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4,000 | Donald Trump Tried To Manipulate Stock Market Against One American Company; It Worked For A Few Hours | Donald Trump hates Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, the world s number one online retailer. Trump doesn t hate Bezos because he received a package late or even because (as he claims) Amazon is responsible for a lot of brick and mortar stores closing down. Trump hates Bezos because the Amazon boss also owns the Washington Post, a newspaper that has been relentlessly following the Trump/Russia story.On Wednesday, Trump lashed out at Bezos via Twitter, causing Amazon stocks to significantly dip, before rebounding.Amazon is doing great damage to tax paying retailers. Towns, cities and states throughout the U.S. are being hurt many jobs being lost! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2017This tantrum caused Amazon s stocks to lose 1.2 percent of their value before going back up and then back down a far more modest .4 percent.Don t let Trump s sudden concern for small businesses fool you. It s all about revenge for the Washington Post. In the past, Trump has wrongfully accused Amazon of not paying taxes, which is rich from the White House occupant who refuses to show his tax returns.Trump has also accused Bezos of using the Washington Post as a tax shelter, despite the fact that the Washington Post is completely separate from Amazon.This is far from the first time Trump has lashed out as companies whose CEOs have someone offended the thin-skinned dictator.He went after Lockheed Martin, whose stock quickly tumbled:Based on the tremendous cost and cost overruns of the Lockheed Martin F-35, I have asked Boeing to price-out a comparable F-18 Super Hornet! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 22, 2016On Monday, he attacked Merck Pharmaceutical because their CEO, Ken Frazier, dared resign from Trump s manufacturing council after Trump s offensive reactions to the racists who held a violent march in Charlottesville, VA.Now that Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma has resigned from President s Manufacturing Council,he will have more time to LOWER RIPOFF DRUG PRICES! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2017While this might not be technically illegal, manipulating the stock market via the bully pulpit is highly unethical. It s coercion. It s anti-free market. Trump s Twitter account needs to be shut down. Now.The upside, though, is that when Trump tweeted complaining about Boeing before he took office, its stock took a major dive. By contrast, his recent tweets have had a much, much more modest effect. In other words, very few people are taking the Blusterer in Chief seriously.Featured image via Drew Angerer/Getty Images | 0 |
4,001 | Russian Street Preacher vs. American Students | 21st Century Wire says Here s some intense debate.Yesterday afternoon, Stuart J. Hooper ran into the Russian Street Preacher, Brother Mikhail, on the campus of the University of New Mexico.Brother Mikhail was giving somewhat of an explosive sermon outside of the student union building, and sat down with Stuart to discuss his philosophy, thoughts on President Trump and Hillary Clinton.Check out everything that happened right here: READ MORE TRUMP NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Trump FilesSUPPORT 21WIRE SUBSCRIBE & BECOME A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV | 0 |
4,002 | OBAMA FINALLY BUILDS BORDER WALL…But There’s One Problem…It’s ONLY For The Obama’s | President Obama blasted Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump in April, 2016 for his plan to bar immigrants in the U.S. from sending money back home to force Mexico to pay for a new border wall. Oh, no. It s Trump, a smiling Obama said when he was asked about the 2016 candidate s latest comments.Obama called plan another shortsighted idea from Trump that could spark concern among world leaders. I am getting questions constantly from foreign leaders about some of the wackier suggestions that are being made, Obama told reporters at the White House.Obama said Trump s border wall proposal could have enormous economic consequences for Mexico, which receives billions of dollars in payments that immigrants in the U.S. send home, and possibly touch off a major spat with an ally. The notion that we are going to track every Western Union bit of money that s being sent to Mexico good luck with that, Obama said.Obama s remarks came after The Washington Post published a two-page memo from Trump outlining how he would get Mexico to pay for his wall. Trump s memo outlines how he would cut off certain remittances cash transfers from people in the United States to Mexico unless Mexico s government offered $5 billion to $10 billion to pay for the wall.Mexican President Enrique Pe a Nieto has said he won t pay for Trump s wall and claimed the candidate has damaged U.S.-Mexico relations.The country s former president, Vicente Fox, slammed the proposal, saying, I m not going to pay for that f ing wall. Meanwhile, TMZ reported that workers are busy building a large wall around Obama s new DC residence where he will be moving from the White House, that was coincidentally, also surrounded by a massive wall.Why is it that politicians like Obama and even Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, who has a two-decade-long history of promoting open borders immigration policies, have no problem building a border fence for themselves and their family, even as they denies the American people those same protections.They re quick to criticize Trump and his supporters for wanting to build a wall on our southern border to keep foreign intruders and criminals out for the sake of our national security, yet have no problem erecting large walls around their personal residences to keep their own families safe | 0 |
4,003 | Portugal approves 2018 budget, seeks to trim deficit further | LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal s parliament on Monday approved in the final reading the minority Socialist government s 2018 budget bill that aims to trim the deficit to a new low in the country s democratic history thanks to continuing, if slower, economic growth. The budget was approved by the Socialists and their far-left allies in parliament - the Communists and Left Bloc - who together hold 122 seats in the 230-seat house. The remaining lawmakers voted against the document that set the deficit at 1.1 percent of gross domestic product. The allies have already reversed many of the austerity policies of the previous center-right administration introduced under an international bailout program in 2011-14, and next year s plan carries more measures like tax cuts for low to medium incomes and higher pensions. The Socialist administration has debunked the myth that to have balanced accounts it is necessary to sacrifice the economy, jobs and well-being of Portuguese, Pedro Nuno Santos, secretary of state for parliament affairs, told lawmakers. The budget envisages that Portugal s strongest economic performance in at least a decade will extend into next year, with investment, tourism and exports remaining robust. But growth will slow to 2.2 percent from 2017 s 2.6 percent. Despite the approval, some analysts say that during the budget discussions pressure has been building on Prime Minister Antonio Costa, who came to power exactly two years ago, from the left and the unions for more state spending. That could make it more difficult to maintain the budget cuts down the road. As the 2019 electoral period approaches, there will be more serious pressure on the government, and the trend is no longer that of accelerating growth, said political scientist Antonio Costa Pinto of the University of Lisbon. They ve had good growth and deficit numbers in the first two years but those will be difficult to replicate, he said, adding though that potential tensions between the government and its allies were unlikely to result in any political crisis. The projected deficit is higher than the initial 1 percent plan due to hundreds of millions of euros added to expenditure on aid and reconstruction after devastating fires in June and October this year, which killed over 100 people and were an embarrassment to the government. Still, the gap is poised to narrow from this year s projected 1.4 percent - the lowest since Portugal returned to democracy in 1974 - as the economy is expected to grow for the fifth consecutive year. Nevertheless, Brussels has warned Portugal, along with several other countries, that their budgeted structural deficit cuts in 2018 fell short of EU requirements while some government spending also caused concerns. The European Commission has also put Portugal s overall 2018 budget gap at 1.4 percent, the same as this year. Costa argues that his government will allay Brussels concerns with each month that passes , citing his record of beating deficit-busting targets in 2016 and 2017. | 1 |
4,004 | Trump takes center stage in fractious Senate race in Alabama | HUNTSVILLE, Alabama (Reuters) - President Donald Trump injected himself into a bitter U.S. Senate primary fight in Alabama on Friday, putting to the test his ability to enlist his anti-establishment voters to come to the aid of an endangered Republican incumbent. Trump spoke at a rally in Huntsville, Alabama, on behalf of Senator Luther Strange, who was appointed after the seat was left vacant when Jeff Sessions was named Trump’s attorney general. Strange is trying to ward off a challenge from Roy Moore, an arch-conservative former state Supreme Court justice, in a runoff election next week. Polls show the race to be close. Trump appeared on stage as the latest Republican effort to repeal Obamacare looked to be faltering after Republican Senator John McCain announced his opposition to a measure to repeal and replace the healthcare law. McCain’s opposition could spell doom for the bill, which the Senate may vote on it next week, because Republicans can afford to lose few votes among their own. When Trump mentioned McCain’s name in front of the arena crowd of more than 7,000, attendees booed lustily. Trump expressed optimism that the bill could still pass. “We’re going to do it eventually,” he said. He also continued to engage in a rhetorical sparring match with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, again referring to him as “Rocket Man” to the crowd’s cheers. “We can’t have madmen out there shooting rockets all over the place,” Trump said. The evening was reminiscent of the raucous campaign rallies that helped define Trump’s insurgent presidential candidacy, and the president’s popularity in this region appeared undiminished. As he has frequently done in such settings, he spent a significant portion of his remarks discussing his surprise victory last November. He also again rejected any suggestion that his triumph