfeinberg) September 3, 2016Fixed it pic.twitter.com/JrZ6IBwVye Roberto Baldwin (@strngwys) September 3, 2016Obligatory #theylive. pic.twitter.com/y0ksKqhSHL Bryant Frazer (@deep_focus) September 3, 2016Fixed it for you, @DonaldJTrumpJr. Stay gold, ponyboy. pic.twitter.com/PdDeTwrEi1 Lee Zachariah (@leezachariah) September 3, 2016My personal favorite:The new Children of the Corn movie looks terrifying. pic.twitter.com/12CkPi6tB4 pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) September 3, 2016Honestly, these perfect mockeries of the trio could go on and on and on for days. It s really unclear what they were trying to attempt to do by posting this image in the first place. Maybe they really are just like their dad and think they are too cool for school and don t ever realize how ridiculous they actually are. Who s to really know for sure?However, God bless the internet and all it s been bringing to this current crazy election. It s bringing a sense of sanity to what, most definitely, feels like an insane world. Well done.Featured image via Twitter | 0 |
3,771 | White House on Lockdown After ‘Suspicious Package’ – 1 Person Detained | (Photo: Patrick Henningsen 2016)News LineThe White House was placed on lockdown when a suspicious package was thrown over a fence onto the North Lawn a few minutes after Barack Obama had arrived, officials reported.The unidentified perpetrator, reportedly a woman, was immediately taken into custody, and the container is currently being checked by security. Fire trucks and hazardous materials response units were dispatched to the area.The incident comes just a week after an alert was raised when party balloons flew over the White House and landed on the roof of the press office and Eisenhower Executive Office Building.READ MORE WHITE HOUSE NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire White House Files | 0 |
3,772 | #CNNBlackmail Trending as Network Blackmails Trump Meme Reddit User | 21st Century WireYesterday, US mainstream media outlet CNN threatened to expose the identity of a Reddit user who is said to have created the spoof WWF video meme which was Tweeted by President Donald Trump on Sunday morning, showing Trump in a cartoon fight with CNN.This was the offending Tweet which Trump released on Sunday morning, including a video meme gleaned from Reddit: #FraudNewsCNN #FNN pic.twitter.com/WYUnHjjUjg Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 2, 2017Apparently, CNN was so distraught over Trump s online prank which CNN claimed promoted violence against reporters that the cable news network tried (unsuccessfully) to get Twitter to remove it from their website.CNN then went on to report on Monday boasting about how they trolled and tracked the Reddit user under the handle HanAssholeSolo who had created the original meme.The following day on Tuesday, the Reddit user made a public apology (since deleted, but posted here at Buzzfeed News). But the apology wasn t voluntary as CNN appears to have blackmailed the man.Ultimately, CNN decided not to reveal his identity not for safety reasons, but for political ones, apparently rewarding him for apologizing and recanting his views. In addition, CNN threatened to expose the Reddit user s identity in future if it disapproved of his behavior or his statements essentially blackmailing him:Now, CNN has been accused of both threatening and blackmailing the creator of the wrestling meme.CNN s KFile discovered the real identity of the Reddit user credited with creating the meme, HanA**holeSolo, and tried to contact him. The meme creator then apologized on Reddit, saying he doesn t advocate violence against the media. According to CNN, he then got in touch with KFile and asked not to be named. CNN also said that it would not publish the man s name, because he is a private citizen who has issued an extensive statement of apology, and that CNN reserves the right to publish his identity should any of that change. As a result of the controversy, the hashtag #CNNBlackmail has been trending on Twitter.The online backlash has been hard and swift, as thousands of Tweets reveal the scale of public distaste for CNN:"CNN: The Most Trusted Name In Silencing Political Dissent"#CNNBlackmail pic.twitter.com/w0Lpl2ZGc2 Wrongthink Warlord (@NoSlackDelta) July 5, 2017If anyone tried to do what CNN just did on reddit, twitter or almost any online community they would get instanstly banned. #CNNBlackmail pic.twitter.com/JbtRNPDUYK Murad Gazdiev (@MuradGazdiev) July 5, 2017CNN tracks a 15 year old meme maker down in a few days but can't prove Russia conspiracy in over a year. #CNNBlackmail Randy Newton (@threezeroleft) July 5, 2017It s no surprise that CNN reputation has been steadily tanking following a string of fake news reports regarding President Trump and Russia, along with some of the most abysmal journalism ever seen in modern times during its coverage of the 2016 election where it openly backed the eventual loser, Hillary Clinton, as well as continuous bogus reporting coming out of Syria where CNN has repeatedly laid the false claim that, Assad is gassing his own people. READ MORE CNN NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire CNN FilesSUPPORT OUR WORK BY SUBSCRIBING & BECOMING A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV | 0 |
3,773 | Turkey's Erdogan says expects U.S. to rescind Jerusalem decision after UN vote | ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday he expected U.S. President Donald Trump s administration to rescind without delay its unfortunate decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel s capital. In comments on Twitter, Erdogan said he welcomed the overwhelming support for the resolution in the United Nations General Assembly, where more than 100 countries voted in favor of calling for the United States to reverse its decision. | 1 |
3,774 | CNN Liberal Anchor Freaks Out At Navy SEAL When He Asks For TRUTH….You Won’t Believe The Reaction! [Video] | A Navy SEAL Carl Higbie was blasted and screeched at by a CNN anchor who was shocked that Higbie asked for more evidence and truth in the Trump controversy. Yikes! She s got snowflake written all over her. It s just how the left rolls you have to march in lock-step with what they believe to be true even if it s not true. Just go with it, right? We say NOT RIGHT!Shouldn t we ask that sources be exposed? Anyone can say they know the truth but when they hide behind anonymity, they ruin their credibility. The left just expects everyone to believe the many lies they ve been telling about President Trump. We re with Carl! We re not accepting any stories against Trump until we have proof and know the source.This woman needs to seek help! | 0 |
3,775 | Trump Faces Off With CNN’s Jake Tapper Over Event Fistacuffs | 21st Century Wire says After last Friday night s clash between Democratic Party students and Republican Trump supporters in Chicago, mainstream media outlets, Republican and Democratic candidates are all taking aim at Donald Trump going into the pivotal Super Tuesday primary contest.Watch as CNN s Jake Tapper and Donald Trump tossel on-air, as the CNN presenter accuses the Republican front runner of causing violence at his rallies | 0 |
3,776 | Trump U.N. pick echoes his criticism but breaks from him on issues | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donald Trump’s pick for U.N. ambassador echoed his condemnation of the world body and pledged to push for reforms at her confirmation hearing on Wednesday, but broke from the president-elect on some other policy issues, including Russia and NATO. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley seconded criticism of the United Nations by Trump and many of their fellow Republicans before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, especially for what she termed its “bias” against Israel. Some Republicans want to stop U.S. funding for the United Nations over a Security Council resolution last month demanding an end to settlement building that the United States declined to veto, instead of abstaining. Haley pledged that she would not abstain on U.N. votes. But she did not back “slashing” U.N. funding. The United States provides 22 percent of the U.N. budget. Trump took to Twitter in the wake of the Israel vote to criticize the 193-member world body as “just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time.” He warned “things will be different” after he takes office, without offering details. Haley said Washington should always back Israel. “If we always stand with them, more countries will want to be our allies,” she said. Haley said she “absolutely” backs moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. That shift, which would up-end decades of U.S. policy, is supported by Trump and congressional Republicans but seen by the Palestinians and many Arab states as an impediment to Middle East peace. Although some Democrats questioned Haley’s lack of diplomatic experience, she is expected to be approved. At the end of the mostly non-contentious hearing, Senator Bob Corker, the committee’s Republican chairman, said he expected she would be confirmed “overwhelmingly.” Haley, a rising star in the Republican party who turns 45 on Friday when Trump takes office, has only held office in South Carolina. She has been governor since 2011. Haley praised U.N. food programs, efforts to alleviate AIDS, its weapons monitoring and some peacekeeping missions, a departure from Trump’s criticisms. Haley also broke from Trump’s praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin. She agreed that Russian actions in Syria such as bombing hospitals are “war crimes,” condemned Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region and said she would oppose easing sanctions until Moscow changes. “I think that Russia has to have positive actions before we lift any sanctions on Russia,” she said. Haley said she had not had detailed conversations with Trump about Russia or China. The United States and its frequent rivals Russia and China all hold permanent seats on the U.N. Security Council, along with U.S. allies Britain and France. Haley did not advocate backing out of the international nuclear agreement with Iran, which is supported by the United Nations, although she said it should be closely reviewed. She also praised the NATO alliance. Some other Trump nominees, including his choice for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, and his Pentagon nominee, retired Marine General James Mattis, have also veered from Trump’s national security positions during their hearings. Several senators, including Republicans, have said they hope some appointees will rein in his more controversial positions. “I would far rather have a strong-willed, capable, elected leader with experience at the state level who says those things than someone who has been a diplomat for 30 years and says: ‘Oh, I’ll do whatever Donald Trump says’,” Democratic Senator Chris Coons told reporters. Some questioned whether the president-elect would change. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said the Tillerson and Haley hearings were in “an alternate universe,” given two years of Trump statements backing torture or suggesting NATO is obsolete. “That’s all going to change after Friday?” Murphy asked. Haley said she expected Trump’s Cabinet would try to influence him. “I do anticipate that he will listen to all of us, and that hopefully we will get him to see it the way we see it,” she said. Haley did not endorse Trump during last year’s primaries and has warned that some of his most inflammatory statements promoted dangerous hate. She initially backed the presidential bid of Senator Marco Rubio and later Senator Ted Cruz. She acknowledged her lack of diplomatic experience but said her time as governor would stand her in good stead. “I would suggest there is nothing more important to a governor’s success than her ability to unite those with different backgrounds, viewpoints and objectives behind a common purpose,” she said. Senator Ben Cardin, the committee’s top Democrat, praised Haley for being willing to disagree with Trump. Haley, the daughter of immigrants from India, rose to national prominent last year after she led a push to remove a Confederate flag from South Carolina’s capitol grounds after a white supremacist killed nine black churchgoers in Charleston. She already has fans at U.N. headquarters. “She’s a very respected politician and a highly regarded and results-driven professional,” France’s ambassador, Francois Delattre, told reporters on Tuesday. Delattre met Haley in his previous role as French ambassador to the United States. | 1 |
3,777 | Senate committee to take up bill on CFTC | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate committee will soon consider legislation on the country’s commodities and derivatives regulator that is intended to keep financial-sector restrictions in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law from applying to farmers and ranchers because their derivatives trading helps them manage operational risks. On Thursday, the Agriculture Committee will mark up legislation reauthorizing the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which oversees the $400 trillion U.S. swaps market as well as trading in agriculture, metals and energy. Republicans, who are the majority in Congress and lead the committee, unveiled the bill late on Monday. A congressional source familiar with the legislation said lawmakers were open to negotiation and the bill could change before Thursday. The central aim of the Senate committee’s bill is to allow farmers, ranchers and energy providers to hedge their operational risks with derivatives, while maintaining regulation of financial swaps trading. The source said it was not an attempt to affect position limits that the CFTC sets on contracts or options. The 2010 Dodd-Frank law strengthened oversight of swaps in order to prevent a repeat of the risky bets that contributed to the financial crisis. Republicans have said that rules the CFTC put in place to carry out the law have spread regulation into areas outside of finance, which Congress did not intend. Nonetheless, the Senate bill would address some financial elements such as requiring electronic confirmation of customers’ account balances at banks and preventing firms from moving funds among accounts without notifying regulators. It would also strengthen protection for proprietary information submitted to the CFTC as part of required disclosures and create a judicial review process for the commission’s rulemaking. The bill unveiled on Monday would also require the commission to review and take action on the London Metal Exchange’s application to register as a foreign board of trade. The CFTC has had to operate on year-by-year funding since the end of 2013 because Congress has not passed a new authorization for it. Lawmakers say this has created uncertainty in many markets. The House of Representatives passed its version of the CFTC authorization in June. Parts of that legislation that stirred controversy, such as a cost-benefit analysis requirement, were not included in this bill. | 1 |