was aided by Russian interference in the election. “Russia did not help me. That I can tell you,” Trump said. “Are there any Russians in the audience?” Trump, however, was in Huntsville not to back the maverick candidate Moore, but instead the establishment favorite, Strange. A win by Moore in Alabama could embolden other insurgent candidates to challenge Republican incumbents in next year’s congressional elections, and perhaps give an edge to Democrats in some of those races. Trump’s involvement in the Alabama race could help bolster his strained relationship with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, whose help the president needs to advance his agenda on taxes, healthcare and immigration. McConnell has strongly supported Strange, viewing him as a reliable vote to further the Republican Party’s legislative agenda. Hours before Trump was due to arrive in Alabama, his housing secretary, Ben Carson, issued a statement in support of Moore as “truly someone who reflects the Judeo-Christian values that were so important to the establishment of our country.” “I wish him well and hope everyone will make sure they vote on Tuesday,” Carson said, stopping short of asking people in Alabama to vote for Moore. Republican leaders fear that candidates who are too far to the right could lose to Democrats, who are seeking to wrest control of the House and the Senate in the 2018 midterm elections. Strange, 64, and dubbed “Big Luther” in reference to his 6-foot-9 stature, has been backed by nearly $9 million of advertising from a McConnell-allied political action committee. Trump implored the crowd to back Strange so that “we can defend your interests, fight for your values, and always put America first.” Moore, 70, is a religious conservative who twice lost his position as the state’s top judge. He was ousted in 2003 after refusing to comply with a federal court order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the state Supreme Court building. He is also known for his opposition to gay rights. He is popular with many of the same conservative voters who backed Trump last November. “A lot of people love Trump and love Roy Moore,” said Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist who has worked for Strange in Alabama. Trump’s embrace of Strange has put him at odds with his former adviser Steve Bannon and the nationalistic wing of the party. Breitbart, the conservative news site that Bannon oversees, has repeatedly attacked Strange as a Washington insider while praising Moore as an outsider in the mold of Trump when he was a presidential candidate. | 1 |
4,005 | Obama concerned over longer term global growth after Brexit | OTTAWA (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he expects the world economy will be steady in the short run after Britain’s decision to leave the European Union but expressed concern about longer term global growth. Obama, appearing at a North American summit with the leaders of Canada and Mexico, said there have been reactions in markets, stock prices and currencies since last Thursday’s so-called Brexit vote. Preparations by central banks, finance ministers and the U.S. treasury secretary helped ensure the global economy will hold steady in the short term, he said at a news conference. “I think there are some genuine longer term concerns about global growth if in fact Brexit goes through and that freezes the possibilities of investment in Great Britain or in Europe as a whole,” Obama said. “At a time when global growth rates were weak already, this doesn’t help.” The U.S. president, who had openly sided with British Prime Minister David Cameron against Brexit, said the leaders of G20 nations, who will meet in China this year, will have to work to boost global demand and fortify the global economy. Obama said that, while the special relationship between Britain and the United States will endure, that country’s absence from the EU would “make it harder for us to solve some of the other challenges that have to be solved.” He said his main message to Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leaders involved in the Brexit would be: “Everybody should catch their breath, come up with a plan and a process that is orderly, that’s transparent, that people understand and then proceed, understanding that both sides have a stake in getting this right. “And I think that will be a difficult, challenging process but it does not need to be a panicky process.” | 1 |
4,006 | ‘Go F*ck Yourselves’: Larry Wilmore SLAMS Ted Cruz, Fox News Over Anti-Muslim Rhetoric (VIDEO) | The terror attacks in Brussels, Belgium have brought out the Muslim-haters on the right in full force particularly GOP presidential hopeful Ted Cruz. The creepiest candidate on the right has openly called for the police to increase patrols in Muslim neighborhoods, and has gotten backing for his disgusting statements from the network that is a longtime mouthpiece of the bigoted right Fox News.Well, there s one person who isn t taking their bullshit lying down: Comedy Central host Larry Wilmore. On Wednesday night s edition of his show, Wilmore blasted Cruz and Fox over their bigotry, and especially their insistence that anyone questioning their hateful words is just being politically correct. Gooooooooo f*ck yourselves. I mean, a major news network, so-called major news network, and a major presidential candidate slamming a major religion has nothing to do with political correctness. It s just wrong. To round out the hilarious but truthful segment, Wilmore interviewed Masir Ali, an expert on the Middle East. He weighed in from a snowy vacation, complete with snowboard, to show everyone just how dumb Ted Cruz and Fox News really are.The Nightly Show host is right. They are wrong. Bigotry and discrimination are a huge and major selling point with right-wingers, and here in the year 2016 that is just shameful. We seriously have one of the two major political parties in America that gets most of their votes for hating on anyone who isn t straight, white, male, and Christian. Think about that, and what it means for the future of this country.Watch the video below via Comedy Central:Featured image via video screen capture | 0 |
4,007 | Bernie Sanders ‘Appears’ On Seinfeld And It’s Hilarious (VIDEO) | Bernie Sanders has taken America and the world by storm. The once relatively unknown senator from Vermont enjoys enormous grassroots support from people of all walks of life and backgrounds. He has struck a chord with millions, especially young American progressives who identify with Sanders ideas of income equality, education, universal healthcare, and a foreign policy that is fair for oppressed groups like the Palestinians living under Israel s brutal occupation.Bernie s appeal to America and to the world is that he s honest and candid. Unlike most of the other candidates, he actually talks about the issues and in addition, he has sound and rational solutions to problems.His appealing straightforwardness and candor was all on display as he made an appearance on Seinfeld. In order to understand why the word appearance is in quotes, watch the video below.Watch video here:As you can see, in his talks with Jerry, Elaine, and Kramer, Bernie is as straightforward with his language as ever. There is no doubt that in the age of individuals like Donald Trump, who says so much but with very little substance, or Ted Cruz, who says frightening things and we would just prefer him to shut-up, America needs someone like Bernie Sanders who has the intelligence and the approach that America needs today.Featured image via video screenshot | 0 |
4,008 | Hillary Clinton also wants Britain to stay in the EU | LONDON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton wants Britain to stay in the European Union, her campaign said on Saturday, following an intervention from U.S. President Barack Obama who urged Britons to vote to remain. “Hillary Clinton believes that transatlantic cooperation is essential, and that cooperation is strongest when Europe is united. She has always valued a strong United Kingdom in a strong EU. And she values a strong British voice in the EU,” Clinton senior policy adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement provided to Reuters. Clinton, who spent four years as U.S. secretary of state during Obama’s first term, has made her foreign policy credentials a central piece of her campaign for president in the November 2016 race for the White House. Clinton’s position on the EU was first reported by Britain’s Observer newspaper. Obama, who will leave Britain on Sunday, sparked a row during his three-day trip by bluntly telling Britain it should remain in the European Union to preserve its remaining global clout. He angered critics of the EU on Friday by warning that Britain would be at “the back of the queue” for a trade deal if it left the club - one of the strongest U.S. interventions in the affairs of a western European democracy since the Cold War. | 1 |
4,009 | Outside campaign groups lag U.S. presidential candidates in spending | DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - In 2015, it wasn’t the new breed of political groups that can raise as much as billionaires will give them that spent the most on the U.S. presidential race. Rather, it was candidates’ campaign organizations, with strict fundraising caps, that led the way, Federal Election Commission filings released on Sunday showed. Official campaigns, which can accept donations of only up to $2,700 from individuals for the primary races, spent $322 million in 2015, the filings showed. By contrast, Super PACs, which came into being after a controversial Supreme Court ruling in 2010 and can raise and spend unlimited amounts, spent under $200 million on the effort to elect the next president. Super PACs usually spend heavily on political advertising, but are barred from sharing strategy plans or even schedules with the candidates they support. Much of the money raised by official campaigns has to fund travel and accommodation costs, but they also spent heavily on advertising in 2015, perhaps in part because they are generally entitled to much cheaper television rates. Among the presidential candidates, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, a Democrat from Vermont, spent at least $10 million on advertising in the last three months of the year. His rival, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, spent at least $8 million. On the Republican side, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio spent the most on television ads, at $8 million, followed by retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson at $3 million. Even when it comes to fundraising, campaigns are leading the way, bringing in $449 million in 2015 against $341 million for the Super PACs. Whether this pattern will hold in 2016 is unclear. Super PACs had $158 million in hand to spend in the coming months, while the campaigns collectively had $128 million. (Editing by Kevin Liffey) SAP is the sponsor of this coverage which is independently produced by the staff of Reuters News Agency. | 1 |
4,010 | UK PM May is focused on tackling extremism, spokesman says in response to Trump | LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May is fully focused on tackling extremism, her spokesman said on Thursday, responding to a tweet by U.S. President Donald Trump telling her to focus on “destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism”. Asked if May was focused on tackling extremism: her spokesman said: “Yes.” “The overwhelming majority of Muslims in this country are law-abiding people who abhor extremism in all its forms. The prime minister has been clear ... that where Islamist extremism does exist it should be tackled head on. We are working hard to do that both at home and internationally and ... with our U.S. partners.” | 1 |
4,011 | U.S. lawmakers want more Iran sanctions, but can't agree | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior U.S. senator said on Tuesday he would like to pass legislation to extend expiring sanctions on Iran and enable Congress to quickly enact new ones if necessary over the country’s ballistic missile tests. The Iran Sanctions Act, which imposed nuclear, missile and terrorism sanctions on Iran, expires at the end of 2016, and both Democrats and Republicans in Congress support extending it. But Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, acknowledged that lawmakers have not yet unified behind a proposal that would attract enough votes to pass and become law. “Members have different views,” he said at a roundtable discussion with reporters. The Obama administration has warned Congress that it would oppose new sanctions that interfere with the international nuclear pact, laying the groundwork for a potential fight over any legislation. Senator Bob Corker, the committee’s Republican chairman, has said he is working on legislation with Cardin that he hopes will attract strong bipartisan support. That measure has not yet been unveiled and aides said they had no more information about when it might be introduced. Cardin was one of several Democrats who joined every Republican in Congress in opposing the nuclear agreement with Iran announced last July. But he has urged lawmakers to accept it since a Republican-led effort to block the pact failed in September. After the deal went ahead, Cardin filed legislation meant to increase U.S. oversight of it. That bill never came up for a vote in the Republican-controlled Senate. Cardin said he still felt that bill was valid and wants to amend it to extend the Iran Sanctions Act and create a “legislative framework” so sanctions could be imposed quickly if Iran pursues its ballistic missile program. Late last month, two Democratic senators who supported the Iran nuclear agreement, Tim Kaine and Chris Murphy, introduced a separate bill to extend the Iran Sanctions Act until Obama can guarantee Iran’s nuclear program is purely peaceful. And Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte, with 18 other senators form her party, introduced a separate bill that would extend the Iran Sanctions Act through 2031 and require new sanctions over Iran’s ballistic missile efforts. Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader, has said he wants any Iran bill to come to the floor with at least the 67 votes needed to override a presidential veto. | 1 |
4,012 | The Federal Election Commission Just Told Trump They’re DONE With His ‘Voter Fraud’ Lies | Trump is still beating his widespread voter fraud drum, and it hasn t escaped the notice of the Federal Election Commission. Now it seems their frustration has overflowed, because one of the commissioners finally demanded that Trump produce his evidence. Ellen Weintraub, the commissioner in question, issued a formal statement on the matter after Trump told the Senate that thousands of people were bussed from Massachusetts to New Hampshire on Election Day.Apparently those people who were bussed to New Hampshire to vote against him are why he and Kelly Ayotte lost. Weintraub didn t mince words in her statement. She said: The scheme the President of the United States alleges would constitute thousands of felony criminal offenses under New Hampshire law The President has issued an extraordinarily serious and specific charge. Allegations of this magnitude cannot be ignored. She s right if there really is this kind of voter fraud going on, we need to know. The proper authorities need to know so they can begin investigating and prosecuting those responsible, and so the states can overhaul their election laws to prevent this from happening again.Trump, however, refuses to release his evidence, most likely because he doesn t have any. Knowing President Asterisk, the evidence is people who look like they can t legally vote were voting, and also that he lost that state (and the national popular vote), which just can t possibly have happened.The White House has already made it clear they ll stand behind Trump. Sean Spicer even said: The president does believe [there is widespread fraud]. It s a belief that he s maintained for a while, a concern that he has about voter fraud. And that s based on information that s provided. What information? That s what Weintraub wanted to know when she went on to stick it to Trump on that issue at the end of her statement: I therefore call upon President Trump to immediately share his evidence with the public and with the appropriate law-enforcement authorities so that his allegations may be investigated promptly and thoroughly. That will never happen, because there is no evidence to provide. Read the full statement below:I call upon @POTUS to immediately share NH voter-fraud evidence so that his allegations may be investigated promptly https://t.co/cyjUTMXptk pic.twitter.com/DAnsA1cB0n Ellen L Weintraub (@EllenLWeintraub) February 10, 2017Featured image by Mario Tama via Getty Images | 0 |
4,013 | Countering Trump, China's Xi touts cooperation in Asia-Pacific | DANANG, Vietnam (Reuters) - Asia-Pacific nations must uphold multilateralism , Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday, countering U.S. President Donald Trump s message at a summit that the United States would stay out of trade deals that surrender its sovereignty. Globalization is an irreversible trend, but the world must work to make it more balanced and inclusive, Xi told leaders gathered in the Vietnamese resort city of Danang for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting. His comments came moments after Trump told the same audience the United States would not tolerate chronic trade abuses from partners. Should we steer economic globalization, or should we dither and stall in the face of challenge? Should we jointly advance regional cooperation or should we go our separate ways? Xi asked. Openness brings progress, while self-seclusion leaves one behind, he said. During the past year, Xi has positioned China as a defender of globalization in speeches around the world, contrasting himself with Trump, who has pursued his America First agenda, and pulled the United States out of the regional Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. Trump s predecessor saw the deal as a way for the United States, and not China, to write Asia s trade rules. Having just concluded a state visit to China, Trump said the United States was ready to make a bilateral deal with any country in the Indo-Pacific region, but only on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit . He blasted the World Trade Organization and multilateral trade deals, and some analysts expect tougher action may be imminent from the White House to fight bilateral trade imbalances with China exacerbated by Beijing s state-led economic model. But Xi s efforts to seize the mantle of free trade have rung hollow to critics of China, who argue it erects more market barriers to foreign companies, using state-driven industrial plans, than any major economy. In Danang, Xi said China would significantly ease market access for foreign firms, and all businesses registered in China would be treated as equals. Soon after Trump left Beijing, China said it would raise foreign ownership limits in financial firms, a move cautiously welcomed by business groups as an important step in opening up a tantalizing multi-trillion-dollar financial services market. The 11 countries still party to the TPP have been looking for a way forward for the deal on the sidelines of the APEC meeting. Japan had lobbied hard to proceed with the pact that could also help to contain China s growing regional dominance, as it is not involved. Xi has been selling an alternate vision for regional trade by promoting the Beijing-backed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which includes Australia, India and more than a dozen other countries, but not the United States. The RCEP is seen as an alternate to the TPP for a path to the broader Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) that APEC aspires to. We should support the multilateral trading system and practice open regionalism, to allow developing members to benefit more from international trade and investment, Xi said. China will speed up negotiations with partners on free trade pacts, and work for the speedy conclusion of RCEP talks, he added. | 1 |
4,014 | Kevin Spacey Predicts What Would Happen If Frank Underwood Ever Debated Trump (VIDEO) | House of Cards star Kevin Spacey, who plays the fictional character President Frank Underwood, sat down with CNBC International on Thursday and just couldn t avoid getting asked questions concerning the 2016 presidential election. Chief among them was a question about what would happen if Donald Trump ever had to debate Frank Underwood.Here is the answer he gave, which drew quite a bit of laughter: He wouldn t (debate Underwood). There would be a terrible accident, on the way to the debate. It would be terrible, and very sad. If that wasn t funny enough, he followed that up with his best Trump impersonation: I m huuuge. I m too huge for this church. Spacey is currently making rounds across the globe promoting the new upcoming season of House of Cards, which airs in March. He was also asked this very same question at the annual SkyBridge Capital reception hosted at a piano bar just a day earlier. He says he often gets asked the question of what would happen if Frank Underwood had to debate Trump, who would win? I thought about this and I said, We must remember one important distinction, one of these characters is a fictional character, and the other is a fictional character.' It turns out he s used this line in the past often. Probably the best and most elaborate answer he s ever provided is from a Q & A session with CNN he did back in September. Oh, I think Underwood (would win). He (would win) because he would kill Donald Trump. Trump would never make it to election day. It d be over, done.I think it would be great if Donald Trump started a feud with a fictional character, because maybe for once it would be a fair fight. Perhaps Trump will appear in season 5 of House of Cards next year after he loses the real U.S. election this November. He is, after all, a TV personality. It s not too far-fetched that Trump could be a rival of Frank Underwood one day.Featured image via screen capture. | 0 |