3,778 | Starbucks And Barnes & Noble Joining Target In Saying FU To Haters | While there has never been a confirmed instance of transgender people as child predators, this year s Republican pearl clutching is directed toward transgender people and their rights to use bathrooms. States are even passing laws trying to ensure that somehow, people s bathroom habits match up to their birth certificates.Yes, it s absurd, and some retailers are telling their customers exactly that by opening their bathrooms to any shopper, regardless of genitalia. Target was the first major retailer to do that and now, Starbucks and Barnes & Noble are joining them.Starbucks, Hudson s Bay Co. parent company to Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue and Barnes & Noble have all come out in support of trans people s rights to use the bathrooms that best align with their gender identities. HBC respects and affirms each person s right to self-identify and access facilities that reflect their gender identity, said spokeswoman Tiffany Bourr .Starbucks spokeswoman Jaime Riley stated that the company is looking into additional opportunities to have more gender-neutral signage in our restrooms where jurisdictions allow it. As a company, Barnes & Noble treats all employees and customers with dignity and respect, spokeswoman Mary Ellen Keating said. For our transgender employees and customers, that means that they are allowed to use the bathroom of the gender they identify with. Source: NewNowNextOf course, whiny conservatives are, well, whining.Thanks to Starbucks s idiotic gender neutral bathrooms, I won t be going there anymore. Maggie Holmes (@magselizabeth15) May 1, 2016 Hey #BoycottTarget peeps, #barnesandnoble and @Starbucks have the SAME policy on bathrooms. That needs more attention. DJ (@formadeo) April 30, 2016@InGodIDoTrust / Target bathrooms are fast rivaling starbucks as a libtard safe haven CLAYVIS (@HAMnEGG_WILLIE) April 26, 2016For most Starbucks shops, this is little more than thumbing their noses at right-wing nut jobs. Most Starbucks bathrooms are single stall, so privacy is kind of a given.If you recall, it was just a few months ago when Starbucks was being boycotted by presumably some of the same people people who objected to the fact that their Christmas cup didn t have Jesusy images like snowmen and Christmas trees. It was just blank.Here s the video:And still, Republicans don t get it. They don t get the point of our government. Young Conservatives, for example, said this, which sums up much of the argument against gender neutral bathrooms.It is very strange how many large companies are willing to completely ignore the safety of their customers just to pander to less than 1% of the population.Ironically, this is the argument used every time liberals suggest equality for everyone. It s true that transgender people are a tiny minority, but that s why they need legal protections. We have never been a true democracy. We don t bow to the tyranny of the majority. When African-Americans were legally integrated into society, the majority of citizens were white and the mouth breathers objected to their little girls being in a stall next to a little African-American girl. Obviously, integrated bathrooms didn t cause problems then and they cause no problems now. They are just the latest desperate grab at an ugly past when the only people who counted were white, male, cigenders and Protestant.Featured image via Getty Images. | 0 |
3,779 | Trump Literally Turned This School’s Pep Rally To A ‘White Pride’ Rally (VIDEO) | If there is a single theme around this year s presidential contest, it s that suddenly, it s okay for Americans to let their racist freak flags fly high in the air. In case you thought most of those Trump-fueled racists were Baby Boomers and older, you d be wrong. A high school in Montana turned its annual homecoming event into a white pride rally.The annual competition is called Color Wars. Normally, that has a pretty innocuous meaning. Each class is assigned a color (black for seniors, white for juniors, blue for sophomores and green for freshman). Whichever class gets the most people to wear the colors wins.Like I said, normally, this is all in good fun, but this is the year of Trump, and well, white pride has risen again. Two juniors, a boy and a girl, wore white as they were supposed to, but with a little extra touch. Their t-shirts had Trump 2016 White Pride scrolled in sharpie on the backs.Photos showed that the front of the male student s shirt was covered with a Confederate flag and large red letters that spelled REDNECK. On the front of the girl s shirt was handwritten in all-caps: WHITE POWER. Source: Washington PostHere s the video:KPAX.com | Continuous News | Missoula & Western MontanaPolson High School smartest students? Not! #montanamoment #CNN #ACLU pic.twitter.com/sagV2xWQ3R Jozi (@Jonz77) September 30, 2016Polson High School Gets National Attention With Controversial T-Shirts State Headlines https://t.co/jXpGCDedgF 96.3 The Blaze (@963theblazefm) October 3, 2016The two students have been suspended, but some are blaming the school, saying that Color Wars, by definition would encourage this type of behavior. The school has never had this happen before, though, so let s see what has changed? It s clearly Donald Trump. Not only has Trump emboldened people who have always been racist, Trump is helping solidify a whole new generation of racists. And for those young people who aren t racist, Trump is creating fear:It s producing an alarming level of fear and anxiety among children of color and inflaming racial and ethnic tensions in the classroom. Many students worry about being deported.Other students have been emboldened by the divisive, often juvenile rhetoric in the campaign. Teachers have noted an increase in bullying, harassment and intimidation of students whose races, religions or nationalities have been the verbal targets of candidates on the campaign trail.Source: Southern Poverty Law CenterIf this doesn t prove to otherwise reasonable Republicans that Trump is very, very dangerous for the future of the country, nothing will.Featured image via Twitter. | 0 |
3,780 | Limousine Liberal Leo DeCaprio Joins Globalist John Kerry: Climate Deniers Like Trump Shouldn’t Hold Office [Video] | Two hypocrite climate change freaks decided to pontificate to a packed house at Yale. Both John Kerry and Leo DeCaprio love to hear themselves talk so this had to be a snoozefest. The most ironic thing about the preaching on global warming coming from these two men is that they have HUGE carbon footprints. Does Leo not understand that we know he travels by private jet and big yacht What a joke! These two blow hard limousine liberals are why Trump won.At a Yale University talk hosted by former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Leonardo DiCaprio says that politicians who do not believe in the facts and truth of climate change should not be in office.The New Haven Register spoke glowingly of the overflow crowd and the mission the planet s future is at risk :Actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former Secretary of State John Kerry Tuesday urged Yale students to become a political force to fight global warming because the planet s future is at risk. The popular actor was joined on the stage at Woolsey Hall by Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee who lost to incumbent President George W. Bush but was Secretary of State from 2013-2017. An enthusiastic crowd filled the 2,650 seats of the old hall, including the balconies. The event climaxed a two-day climate change conference hosted by the Kerry Initiative that addresses global challenges.DeCaprio donated $20 million to the cause:Leonardo DiCaprio just donated a $20 million grant to help combat climate change Tuesday evening during the speech at Yale University.We must demand that politicians accept climate science and make bold commitments before it is too late. I still believe that the United States has the potential to lead the world on this issue, DiCaprio said. We can only hope that the President begins to see it too, before it is too late. | 0 |