4,015 | VW agrees to buy back diesel vehicles, fund clean air efforts | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - German automaker Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) will pay as much as $15.3 billion after admitting it cheated on U.S. diesel emissions tests for years, agreeing to buy back vehicles from consumers and provide funding that could benefit makers of cleaner technologies. The largest-ever automotive buyback offer in the United States came in a deal announced on Tuesday by the Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission, Environmental Protection Agency and California state regulators. The proposed consent decree confirmed that VW will set aside $10.033 billion to cover buybacks or fixes for diesel cars and sport utility vehicles that used illegal software to defeat government emissions tests. VW admitted in September that it installed secret software that allowed U.S. vehicles to emit up to 40 times legally allowable pollution. VW still may face criminal charges and oversight by an independent monitor, a person briefed on the matter said. A criminal settlement could include measures to ensure VW would not engage in further cheating. Shares of VW rose as much as 5 percent on Tuesday, and closed up 1.7 percent at 107.85 euros. “We didn’t follow a multiyear, grind-it-out litigation strategy, which would have been counterproductive for Volkswagen,” said Robert Giuffra Jr., VW’s lead lawyer. “We moved with lightning speed to settle with our federal and state regulators and the private plaintiffs.” Under the Justice Department deal, VW will provide $2 billion over 10 years to fund programs directed by California and EPA to promote construction of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, development of zero-emission ride-sharing fleets and other efforts to boost sales of cars that do not burn petroleum. VW also agreed to put up $2.7 billion over three years to enable government and tribal agencies to replace old buses or to fund infrastructure to reduce diesel emissions. The settlement covers 475,000 2.0-liter diesel Jetta, Beetle, Audi A3, Golf, and Passat vehicles from the 2009-2015 model years. VW also announced a separate settlement with 44 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico that will cost at least $600 million, bringing the total to as much as $15.3 billion. Deputy U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates said a criminal investigation remained active. “We’re looking at multiple companies and multiple individuals,” she said. “By duping regulators, Volkswagen turned nearly half a million American drivers into unwitting accomplices in an unprecedented assault on our environment,” she added. The EPA is investigating other automakers for potential emissions problems. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said the agency “will be releasing information as it becomes available.” VW still faces criminal investigations in Germany and other countries, and lawsuits from investors around the world. The company planned a multi-billion-euro investment program to introduce more than 30 fully electric cars by 2025. Owners have until late 2018 to decide whether to sell the vehicles back. The deals would move VW close to the 16.2 billion euros ($18 billion) it has set aside to cover costs of the scandal. But spending on buybacks could be much less if regulators approve fixes and owners opt for repairs. Most owners will get $5,100 to $10,000 in compensation, including the pre-scandal value of the cars, documents filed on Tuesday said. The company expects to begin buying back vehicles in October, when a U.S. judge is expected to give final approval to the settlements, and is to start proposing fixes in November. VW cannot resell or export vehicles it buys back unless the EPA approves a fix, the documents said. Volkswagen must repair or buy back 85 percent of the 475,000 vehicles by June 2019 or face penalties of $100 million for every percentage point below that figure. The agreement does not lift a ban on sales by VW of its U.S. 2016 diesel vehicles. Nor does it cover fees for lawyers of owners suing the company or address 80,000 larger polluting 3.0 liter Porsche, Audi and VW diesel cars. VW could also face billions in additional costs if it is forced to buy back the 3.0 liter vehicles. VW will likely face significant yet-to-be determined fines under the U.S. Clean Air Act for emissions violations. The settlement does not resolve lawsuits filed last year by owners against German auto supplier Robert Bosch GmbH, which was accused of conspiring with Volkswagen to evade emissions standards. | 1 |
4,016 | WATCH: Trump Is Now Criticizing Time’s ‘Person Of The Year’ As Being ‘Politically Correct’ | Even though former reality show star turned president-elect Donald Trump lost the popular vote by 2.6 million, the alleged billionaire became the recipient of the title Person of the Year, courtesy of Time magazine. But, you know, it s been that kind of year where nothing makes sense anymore. On Thursday, while Trump was on his thank you tour, he bragged about his award but criticized the title as politically correct because of course. I was lucky enough to receive the Time Person of the Year, Trump said in Des Moines, Iowa. They used to call it Man of the Year, but they can t do that anymore, so they call it person. They want to be politically correct. That s OK. Trump previously predicted he would never win the title and slammed Time magazine for giving it to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who became only the fourth woman to grace Time s cover with the award.The Huffington Post reports:Time originally called its annual feature on what the magazine considers the year s most influential person Man of the Year. It changed the title to Person of the Year in 1999, even though several women won the honor before then, beginning with Wallis Simpson in 1936, who was given the title Woman of the Year. On NBC s Today Show, Trump said, To be on the cover of Time magazine as the person of the year is a tremendous honor. Well, his attitude sure changes like the wind.Watch:Trump named TIME's "Person of the Year," promptly criticizes them for not calling it "Man of the Year" pic.twitter.com/el1EkJ4byh Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) December 9, 2016 Although the title fed Trump s massive ego for a New York minute, Time called him, President of the Divided States next to his photo on the cover and the president-elect took issue with that. When you say divided states of America, I didn t divide them, Trump said. They re divided now. I think putting divided is snarky, but again, it s divided. I m not president yet. So I didn t do anything to divide. It s interesting that Trump slammed Time magazine on his thank you tour while being an ingrate.Image via screen capture. | 0 |
4,017 | Senior Republicans criticize Trump's remarks on Hispanic judge | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior U.S. Republicans distanced themselves on Sunday from Donald Trump’s comments about a Mexican-American judge, saying they were worried that the tone of his presidential campaign could enrage Latinos, who are a growing U.S. voting bloc. Trump has accused U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel of harboring a bias against him in lawsuits involving fraud allegations against Trump University, the New York business man’s now-defunct real estate school. The presumptive Republican nominee has suggested Curiel’s Mexican-American heritage had influenced the judge’s opinion because of Trump’s campaign pledge to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he “couldn’t disagree more” with Trump’s comments about the judge. “I am concerned about the Hispanic vote, America is changing,” McConnell told “Meet The Press”. “I think it’s a big mistake for our party to write off Latino Americans. I am concerned about that and I hope he will change his direction on that.” Democrats have accused Trump of racially tinged rhetoric about Latinos, including his description of Mexican immigrants as “criminals and rapists” in the speech he gave a year ago launching his campaign. Such rhetoric has exacerbated friction between Trump and Republican party leaders such as McConnell and House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan. For the past few years, the party has been trying to broaden its appeal with Latino voters and senior Republicans are concerned that Trump’s comments could cost the party votes, not only in the presidential race but in congressional races as well. Former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has been mentioned as a possible running mate to Trump, called Trump’s comments about the judge “inexcusable.” “This is one of the worst mistakes Trump has made,” Gingrich told Fox News. Curiel was born in Indiana to Mexican-immigrant parents. “He is a member of a club or society very strongly pro Mexican, which is all fine. But I say he’s got bias. I want to build a wall,” Trump said in an interview on Sunday on “Face the Nation”. Asked if he believed a Muslim judge would be biased against him based on Trump’s call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country, Trump replied, “It’s possible. Yes.” McConnell said America is a nation full of immigrants — pointing out that his wife, former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, came to the United States when she was eight and didn’t speak English. “All of us came here from somewhere else,” McConnell said. Senator Bob Corker, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on “ABC’s This Week” that he did not “condone the comments” that Trump made about Curiel. Legal scholars on the right and the left have criticized Trump for attacking the judge, saying it could harm judicial independence should he become president. Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who is of Mexican descent, was one of the few Republicans to defend Trump. Gonzales argued in a column in The Washington Post that Trump should be allowed to question a judge’s fairness, saying that questioning a judge is crucial to ensuring public trust in the courts. But when asked about the racial element in an interview on Sunday on Fox News, Gonzales criticized Trump. “I certainly would have taken a different approach,” he said. “Whenever you say something about a judge’s nationality, I think it demeans the office and hurts the judiciary as a whole.” | 1 |
4,018 | BAN THE BURQA! Women Wearing A Burqa In Switzerland Could Face $9,000 Fine | Do you agree with Switzerland s decision? Should America follow suit with European countries who are saying no to the burqa?Women who wear burqas and full face veils in public in a Swiss state could be fined up to $9000 under new rules imposed after a local referendum.Females muslims will be banned from wearing the burqa in shops, restaurants or public buildings in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino.The local government in the southern Swiss state approved the ban after a referendum in September 2013 saw two in three voters backing the move.According to the Local, the Ticino government had wanted to ban burqas and niqabs as well as masks worn by demonstrators and balaclavas. Via: 911 | 0 |
4,019 | The Math Behind Why Trump Will NEVER Be President | I m often told that Trump can beat Hillary, and therefore she shouldn t be the nominee. It s a good argument; electability and all that, but it s not true. Even slightly. In fact, never mind Hillary, we could nominate a potted plant on the left and Trump would STILL lose.How can I be so sure? Easy: Trump has to win 70% of the white male vote to become president.Good fucking luck with that.I know what you re thinking: Trump appeals directly to white resentment, how could he not have the angry white male vote totally locked up? Honestly, he probably does. This is something that, as a white male myself, I find incredibly annoying. That more than half of all white males would support such a piece of trash is embarrassing to say the least. But more than half is not the same as 70%.No one gets 70% of the white male vote. No. One.That s a larger percentage than Republicans have ever won before more than the GOP won in the landslide victories of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and far more than they won during the racially polarized elections of Barack Obama.Of course, the argument often made by Trump s followers is that he will win in November because he will bring so many disengaged Americans to the polls. But they re talking about disengaged white voters, mostly mostly men and unfortunately for him, the turnout rate for white men is already relatively high. Got that? Even when White America went completely insane at the idea of a black president, they STILL couldn t muster more than the 63% Reagan and Poppy Bush took in 1980 and 1988 or the 62% Dubya got in 2004. More importantly, as the country gets less lily white, even that 60%+ is losing its punch:By 2004, however, winning 62 percent of white men barely got George W. Bush past John Kerry in a squeaker. And eight years later, Romney won 62 percent of white men and lost to Barack Obama by 3.5 million votes.So what happened? Between Reagan and Romney, the white male share of the total vote had dropped from 45 percent to 35 percent.Ironically, the very thing Trump is harnessing to propel his campaign, white resentment at the waning of white supremacy, is what will ensure he can never win. It s such a thing a beauty that I want to redefine marriage again so I can walk it down the aisle.If you want a full breakdown of why Trump needs 70% of white men and how women, Latinos and black voters spell his doom, take a look at Politico s excellent analysis.Featured image via AI archives | 0 |
4,020 | Racist Hacker Remotely Controlled College Printers To Spread Anti-Jew Propaganda | Last week, printers at colleges across the country suddenly started spitting out fliers advocating white supremacy and Antisemitism. The headline of the flier was White man are you sick and tired of the Jews destroying your country through mass immigration and degeneracy? And it went downhill from there.On Monday, a white supremacist hacker claimed responsibility for the mass hack:PRINCETON, N.J. A well-known computer hacker who goes by the name of Weev said he was behind a wave of anti-Semitic, racist fliers that appeared on printers at more than a dozen college campuses last week. Weev is the alias of Andrew Auernheimer, who in 2010 was part of a group of hackers that discovered a security loophole on AT&T s servers and gained access to the data of 114,000 customers. Mr. Auernheimer was initially convicted of identity fraud and conspiracy to access a computer without authorization, but his conviction was overturned on appeal.It s not clear that Weev even broke any laws since all of the printers he accessed were open to remote printing and were not protected by a password.Although Weev did not mention Donald Trump, it s not much of a stretch to assume he s a big fan. While the white supremacy movement has always been lurking in the shadows, Trump s candidacy has emboldened it to crawl out into the light. With millions of people no longer ashamed to be openly racist, the ranks of the KKK and Neo-Nazi groups have swelled, giving them and people like Weev the confidence to publicly tout their hatred of Those People:The fliers directed readers to The Daily Stormer, a neo-Nazi website. Mr. Auernheimer said free speech concerns were behind his printing spree. My motivation is this: White cultures and only white cultures are subject to an invasion of foreigners. The threat to white culture that he s referring to is the loss of white privilege. This is truly a terrifying concept to people who think white people are inherently superior but refuse to compete on a level playing field. It s also the fear that minorities, once in power and no longer minorities, will treat white people the way white people have treated them for centuries.We should expect to see more (a lot more) racist propaganda being disseminated by bigots who honestly think their time has come again.Featured image via nbcphiladelphia.com | 0 |
4,021 | Pressure on as Xi's 'Belt and Road' enshrined in Chinese party charter | SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping s vast Belt and Road infrastructure project was unexpectedly included in the ruling Communist Party s constitution on Tuesday, giving it greater policy heft and added pressure to succeed. The party s amended charter, approved at the close of its twice-a-decade congress, pledged to pursue the Belt and Road initiative , a further sign of Xi s expanding power and evidence that the ambitious Silk Road -like initiative will endure beyond Xi s tenure. It also underscores how the Communist Party has increased its attention to foreign policy and reflects Xi s growing desire for China to take a global leadership role, analysts said. Everyone knows that the Belt and Road is very important to Xi, it has his personal stamp and authority, said Peter Cai, a non-resident fellow at Sydney-based think tank Lowy Institute. But to have major policy, especially an external engagement policy, to be written into a party constitution, at least in recent memory, it is something quite significant, he said. First mentioned during a speech Xi gave to university students in Kazakhstan in 2013, the plan is a vehicle for China to take a greater role on the international stage by funding and building global transport and trade links in more than 60 countries. Xi has heavily promoted the initiative, inviting world leaders to Beijing in May for an inaugural summit at which he pledged $124 billion ( 94 billion) in funding for the plan. Local Chinese governments as well as state and private firms have rushed to offer support by investing overseas and making loans. Some critics argue that China is exporting excess industrial capacity to spread its influence, and that the initiative, which has seen developing countries take on heavy debt, needs higher standards of governance and transparency. China has made commitments and pledges to many developing countries and it will take that length of time, 10 years or more, to complete the initiative, said Rajiv Biswas, Asia Pacific chief economist at IHS Markit. This has also strengthened China s soft power globally, so it wouldn t make sense for China s point of view to suddenly pull away from all of this, he said. Other analysts said its inclusion could be a double-edged sword that adds pressure for the initiative, which remains broadly defined and leaves much to interpretation, to succeed. The danger of having given it greater visibility is that actually there are going to be more of those efforts to play to the policy in a political way rather than considering carefully the costs and benefits of each portion of what one is doing, said Dali Yang, a professor at the University of Chicago. Many private investors have jumped on the bandwagon to describe their projects as Belt and Road-related, while local governments have rolled out individual Belt and Road plans. The heads of Chinese firms including China Communications Construction Co and China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation [SASAAI.UL] told Reuters during the week-long congress that they would place greater focus on developing their overseas businesses in support of the Belt and Road initiative. The party congress saw Xi cement his power ahead of a second five-year term and put him in the same company as the founder of modern China, Mao Zedong, with the enshrinement of his political thought into the country s constitution. | 1 |
4,022 | TRUMP COMES OUT SWINGING: New Ad Features One Of Bill’s Rape Victims…With Surprise Ending [VIDEO] | Bill s gonna wish his corrupt wife never ran for President by the time Trump is finished exposing this family of grifters. This is more than just about Trump winning, it s about Trump doing the job the media should have been doing to expose Hillary Clinton as an accomplice to her perverted husband for decades Fresh from using the R word during a recent sit-down with Sean Hannity, Donald Trump on Monday released on Instagram a new campaign ad against Hillary Clinton featuring the voice of Bill Clinton s rape accuser, Juanita Broaddrick. He starts to bite on my top lip and I try to pull away from him, Broaddrick is heard saying in the brief ad. Bill Clinton can be seen in the background with a cigar in his mouth.Watch here:Is Hillary really protecting women?A video posted by Donald J. Trump (@realdonaldtrump) on May 23, 2016 at 8:27am PDTYou gotta love the cackle at the end The Broaddrick audio comes from an emotional interview that she gave to NBC s Dateline in 1999 describing the alleged rape.Broaddrick says Clinton raped her at a hotel when she was a nursing home administrator volunteering for then-Arkansas Attorney General Bill Clinton s 1978 gubernatorial bid.She told NBC s Dateline that she resisted when Clinton suddenly kissed her:Then he tries to kiss me again. And the second time he tries to kiss me he starts biting my lip He starts to, um, bite on my top lip and I tried to pull away from him. And then he forces me down on the bed. And I just was very frightened, and I tried to get away from him and I told him No, that I didn t want this to happen but he wouldn t listen to me. It was a real panicky, panicky situation. I was even to the point where I was getting very noisy, you know, yelling to Please stop. And that s when he pressed down on my right shoulder and he would bite my lip. When everything was over with, he got up and straightened himself, and I was crying at the moment and he walks to the door, and calmly puts on his sunglasses. And before he goes out the door he says You better get some ice on that. And he turned and went out the door. In an interview with this reporter last week, Broaddrick was asked to comment on the statements made by Trump at a campaign stop earlier this month, where the presidential candidate slammed Hillary Clinton as unbelievably nasty, mean enabler who destroyed the lives of her husband s mistresses and alleged victims.Broaddrick replied: I feel like she has been the enabler behind him in allowing him to continue on the same path that he did back in the 70s and 80s and 90s. He has absolutely no morals when it comes to women. Via: Breitbart News | 0 |