3,781 | Watch Karl Rove Get Proven Wrong About His Virginia Prediction In Less Than Five Seconds (VIDEO) | We ll never forget Karl Rove s meltdown at Fox News when President Obama was re-elected in November of 2012. It was a moment when he simply couldn t wrap his head around Fox declaring Obama the victor and he was in complete denial. It was as though his schemes to prevent Obama from winning didn t work, and now it seems as if his embarrassing moments didn t cease there.Now, in a new and pretty damn embarrassing video of him trying to say his clear establishment choice of Marco Rubio might still pull out a victory in Virginia, he s proven wrong in literally less than five seconds.When Chris Wallace asked Rove what he thought about the race in Virginia, Rove replied: Well, I think this race is going to continue to tighten However, it was then that Rove was abruptly cut off with Wallace saying: Wait, wait, hold on just a second Apparently we ve got a call in Virginia, so you can tell us after we get the call. And that call, as we all know by now, was for Donald Trump being declared the winner. Wallace then asks Rove while laughing: Karl, tell me, what does that mean for Marco Rubio and Donald Trump? What does it mean? It means Rubio can t win is what it means, and the GOP s only shot at an establishment candidate just went out the window. Sure, Rubio won Minnesota, but that s the only state he s won so far in the Republican primary battle. The chances of him securing the nomination are little to none.Rove, much like with what happened during his meltdown in 2012, is likely in utter disbelief. His puppet strings to control Republican elections are no longer working and he s probably in a deep panic. His party is disintegrating right before his very eyes into thousands of Trump-shaped pieces.Needless to say, this is pretty funny. Check it out for yourselves: Featured image via YouTube | 0 |
3,782 | German police check more suspicious parcels after Potsdam explosive package | BERLIN (Reuters) - German police on Monday investigated further suspicious mail packages found around the country as they tried to catch an extortionist who sent a defective parcel bomb to a pharmacy in the city of Potsdam last week. That package, which contained powerful firecrackers, wires and nails and did not explode, was found to be a criminal extortion attempt against logistics firm DHL rather than terrorism, German authorities said on Sunday. DHL, owned by Deutsche Post, warned its clients on Monday that other suspect packages could arrive through its service among millions of parcels sent in the holiday season. The company said it would not change its postal secrecy principle to control the content of packages. More suspicious packages were reported to authorities around Germany - one, which German media suspected contained a grenade, was sent to the state chancellery in the eastern region of Thuringia but police found only rolled-up catalogues inside it. Police in the eastern state of Brandenburg, where Potsdam is located, said they checked 10 suspicious packages on Monday but gave the all-clear for all of those parcels. The police said a special team investigating the Potsdam pharmacy package was doubled to over 50 officials and they were searching for the extortionist. | 1 |
3,783 | These Panties Let You Protest Anti-Choice Republicans In The Most HILARIOUS Way (IMAGES) | Republicans are no friend to women, that much is obvious. They have been steadily passing anti-choice laws in red states for some time now; in fact, many women in these states have literally no access to reproductive health services due to these draconian bills. Well, one entrepreneur has an awesome way for women everywhere to be able to take out their frustrations on anti-woman Republicans: By bleeding all over them every month.Etsy shop Cute Fruit Undies has come out with a line of period panties meaning panties that can be used in the place of tampons or sanitary pads that feature the faces of anti-choice GOPers right on the crotch. You can choose from many different politicians Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Sarah Palin, and more. Here are the photos used for the design: The panties themselves are super cute, and they even come with heat packs to help with the cramps so many women suffer through during menstruation.The makers of the panties say that they are made up of the faces of politicians who have actively worked to pass legislation that will hinder women s access to abortions, birth control, and Planned Parenthood, and therefore you should bleed all over em. The panties are also super healthy, as they are absorbent and anti-bacterial. You can also buy sets that include crop tops that match as well.I don t know about you ladies, but I ll definitely be getting some of these. Oh, and the best part? Three dollars of each sale goes to Planned Parenthood locations in states affected by these politicians crazy laws.All images via Cute Fruit Undies/Facebook/Buzzfeed | 0 |
3,784 | Cambodian PM tells opposition to defect or face being banned from politics | PNHOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Saturday called on lawmakers from the main opposition party to defect ahead of a court ruling on whether to dissolve it, saying they could be banned from politics for five years if they left it too late. The government s move to ban the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) follows the arrest of its leader, Kem Sokha, on treason charges. He rejects the charges as politically motivated ahead of next year s general election. Hun Sen, the world s longest serving prime minister, has held power for more than 32 years. Western countries have called for the release of Kem Sokha and for an end to attempts to dissolve the CNRP. Hun Sen said in a message to CNRP parliamentarians and local councillors, he knew not all had been involved in Kem Sokha s alleged treason and they should take the chance to switch to his ruling Cambodian People s Party (CPP). I want to give you this opportunity to continue in your job, he said. It will not only be that the party is dissolved and then the matter is finished. Maybe more than 100 people will be banned from politics for five years. He said such a ban was likely to include all the CNRP s steering committee - meaning most of its members of parliament, around half of whom have fled Cambodia to escape arrest. No CNRP officials were immediately available for comment. Cambodia s Supreme Court is in theory independent of the government in ruling on the interior ministry s request for the CNRP to be banned, but Hun Sen has said it is a fact that the party will be dissolved. Cambodia s parliament has already passed a law to share out elected positions to other parties if the CNRP is dissolved. Most of the seats in parliament will go to minor parties while local councils, known as communes, will be taken over by the ruling party. | 1 |
3,785 | MILLIONS IN OUTSIDE MONEY, Hollywood Influence Couldn’t Put Georgia’s 6th District Democrat Candidate In “Win” Column [VIDEO] | Dem. candidate for Georgia congressional seat @ossoff: Not an issue I don t live in district, can t vote for myself https://t.co/RcX3MNqMTD New Day (@NewDay) April 18, 2017Democrats used the anger and fury of their progressive base, including hate-filled Hollywood actor Samuel L. Jackson, to stir up emotions in voters as a way to encourage them to the show up at the polls in Georgia yesterday. They failed Listen to disgusting Hollywood actor/radical activist Samuel L. Jackson tell voters in a state where he doesn t even live to go vote vote for the Democratic Party. STOP Donald Trump, the man who encourages racial and religious discrimination and sexism. Remember what happened the last time people stayed home. We got stuck with Trump! We have to channel the great vengeance and fury that we have for this administration into votes at the ballot box. Ossoff led an 18-candidate field of Republicans, Democrats and independents, the entire slate placed on a single ballot to choose a successor to Republican Tom Price, who resigned to join Trump s administration as health secretary.But Ossoff fell just shy of the majority required to claim Georgia s 6th Congressional District outright, opening the door to Handel, who finished a distant second but ahead of a gaggle of Republican contenders.The investigative filmmaker and former congressional staffer received 48.1 per cent of the vote on Tuesday he needed 50 per cent to avoid a runoff. Handel, meanwhile, received 19.8 per cent of the vote.The rest of the vote was split between several other Democrats and Republicans, as well as two Independents.Here s what President Trump had to say on Twitter about the Democrats failed efforts to embarrass him:Despite major outside money, FAKE media support and eleven Republican candidates, BIG "R" win with runoff in Georgia. Glad to be of help! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 19, 2017Dems failed in Kansas and are now failing in Georgia. Great job Karen Handel! It is now Hollywood vs. Georgia on June 20th. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 19, 2017In total, Democrats received 49 per cent of the vote, Republicans received 51 per cent of the vote. Daily MailIf Republicans are going to maintain their majority in the House and Senate, perhaps they need to take a few pages from the Democratic playbook. The Democrats are fighting for their lives this is no time for the Republicans to sit back and take their majority for granted.Republican resources were split between eleven Republican contenders. The most prolific fundraising candidate among them raised less than $500,000, not even ten percent of the amount Ossoff raised.The Republican establishment, initially caught flat-footed, ended up spending over $5 million in advertising against Ossoff in the last weeks of the campaign, but it never caught up in the all-important ground game, which typically consists of a positive voter engagement on behalf of a single specific candidate rather than a negative attack on a single candidate.In retrospect, Republicans failed to recognize the unique opportunity the jungle primary provided Democrats who focused all their support behind one candidate. Republican leadership could have made a similar choice from among their eleven candidates, but did not do so. They did, in the end, get some help from the Republican establishment in Washington. Republicans in Georgia sounded the alarm several weeks ago, prompting $2 million in spending from the NRCC to help boost Republican turnout and counter Democrats energy. The Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC aligned with House leadership, also dumped in $3 million of its own money and dispatched on-the-ground staffers to the district, Politico reported.Speaker Ryan, however, who has the responsibility to support Republican candidates in the House, did not see the risk of a Democratic victory in Georgia until it was too late.In fact, he was not even in the United States on Tuesday. Instead, he was in Europe, leading a bi-partisan Congressional delegation.For entire story: Breitbart | 0 |
3,786 | WATCH: Teacher RIPS Microphone From Young Autistic Student Trying Spread Thanksgiving Cheer | In what was supposed to be a celebration of Thanksgiving, one little boy named Caleb in West Virginia was just brought to tears when his teacher ripped away his microphone right before he was about to say what he was supposed to say.According to FOX 10 Phoenix: Children in costumes approach the mic one by one to thank the audience and wish them a happy Thanksgiving. When it comes time for Caleb to speak, a woman is seen yanking the mic from its stand. Caleb s mom, Amanda Riddle, said: I left in tears because one teacher Mrs. Linsey I think her name is grabbed the microphone from Caleb and in a mean way. My son is a little different I know this but his heart is so big and he loves everyone. What does it matter if he wanted to say gobble gobble he was the turkey after all. I m sick of kids that are not considered normal be treated the way they are. According to the Harrison County Schools Superintendent, Dr. Mark Manchin: It s a mistake that was made. There was no malice. This teacher, as all of our teachers, truly care about these young boys and girls. The program was over, at least as I understand, and the teacher had taken the microphone. However, when looking at the video, it s very clear that the teach wanted to make sure the young child didn t get a chance to say what he wanted to say. Of course, we don t know the full context of what happened, but any way you look at it, it doesn t look good. Young Caleb looked as though he was properly participating in the event, and it s doubtful his mother would ve have been upset if it was to be expected from the teacher.Needless to say, we can t treat children with Autism in this regard. He was dressed up and ready to perform and was stripped of that opportunity, reducing him to tears.Watch here via FOX 10 Phoenix: Caleb s not letting him get it down, though, and is now thanking everyone for their support. He s also finally sending his message of gobble gobble! :Happy Thanksgiving, Caleb!Featured image via video screen capture | 0 |
3,787 | IT’S ON: Toddler Trump Hears Critical McConnell Statements, Promptly Starts To Lose It (TWEETS) | Mitch McConnell famously or infamously, depending where you stand on the political spectrum attacked Donald Trump on Monday, putting blame for Republican dysfunction and failure to pass Trumpcare squarely on the shoulders of Dear Leader.Well, apparently Trump didn t take too kindly to what he likely perceives as a backstabbing and he s letting McConnell know about it the only way he knows how: Twitter.Here s the tweet Trump fired back with:Senator Mitch McConnell said I had "excessive expectations," but I don't think so. After 7 years of hearing Repeal & Replace, why not done? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 9, 2017 Senator Mitch McConnell said I had excessive expectations, but I don t think so. After 7 years of hearing Repeal & Replace, why not done? Here s the video of the McConnell statement he s referring to: Speaking to Rotary club in Kentucky, @SenateMajLdr says he finds it extremely irritating that Congress has a reputation for doing nothing. pic.twitter.com/zAx1TqkAWw ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) August 8, 2017While they dither about whose fault it is their party has every branch of government and yet still cannot accomplish much, reality has the answer: The Republican Party has no idea how to lead. They have formed their modern identity as the anti-Democrat, anti-Obama, anti-progress party, and that platform doesn t allow for things like ideas, cooperation, or leadership. And with a an amateur clown and do-nothing testudine running the show, that doesn t look likely to change anytime soon.Read more:Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images | 0 |
3,788 | Saudi anti-graft detainees will get due process: Saudi U.N. envoy | UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Saudi royal family members, officials and businessmen arrested in an anti-corruption crackdown this month will be granted due process, Saudi Arabia s U.N. Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi said on Monday. Authorities have detained dozens of top Saudis including billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal in a move widely seen as an attempt by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to neuter any opposition to his lightning ascent to power. Those held face accusations of money laundering, extortion, bribery and exploiting public office for personal gain. A Saudi anti-corruption committee has been given the power to seize companies, funds and other assets ahead of criminal inquiries. I can assure you there will be due process for anybody who is detained, Al-Mouallimi told reporters at the United Nations. When asked how many people had been detained, he said: I do not have a figure to share with you. This is something that the security authorities will announce in due course. U.S. President Donald Trump has endorsed the crackdown, saying some of those arrested have been milking Saudi Arabia for years, though the State Department has urged Riyadh to carry out prosecutions in a fair and transparent manner. Human Rights Watch has also called on Saudi authorities to immediately reveal the legal and evidentiary basis for each person s detention and make certain that each person detained can exercise their due process rights . (This version of the story corrects Saudi U.N. ambassador s name in paragraphs 1 and 4) | 1 |