4,023 | HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS Pressured By Very Familiar Names To Back Ryan For Speaker | Congressman Paul Ryan received enough support from the House Freedom Caucus to secure his nomination for Speaker of the House as of Oct. 23, 2015. Congressman Louis Gohmert told One America News that Ryan may have gained some of the support because Senator Jim DeMint, now head of the Heritage Foundation, and former Speaker of the House and Congressman Newt Gingrich pressured Freedom Caucus members to cave and endorse Ryan for Speaker. | 0 |
4,024 | White House says expects bipartisan efforts to continue | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is likely to continue to reach for bipartisan compromise on legislation, something he promised during the 2016 presidential campaign and that the American people expect, the White House said on Friday, days after the Republican president made a surprise debt ceiling deal with Democrats. “I certainly think that the goal is to have bipartisan efforts and certainly legislation where you’ve got Republicans and Democrats both working towards it,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said. “And I certainly would expect to continue to see that.” | 1 |
4,025 | After Loss, Democratic Senate Candidate Writes Statement That EVERY SINGLE Progressive Should See | Let s get something straight here Americans did not elect Donald Trump. Our system did. And although Republicans retained majorities in both houses of Congress, they did so extremely narrowly, and it s very likely that more people voted Democratic than Republican. Sound unfair? It is.With that in mind, it s not over. It s never over. The causes progressives fight for still need our voices, our action, and in the not-too-distant future, our votes. We need to start organizing right now, today, to undo all of the damage Republicans are going to do over the next two years. There are no other options on the table other than to fight tooth and nail at every level.Luckily, it appears that some Democratic leaders understand that. Jason Kander, a veteran and rising star in the Democratic Party, was the secretary of state in Missouri a very red state. You may remember him as the candidate that advocated for background checks while assembling a rifle blindfolded:Kander lost by only three points in a red state that voted for Trump by 19 percent, while running against an incumbent with 20 years in Washington Republican Senator Roy Blunt. That s huge and if Democrats hope to regain power, they re going to need candidates like Kander that can help them stay competitive when it comes to communicating with the white working class (who just MASSIVELY voted against their own interests). That s why it s extremely heartening to see that he s FAR from giving up. In a statement on his campaign website, Jason Kander states:This is the message where I m supposed to thank you for all you ve done for me, tell you how much it meant to me, and then say my goodbyes and wish you luck on your journey. I m supposed to say something like, Perhaps our paths will cross again. But that s not how I roll. Of course, I am thankful to you and I m forever grateful for this experience. But why wouldn t I be? Let s talk about something important.We re all disappointed about Tuesday night s results. We lost an election. In fact, we the Democrats lost a whole mess of elections on Tuesday.But please know that I m going to be fine. My wife is gorgeous and brilliant and my son True is my best little buddy in the world. We are not the people who will be hurt by these election results. So please don t spend any time being sad for me. If you re going to be sad for someone, make it the single mom who has cancer and is scared to death about being unable to keep her insurance to continue treatments without Obamacare. Worry about the undocumented student who has only ever known this country and is worried about what happens to her now. Worry about the minimum wage worker trying to stretch $30 into a full grocery trip. Let your heart go out to the college student saddled with enormous debt and unable to get help from a parent whose own graduate degree has forced him into bankruptcy.I met each of those people, in real life, during this campaign. And it fueled me the whole way. But here s the thing, that fuel is still in my tank. Why? I love this country and I won t let losing an election force me away from the process.Pick yourself up. Dust yourself off. Yes, Donald Trump is going to be President and the Republicans control the House and the Senate, but I need that to double your resolve, not cause you to give up on our politics.You can read the rest of his statement here.If you agree this is EXACTLY the attitude we need right now, make sure to share this around. We cannot afford to ever give up.Featured image by Whitney Curtis/Getty Images | 0 |
4,026 | U.S. farmers slam Trump's Cuba clampdown, press forward with trade visit | CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. farm groups criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to retreat from his predecessor’s opening toward Cuba, saying it could derail huge increases in farm exports that totaled $221 million last year. A trade delegation from Minnesota, one of the largest U.S. agriculture states, vowed to carry on with its planned visit to Cuba next week. “We’re going to continue to beat the drum and let them (the Trump administration) know that trade is good for agriculture,” said Kevin Paap, a farmer in the delegation. Trump signed a presidential directive on Friday rolling back parts of former President Barack Obama’s opening to the Communist-ruled country after a 2014 diplomatic breakthrough between the two former Cold War foes. Farm groups saw the move as a step backward in what had been an improving trade relationship between the two countries which are just 90 miles (145 kms) apart, even though agriculture is not directly targeted. U.S. law exempts food from a decades-old embargo on U.S. trade with Cuba, but cumbersome rules on how transactions were executed have made deals difficult and costly. Since Obama’s detente, substantial headway has been made, however, with shipments of U.S. corn and soybeans to Cuba soaring 420 percent in 2016 from a year earlier to 268,360 tonnes, U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows. Through the first four months of 2017, total shipments of U.S. grain and soy were 142,860 tonnes, up from 49,090 tonnes during the same period of 2016. While the quantities are dwarfed by total U.S. exports — nearly 56 million tonnes of corn alone last year — the added volumes were welcome as farmers face a fourth year of languishing grain prices and crimped incomes. “At a time when the farm economy is struggling, we ask our leaders in Washington not to close doors on market opportunities for American agriculture,” Wesley Spurlock, president of the National Corn Growers Association, said in a statement. The group sees an opportunity for $125 million more a year in trade to Cuba. Trump’s move could cut off near-term sales and stymie economic development that would drive longer-term demand growth, said Tom Sleight, president of the U.S. Grains Council, a grain trade development organization, in a statement. “Neither of those outcomes is favorable for the U.S. ag sector or the Cuban people,” he added. Paap said the United States should be doing more to encourage exports. “It’s frustrating because we’ve made some advances and built those relationships,” he said. | 1 |
4,027 | White House says 'couple of dozen' people still detained | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Sunday defended its implementation of President Donald Trump’s executive action targeting immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries and said only two dozen travelers remain detained. “It wasn’t chaos,” Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” program, adding that 325,000 travelers entered the United States on Saturday and 109 of them were detained. “Most of those people were moved out. We’ve got a couple dozen more that remain and I would suspect that as long as they’re not awful people that they will move through before another half a day today,” he said. | 1 |
4,028 | BOMBSHELL DISCOVERY: RADICAL Muslim Father of Hillary’s Top Aide Huma Abedin Advocated For Forced SHARIA LAW | The same woman who has been privy to our nations top secret classified information through our reckless former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has a father who openly advocated for state sponsored Sharia Law and a mother who Abedin s mother founded an aid organization in the 1990s that was tied to the Muslim Brotherhood. This is the same Secretary of State whose largest contributors to the Clinton Foundation Hillary s campaign slush fund are from majority Muslim nations who police Sharia Law. Abed in is also currently serving as Vice Chair to Hillary Clinton s campaign. Is this a coincidence?In August 2016, we reported that Huma Abedin made a surprise visit to Dearborn, MI. with absolutely no press coverage by the mainstream media. As a side note, Dearborn, MI has the largest population of Muslims in America.According to the Arab American News: Huma Abedin, vice chair for the Hillary for America campaign, met with Arab and Muslim American leaders on Aug. 11, to discuss issues that matter to the community.During her speech, Abedin praised the patriotism and heroism of Muslims across the country, including the Khan family, a Muslim Gold Star family whose son, Captain Human Khan, was killed in Iraq while protecting his fellow service members.STUNNING DEVELOPMENTSyed Abedin, the father of top Hillary Clinton aide Huma, outlined his view of Sharia law and how the Western world has turned Muslims hostile during a wide-ranging video interview that shines newfound light on the reclusive thinker s world views, according to footage exclusively obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.Abedin, a Muslim scholar who was tied to the Saudi Arabian government until his death in 1993, has remained somewhat of a mystery as the media turns its eye to his daughter Huma, a top Clinton campaign aide who recently announced her separation from husband Anthony Weiner following his multiple sex scandals.Syed Abedin explained his views on the Muslim world and spread of Islam during a 1971 interview titled The World of Islam, which was first broadcast on Western Michigan University television.Abedin said that Arab states must police the upholding of Sharia, or Islamic law, and explained why the majority of Muslims view Israel and the Western world in primarily hostile terms.The video provides a window into the Abedin family s ideology, which has been marred by accusations it is connected to the Muslim Brotherhood.Abedin, who was then a professor in the university s college of general studies, said that Western intervention in the Arab world has sparked a backlash among many faithful Muslims. The response to the West has been of two kinds, Abedin said. By and large the response has taken more of a hostile form. The first impulse of the average Muslim in the Islamic world is that this kind of borrowing [culturally] would be somehow an alien factor into our social fabric and thereby destroying the integrity of our ethos the integrity of our culture, he added.In a separate discussion on the state s role in a person s life, Abedin said it is necessary to police the application of Sharia law. The state has to take over as Muslim countries evolve, he argued. The state is stepping in in many countries where the state is now overseeing that human relationships are carried on on the basis of Islam. The state also under Islam has a right to interfere in some of these rights given to the individual by the Sharia. For entire story: WFBHuman Abedin s mother who was the Muslim World League s delegate to the UN conference wrote in a 1996 article that Clinton anentire d other speakers were advancing a very aggressive and radically feminist agenda that was un-Islamic and wrong because it focused on empowering women She seemed to rationalize domestic abuse as a result of the stress and frustrations that men encounter in their daily lives. While denouncing such violence, she didn t think it did much good to punish men for it. | 0 |
4,029 | U.S. says Cubans' favorable immigration status to stay in place | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. State Department official said on Tuesday that Washington has no plans to change a Cold War-era law granting special immigration benefits to Cubans, despite President Barack Obama’s moves toward normalized relations with the island country. “There continues to be a large migration flow out of Cuba. It reflects the difficult economic and human rights conditions in the country,” Francisco Palmieri, principal deputy assistant secretary in State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, told a Senate subcommittee hearing. “We have no plans to change the Cuban Adjustment Act at this time,” Palmieri said. The Cuban Adjustment Act provides Cubans with benefits granted to migrants from no other country. Once they enter the United States and ask for asylum, virtually all are granted the right to stay, can apply for work permits and, later, green cards, which convey lawful permanent residency. Some U.S. lawmakers have been demanding a fresh look at Cuban immigration policy since the surprise December 2014 announcement from Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro that the two countries would move toward ending decades of estrangement. They argue that most of the Cubans coming to the United States are coming for economic reasons and are not refugees from its Communist government. Fear of an end to their benefits has fueled a surge in departures from Cuba, many via third countries, which has left large groups of Cubans stranded in Central America. Earlier this year, thousands were airlifted from Panama and Costa Rica to northern Mexico, where they crossed the border into the United States. Senator Marco Rubio, the subcommittee chairman, asked Palmieri about reports that Panama might be planning to send more Cuban migrants north. “We have not told them not to do their airlift,” Palmieri said. | 1 |
4,030 | British navy sacks nuclear submariners over cocaine use | LONDON (Reuters) - Britain s navy has fired nine sailors serving on a nuclear-armed submarine after they tested positive for using cocaine, the country s defense ministry said on Saturday. The crew were from HMS Vigilant, one of four Royal Navy submarines which operate the Trident nuclear missile system. We do not tolerate drugs misuse by service personnel. Those found to have fallen short of our high standards face being discharged from service, a Royal Navy spokesman said. The Daily Mail newspaper reported that the sailors had failed drugs tests while the submarine was docked in the United States to pick up nuclear warheads and undergo work, and the sailors had been accommodated in hotels on shore. A defense ministry spokesman declined to comment on the location of the incident but said: There is no evidence to suggest any individual was under the influence while performing their duties. The ministry also confirmed the submarine s commander had been relieved of his command pending investigation, but declined to give details. Previous reports said this was due to an earlier unrelated incident. Britain s four nuclear-armed submarines each carry eight operational missiles and 40 nuclear warheads, and have a crew of 135. Since 1969 Britain has had at least one nuclear-armed submarine on patrol at all times. | 1 |
4,031 | Locked in power struggle, Congo army and militia massacred hundreds: report | JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Congolese army commanders orchestrated a wave of massacres that killed hundreds of people between 2014-2016 as they vied for influence with anti-government insurgents in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a new report said on Monday. The report by the Congo Research Group (CRG) at New York University is the most comprehensive to date on the killings of more than 800 people and the first to offer a definite theory of the perpetrators motives. It is based on 249 interviews with perpetrators, eyewitnesses and victims as well as internal U.N. reports and arrest records that document participation in the killings. Millions died in eastern Congo between 1996-2003 in regional conflicts and dozens of militia groups continue to operate there. But the massacres around the town of Beni were the most macabre and mysterious in recent memory. CRG cited multiple witnesses saying that army commanders, including the former top general in the zone, supported and in some cases organized the killings. During some massacres, sources told CRG, soldiers secured the perimeter so that victims could not escape. Congo government spokesman Lambert Mende said a number of high-ranking officers had been convicted for their roles in the massacres but criticized CRG for trying to revive an old affair . The general named in the report, Muhindo Akili Mundos, has repeatedly denied any personal responsibility. The report recommends a parliamentary investigation and U.N Security Council sanctions against individuals involved in the violence around Beni. Several senior Congolese militia leaders, including a former vice president in a power-sharing government, have been convicted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for crimes committed during wars in Congo and in neighboring Central African Republic. According to the report, the first massacres were orchestrated in 2013 by former leaders of the Popular Congolese Army (APC), the armed wing of a rebellion from Congo s 1998-2003 war, who were trying to prepare a new insurrection and undermine confidence in the central government. These rebels often worked in collaboration with militiamen from the Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan Islamist group active in the area. Congo s government and U.N. peacekeeping missions blamed almost all the killings on the ADF. However, when the large-scale massacres began - one of which claimed as many as 200 lives - in October 2014, army commanders in the zone co-opted many of the networks of local militia in an effort to weaken their rivals, the report said. Government forces discovered pre-existing plans for killings and responded by co-opting these groups and continuing the massacres, it said. For these officers, controlling the armed groups in the region was more important - and perhaps more feasible - than bringing an end to the violence. The new report did not take a position on whether local commanders received orders to conduct the massacres from Congo s central government but said it would have been difficult for Kinshasa to be unaware of their undertakings . Large-scale killings around Beni have mostly abated this year but Congolese and U.N. forces continue to clash with rebel groups in the area. One Tanzanian peacekeeper was killed and another wounded on Sunday in combat with a local militia, a U.N. mission spokesman told Reuters. Meanwhile, violence has otherwise surged across Congo, fueled in part by President Joseph Kabila s refusal to step down when his mandate expired last December. CRG is a non-profit body directed by Jason Stearns, a former U.N. investigator in Congo and author of a book about Congo s civil wars. | 1 |