3,789 | CATHOLICS SHOULD BE Singing Donald Trump’s Praises After He Boldly Defended Life, While Hillary Was Forced To Admit Support For Barbaric Partial-Birth Abortion | Rush Limbaugh was cheering for Trump and how he handled the abortion question that was asked in last night s debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trump. Do Catholics and other pro-life groups truly understand the significance of this election? Do they know how many Supreme Court Justices our next President will likely replace in the next 4 years? In addition to the abortion issue, our religious freedoms are at serious risk. The Left has been attacking Christianity and Judaism for years, while protecting the Muslim faith like their lives depend on it. Rush mentioned on his radio show today how shocked he was by Trump s unabashed support for the life of the unborn. He said that there has never been a presidential candidate in history who has so bravely stood up for life during a debate with the Democrat opponent, like Donald J. Trump did last night. Here is his brilliant analysis Rush: Let me ask you a question. When Chris Wallace asked this abortion question, did you people start cringing? Oh, no, jeez, every time this comes up we get smoked, oh, my God. And he turned it to partial-birth abortion on a dime, which was either brilliant or instinctive or combination of the two, because she had no defense for what he was alleging, and she didn t even try. Her only defense, when he brought up, They want rip babies out of the womb a day before they re born, a week before they re born. And she doesn t deny it. All she can say is, I have seen these women. I have met these women, and I m telling you it is one of the hardest things, I m telling you it is one of the most difficult things. She s therefore on record as supporting partial-birth abortion last night. I will guarantee you that s the last thing anybody on the Democrat Party side ever factored would happen. That s why she wasn t prepared for it.And it was, I don t know, as I say, either brilliant or instinctive or a combination of the two, but to take that question on abortion, which has traditionally been a nail in the coffin for a Republican candidate, turn that around to a winning issue for him, a losing issue for her, and you ll note that nobody in the Drive-Bys is talking about that exchange. They don t want to go anywhere near it.And then she lied about Planned Parenthood and all these mammograms they do and all these precancer checks. They don t do a single mammogram, folks. They do not do them. They don t do checks for cancer. Their solution to everything at Planned Parenthood is an abortion. She lied through her teeth. I don t know if Trump knows that or not. Most people who, Oh, great work, mammograms, care for women. They don t do anything of the sort. They harvest baby parts and sell them! We now know that.But the partial-birth abortion thing, he turned it around on her. She didn t have a denial and the Drive-Bys aren t talking about it, and it s things like that in a debate you ll never hear any public reaction, no polling on it, but could have a huge impact. We ll never know. We won t know until the elections. Via: Rushlimbaugh.com | 0 |
3,790 | U.N. launches new plan to end Libya's post-revolution turmoil | TUNIS (Reuters) - The United Nations began a new push on Tuesday to stabilize Libya by getting rival factions to revise the stalled peace plan and set the country on the path to elections. The effort aims to end the turmoil that developed in Libya after the 2011 NATO-backed uprising ended Muammar Gaddafi s 42-year rule, giving space to Islamist militants and smuggling networks that have sent hundreds of thousands of migrants to Europe. Political and military fractures have left the country mired in conflict and the OPEC member s economy in freefall. Rival parliaments and governments have vied for power. Last week, U.N. envoy Ghassan Salame announced a one-year action plan for a transition toward presidential and parliamentary elections. The plan got underway on Tuesday with negotiations between delegations from rival parliaments from eastern Libya and Tripoli, which are meant to draw up amendments to a previous U.N.-mediated plan signed in December 2015. As the delegations convened in Tunis, Salame said he hoped the amendments could be agreed rapidly and that he sensed a window of opportunity for reconciliation. All Libyans are fed up. They are going from transition to transition with no horizon, he said. We have sleeping institutions that need to be awoken, divided institutions that need to be united, and hijacked institutions that need to be rebuilt. The 2015 deal has only had limited support from power-brokers and was never endorsed by factions aligned with military commander Khalifa Haftar that control eastern Libya. Haftar, who has been courted by Western states after making military gains, was in Rome on Tuesday where he met Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti and Italy s highest ranking military officer, Claudio Graziano. Pinotti expressed hope that all parties would support Salame s inclusive political strategy ... excluding any military solution , according to a defense ministry statement. Italy and other Western states have tried to work with the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, but it has been hamstrung by internal splits and has been unable to halt a slide in living standards or tame the power of armed groups. We re here to move the political process forward for the sake of the country s stability, said Moussa Faraj, head of the delegation from the High Council of State in Tripoli, according to a tweet from the United Nations from the Tunis meeting which got closed to the press after Salame s speech. Under the new U.N. plan, once amendments have been agreed a national conference drawing on a much larger number of representatives from across Libya is meant to approve the members of a transitional government that would run the country until elections. The eastern parliament, or House of Representatives (HOR), is expected to devise laws for national elections and for a referendum to approve a much-delayed constitution. The chamber has barely functioned over the past two years and has been boycotted by a large number of its members. Our task is difficult, said Abdusalam Nasia, head of the HOR delegation, according to the United Nations. I call on all to leave personal interests behind and focus on common interests. | 1 |
3,791 | U.S waives Jones Act to secure fuel for hurricane responders | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Friday said it was temporarily waiving a law that limits the availability of cargoes on the U.S. coasts, a step that will ensure enough fuel reaches emergency responders during Hurricane Irma and in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. The Jones Act mandates the use of U.S.-flagged vessels to transport merchandise between U.S. coasts. The Department of Homeland Security waived the requirement for one week. This will allow oil and gas operators to use often cheaper, tax-free, or more readily available foreign-flagged vessels. Harvey, which hit Texas with record floods, had a wider effect of disrupting fuel distribution across Florida, Georgia and other Southeastern states by shutting refineries and pipelines. With Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in a century, expected to hit Florida in days, the region will experience “one of the largest mass evacuations in American history” and see historic levels of restoration and response crews, said Elaine Duke, acting secretary of Homeland Security. Waiving the Jones Act will ensure there is fuel to support lifesaving efforts and restore services and infrastructure in the wake of the storm, Duke said. | 1 |
3,792 | House widens ethics probe to include Farenthold campaign work | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The ethics probe into U.S. Representative Blake Farenthold, who is already under a cloud for alleged sexual misconduct, is being expanded to look into whether he mixed his political campaign with congressional work and lied to the House Ethics Committee, the panel said on Thursday. Last week, Farenthold said he would not seek re-election next year after accounts surfaced that he created a hostile work environment. The Texas Republican denied allegations of sexual harassment but admitted allowing an unprofessional culture in his Capitol Hill office. On Thursday the ethics committee voted unanimously to investigate whether Farenthold used his congressional staff and other resources of the House of Representatives to further his political campaign, and if he had made false statements or omissions to the committee. The panel was already looking into whether he committed sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation against a former staff member and if he made inappropriate statements to other members of his staff. The committee said the announcement should not be read as an indication that it had found any rule violations. Farenthold’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Congress strictly divides lawmakers’ work on Capitol Hill and their runs for re-election so that taxpayers do not end up subsidizing political campaigns. In August, the committee went so far as to warn Representatives, who face elections every two years, they should not even send texts or forward emails related to their campaigns while in House buildings. Congress is reviewing its workplace policies on sexual harassment after a number of lawmakers have been accused of sexual misconduct in recent weeks amid a wave of such allegations against powerful men in entertainment, politics and the media. A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House said on Thursday intends to introduce legislation in January reforming a 20-year-old law that covers sexual harassment in Congress, which it hopes will pass soon after. | 1 |
3,793 | INSANE: Southern City Passes Law To Jail Transgender People For Using The Bathroom | Conservatives in an Alabama town have decided to give in to right-wing hysteria about transgender people using public bathrooms, and gone even further than other discriminatory laws. The city of Oxford s city council passed a law that would allow police to imprison transgender people who don t use the right bathroom, in their eyes.The law would allow Oxford police to put those who violate the ordinance in jail for up to six months.City attorney Ron Allen told CNN the law was passed because some residents panicked after retailer Target announced that it would be open minded and allow transgender employees and customers to use the restroom for the gender they identify with.As if the law itself isn t absurd enough, here is the procedure required for police to arrest someone under it:Oxford Police Chief Bill Partridge did not return a CNN call for comment. But he told CNN affiliate WBRC the law would be enforced just like any other for a misdemeanor: A person would have to call police to complain, and when police arrive the officer would have to witness the crime.After that, Partridge said, the person who called in the complaint would have to sign a warrant.So-called bathroom bills have come along as Republicans need more boogeymen in order to convince religious right conservatives to vote for them as LGBT rights have become more and more mainstream in America, particularly after the Supreme Court made same sex marriage legal in the entire country.The laws rely on the belief that allowing transgender people the right to use the bathroom that predators would take advantage of the legal system. In reality, data shows that the claim that this would be used to assist predators to be completely false, and in fact the linkage being promoted by the right is just more bigotry and fearmongering.Conservative lawmakers in the south have begun feeling a major backlash, as businesses, entertainers, and other institutions have begun to pull out of doing commerce in states like North Carolina. Corporate America has discovered that associating with the modern descendant of Jim Crow laws is a bad brand image, and not something they want to be a part of.As a result, conservative Republicans in the south have seen their natural allies big business publicly condemn them and hurt the perception of anti-transgender rights states as business friendly.The market is deciding.Featured image via Flickr | 0 |
3,794 | Factbox: Top agricultural exports vulnerable to Irma | (Reuters) - The following are the top five agricultural exports by volume in the key regions along the U.S. Atlantic coast that could be impacted by Hurricane Irma. Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in a century, was expected to hit Florida on Sunday morning, bringing massive damage from wind and flooding. It has already killed 21 people and left catastrophic destruction on its way through the eastern Caribbean. Nearly half of U.S. poultry exports transit through these five ports. (Percentages are of total U.S. exports. Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Soy Transportation Coalition) NORFOLK region 1. Soybeans - 4 percent 2. Grain products, cereal, flour - 3 percent 3. Bulk grains - 2 percent 4. Grocery items - 10 percent 5. Animal feed - 3 percent In addition, 18 percent of U.S. soybean oil exports leave from the Norfolk port region along with 8 percent of meat exports and 5 percent of poultry shipments. None of these are in the top five by tonnage for the port. 1. Poultry - 32 percent 2. Raw cotton - 16 percent 3. Animal feed - 1 percent 4. Grocery items - 3 percent 5. Bulbs and seeds - 18 percent 1. Grocery items - 8 percent 2. Poultry - 2 percent 3. Non-alcoholic beverages - 3 percent 4. Fruit - 3 percent 5. Meat - 1 percent 1. Poultry - 9 percent 2. Grocery items - 8 percent 3. Beer, ale - 25 percent 4. Animal feed - 1 percent 5. Non-alcoholic beverages - 6 percent 1. Grocery items - 7 percent 2. Non-alcoholic beverages - 9 percent 3. Grapefruit - 31 percent 4. Citrus fruit juices - 12 percent 5. Poultry - 1 percent | 1 |
3,795 | Illinois governor urges 2018 vote on 'rigged' political mapmaking | CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois Republican Governor Bruce Rauner urged lawmakers on Friday to allow voters in 2018 to decide whether to change how political boundaries are drawn after the state’s Supreme Court a day earlier declared a petition-driven redistricting initiative for this fall’s statewide ballot unconstitutional. Rauner called Illinois’ existing political maps, which are drawn by Democrats who control the General Assembly, “rigged and gerrymandered” because they have left a majority of legislative races this fall without challengers to incumbent legislators. “Our system of government is broken,” Rauner told reporters during a stop in Marion, in far southern Illinois. “Two-thirds of our general elections don’t have opponents, and we’ve got to change the system.” The next opportunity for state legislators to put a constitutional amendment before voters comes in two years, when the first-term governor is expected to be in the midst of a re-election campaign. “Our system has been run by a broken, powerful political machine in Chicago that looks out for itself, not for the people of Illinois, and certainly not for the people of southern Illinois,” Rauner said. “We’ve got to get the power away from that machine, and we can do it with political reform.” Rauner’s comments came less than 24 hours after the Illinois Supreme Court ruled 4-3 to uphold a lower court ruling that would keep in place the once-a-decade, partisan-controlled political mapmaking process that has allowed for Democratic majorities in the state legislature and on the elected Supreme Court. The amendment, if it was placed on November’s ballot and passed by a majority of Illinois voters, would have transferred the power of re-drawing legislative districts to a bipartisan commission. More than 563,000 Illinois voters signed petitions backing the amendment. There were 12 redistricting amendments filed in both chambers during the current legislative session though none won approval in both chambers. The Illinois Supreme Court ruled the ballot initiative fell outside the scope of permissible ballot initiatives, which may only be used for amendments directed at “structural and procedural subjects” in the constitution pertaining to Illinois’s legislative branch. In a dissenting opinion, Justice Robert Thomas wrote: “Today a muzzle has been placed on the people of this State, and their voices supplanted by judicial fiat.” | 1 |
3,796 | U.S. citizen on the run after busting out of Bali prison | DENPASAR, Indonesia (Reuters) - Indonesian police are hunting for a U.S. citizen who escaped on Monday from an overcrowded prison on the holiday island of Bali by cutting through steel bars in a ceiling, the jail s second breakout of foreign inmates this year. The Kerobokan prison, about 10 km (six miles) from the main tourist beaches in the Kuta area, often holds foreigners facing drug-related charges. Cristian Beasley, who was a suspect in crimes related to narcotics but had not been sentenced, escaped at 4.10 a.m. (2010 GMT Sunday), said Badung Police chief Yudith Satria Hananta. It is thought that the prisoner escaped ... by cutting through the steel bars above the ceiling, he said in a statement, without giving details of how Beasley escaped without being detected. Beasley, 32, from California, is believed to have then used a rope to climb down a wall before getting over a perimeter wall in an area being refurbished. Police had questioned witnesses and guards and were hunting for Beasley, Hananta said. Another American, Paul Anthony Hoffman, 57, was captured while also trying to escape, Hananta said. Representatives of Beasley and Hoffman could not immediately be reached for comment. In June, an Australian, a Bulgarian, an Indian and a Malaysian tunneled to freedom about 12 meters (13 yards) under the prison s walls. The Indian and the Bulgarian were caught soon after in neighboring East Timor, but Australian Shaun Edward Davidson and Malaysian Tee Kok King remain at large. Davidson has taunted authorities by saying he was enjoying life in various parts of the world, in purported posts on Facebook. Kerobokan has housed a number of well-known foreign drug convicts, including Australian Schappelle Corby, whose 12-1/2-year sentence for marijuana smuggling got huge media attention. Indonesia has executed several foreign drug convicts in recent years. Indonesian prisons are often overcrowded, partly because a war on drugs led by the government of President Joko Widodo has led to a surge in the number of people locked up. As of June, Kerobokan housed 1,378 inmates, more than four times its planned capacity of 323, government data show. Prison escapes are fairly common in Indonesia, which launched an investigation this year after about 350 inmates broke out of a prison on the island of Sumatra. | 1 |
3,797 | Putin warns against U.S. strike on North Korea | MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that a strike on North Korea by the United States would have catastrophic consequences and that he hoped to work with Washington eventually to resolve the crisis on the Korean peninsula. Russia does not accept North Korea s nuclear status, Putin told an annual news conference. But he also said that some of Washington s past actions had provoked North Korea into violating a 2005 agreement to curb its nuclear program. We believe the two sides should now stop aggravating the situation, Putin said. | 1 |
3,798 | House Democrats broadcast 'sit-in' on social media after cameras shut down | (Reuters) - Democrats demanding action on gun control turned to Twitter’s Periscope and Facebook’s live video platform to broadcast their “sit-in” on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday after the chamber’s cameras shut down. Representative Scott Peters of California told Reuters he downloaded the online video platform Periscope from the House floor after it became clear that chamber cameras were not operating. “Thanks to them, the American people got to look in on and listen to what is taking place this floor,” U.S. Representative James Clyburn of South Carolina said in praise of the platform. The protest was the latest move by Democrats to persuade the Republican majority in Congress to take up votes on gun control measures in response to last week’s mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, the deadliest in modern U.S. history. “The speaker (Paul Ryan) controls the cameras,” Peters said. “We noticed that over lunch, he turned them off - allowed them to be turned off.” A spokesman for Twitter said that tweets from Peters’ account containing the Periscope footage had been viewed over 800,000 times as of Wednesday night. Ryan’s spokesman, AshLee Strong, said in a statement: “The House cannot operate without members following the rules of the institution, so the House has recessed subject to the call of the chair.” At about noon EDT, presiding House officer and Republican Representative Ted Poe declared the House not in order, as Democratic protesters sat at the front of the chamber. Cable news channel C-SPAN, which typically uses the House cameras to broadcast live footage of Congress, broadcast Peters’ Periscope and other lawmakers’ feeds. Other news networks and cable news channels, including MSNBC, FOX and CNN, also ran parts of the footage. C-SPAN communications director Howard Mortman said it was the first time the channel broadcast a live social media feed from the House floor. “The House controls the cameras and that means they control the camera angles, the audio, video, the whole thing,” Mortman said. “We’re using social media platforms to show what’s happening.” “With official broadcasts suspended in the House, we’ve created a channel to follow #NoBillNoBreak on #Periscope live,” Periscope said in a tweet. Peters said about five or six Democratic House members had broadcast live video during the sit-in. Late Wednesday, lawmakers cheered their thanks during one of his feeds that aired on C-SPAN. One representative, Eric Swalwell of California, published live video from the House floor to Facebook. #NoBillNoBreak became a rallying cry for gun control supporters on Twitter and quickly became the top-trending hashtag in the United States on the social media platform. Politicians and average social media users alike used the hashtag as a sign of solidarity with the sit-in. “Nowhere I’d rather spend my bday than the House floor w/ @repjohnlewis for gun control. #NoBillNoBreak #goodtrouble,” tweeted Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is mentioned as a potential running mate for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. | 1 |
3,799 | Trump calls for U.S. infrastructure plan after train derailment | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the derailment of a train, which sent train cars crashing onto a major highway and killed passengers, in Washington state showed the necessity of an infrastructure plan. “The train accident that just occurred in DuPont, WA shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly,” Trump said. “Seven trillion dollars spent in the Middle East while our roads, bridges, tunnels, railways (and more) crumble! Not for long!” | 1 |
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