4,032 | WATCH: Conservationist Jane Goodall BLASTS Trump’s Attack On Climate Science | Donald Trump s roll-back of actions designed to fight climate change horrified the legendary conservationist.Jane Goodall is famous for her longtime studies of apes and chimpanzees.During the 2016 campaign, Goodall put this expertise to good use by comparing Trump to the chimpanzees she researched. In many ways the performances of Donald Trump remind me of male chimpanzees and their dominance rituals, Goodall said. In order to impress rivals, males seeking to rise in the dominance hierarchy perform spectacular displays: stamping, slapping the ground, dragging branches, throwing rocks. The more vigorous and imaginative the display, the faster the individual is likely to rise in the hierarchy, and the longer he is likely to maintain that position. And she was right. Trump s ape-like behavior thrilled his supporters and sent him to the White House where he has embarrassed himself and the nation so much that many Americans probably wish an actual chimpanzee had won instead of him, especially after what Trump did earlier this week.As a conservationist, Goodall has traveled the world and witnessed the effects of climate change firsthand.So when Trump signed yet another executive order to reverse rules put in in place by President Obama to slow down or reverse the effects of climate change, hr usual optimism soured.Referring to Trump s executive order as immensely depressing, Goodall expressed how sad it is that the United States is declining to play its part to save the world. Many of us, not just my institute but many, we ve been working really hard to create the Paris agreement and global efforts to cut emissions, Goodall told journalists. Thinking that the USA isn t going to play its part, such an industrial country, is really very, very sad. And it means we re going to have to work harder. Indeed, while the United States is not the only nation in the world, our influence on the international stage is critical to any agreement of between countries, especially when it comes to financial, technological, and military resources.Trump s irresponsible order to reverse our nation s involvement in fighting climate change not only threatens the rest of the world, it threatens America as well, especially our coastlines, which are in danger of being under several feet of water due to sea level rise caused by increasingly melting ice caps.Trump s beloved Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida will be under water in the near future if we do not act now.But Trump had adopted the conservative line that climate change is not real and that science is fake. He s a climate change denier, and Jane Goodall has zero tolerance for that stance. I would not dream of refuting the science that shows climate change is happening, Goodall said. It s happening everywhere. It s already having devastating effects in many parts of the world. The droughts are getting worse, flooding s getting worse. Storms, hurricanes are getting more frequent and more violent. And the main thing is unpredictability. Everywhere I go, people say, Well it s not normally like that at this time of year. And Trump s attack on climate action is causing scientists to lose hope. There is definitely a feeling of gloom and doom among all the people I know, Goodall continued. If we allow this feeling of doom and gloom to continue, then it will be very, very bad. But my job is to give people hope. Bu despite her high hopes that we can push back and reinstate the climate actions, even Goodall conceded that she sees the future of our children and grandchildren being unraveled right before our eyes by a man who doesn t care about thing or anyone but himself. Even a chimpanzee would have more compassion.Featured Image: Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images | 0 |
4,033 | Singapore sees running autonomous buses on public roads from 2022 | SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore is hoping to deploy autonomous buses on public roads in three different districts of the city-state from 2022 to provide better connectivity, the country s Ministry of Transport said in a statement on Wednesday. Countries around the world are encouraging the development of self-driving technologies. High-density Singapore, which has manpower shortages in many sectors, is at the forefront of such efforts and is hoping to prompt its residents to use more shared vehicles and public transport. There are at least 10 companies testing their autonomous technology on the island. Autonomous scheduled bus services will complement human-driven public buses, and will initially travel on less crowded roads, according to the statement. Autonomous on-demand shuttles will allow commuters to hail the services via their mobile phones. The government said it was seeking inputs from the industry and research institutions on the key requirements for the successful pilot launch of these autonomous vehicles. | 1 |
4,034 | Exclusive: U.S. to renew most Myanmar sanctions with changes to aid business | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States plans to renew the bulk of its sanctions against Myanmar when they expire next week, but will make some changes aimed at boosting investment and trade, according to several senior U.S. officials and congressional aides. An announcement on extending much of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, could come as soon as Tuesday ahead of a visit to the Southeast Asian nation by Secretary of State John Kerry on May 22, officials said. The U.S. Treasury Department has significantly eased sanctions against Myanmar by issuing general licenses that give companies and investors exemptions to sanctions targeting more than 100 individuals and businesses, including some of Myanmar’s biggest business players. U.S. officials began lifting trade and financial sanctions against the country after military leaders launched reforms that led to a civilian government being formed in 2011, beginning its transformation from a half-century as an international pariah. In December, Treasury temporarily relaxed trade restrictions on the country also known as Burma by allowing all shipments to go through its ports and airports for six months. This time, Washington will likely offer more general licenses to specific companies, and take some people off Treasury’s list of “Specially Designated Individuals” targeted for sanctions, congressional aides and U.S. officials said. Kerry’s visit to Myanmar is his first since the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s Nobel laureate, swept to power following a landslide election win in November. A constitution drafted by the country’s former military rulers bars her from becoming president. President Barack Obama’s opening to Myanmar followed by its peaceful transition to an elected government is seen as one of his foreign policy achievements. He has visited there twice. But the administration also wants to maintain leverage on the country to guard against backsliding on reforms and to press for improvement on human rights. By renewing the legal framework for sanctions even as it eases some measures, Obama will offer the private sector more breathing room while maintaining pressure on its military, which still holds significant political power. The sanctions had been due to expire on May 20. Washington has deep concerns about human rights conditions in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, especially violence against ethnic and religious minorities including Rohingya Muslims. Members of the U.S. Congress, from both parties, are watching closely and could move to clamp down on Myanmar themselves if they think Obama is moving too quickly. Last month, Senators Cory Gardner and Ben Cardin, the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Foreign Relations Asia subcommittee, wrote to Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew expressing concern about rights, and asking the administration to work with Congress to ensure those concerns were addressed. “Like you, we want to ensure that the U.S. is Burma’s strongest supporter on its road to democracy,” the senators said in the letter, seen by Reuters. U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Aung San Suu Kyi supported the extension of U.S. sanctions with some changes. Discussions with her have focused on how to properly target trade restrictions so they do not hurt Myanmar’s overall economy, but keep pressure on military-owned institutions, they said. “We are looking to take steps to demonstrate our support for the new democratically elected government of Burma ...and that we’re taking the necessary steps to ensure that they succeed, that they can carry on economic developments and reforms,” a senior administration official told Reuters. “At the same time we want to do that in a smart, measured way that gives us a range of options and flexibility to respond appropriately going forward,” the official added. The United States is eager to expand relations with Myanmar to help counteract China’s rise in Asia and take advantage of the opening of one of the world’s last “frontier markets,” growing but less developed emerging economies. Peter Kucik, a former senior sanctions adviser at the U.S. Treasury, said despite an easing of some banking sanctions by the United States since 2012, transactions with Myanmar were still difficult. “I suspect the changes that get announced all drive at the same end goal: which is to promote and make easier the trade and business relationships between the two countries and encourage continued reform while minding concerns,” said Kucik. “The details will really indicate where the principal areas of remaining concern are but broadly speaking they are going to be aligned with what we’ve seen so far,” he said. | 1 |
4,035 | Yemen's anti-Saudi alliance members clash for second day, three killed | ADEN (Reuters) - Three fighters from forces loyal to the former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh were killed in a second day of clashes with their own allies from the Houthi movement in the capital Sanaa, Saleh s party said on Thursday. The two groups are fighting a Saudi-led coalition that has intervened in a 2-1/2 year Yemeni civil war with a view to restoring the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. A statement from Saleh s General People s Congress Party said three guards were killed when Houthi forces attacked the house of Tarek Saleh, Ali Abdullah Saleh s nephew, adding that they also besieged the residence of Ibrahim Sharaf, a party member and foreign minister of the Sanaa-based government. The Houthis violated the truce agreement and attacked the residence of colonel Tarek and killed three guards and wounded three others, the statement said. The clashes underscore the complex situation in Yemen, as Hadi s alliance has also seen similar internal fighting between his contingents and pro-independence southern forces backed by the United Arab Emirates, a key member of the Saudi-led coalition Local sources told Reuters some residents fled areas where the fighting, which involved heavy artillery and rocket launchers, raged for several hours for a second day. Four supporters of Ali Abdullah Saleh were killed when a gunfight erupted on Wednesday in the center of Sanaa, after the Houthis broke into the city s main mosque complex and fired RPGs and grenades. Houthi fighters and battalions loyal to Saleh made common cause to fan out through Yemen in 2015 and have weathered thousands of air strikes launched by neighboring Saudi Arabia and its allies. Hadi s government is nominally based in the port city of Aden. | 1 |
4,036 | U.S. travel restrictions jeopardize rare exchanges with North Koreans | SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - When more than a dozen North Korean economic officials visited California and New York in 2011, U.S. organizers hoped the tour would give the delegation ideas for market reforms and business innovations. The North Koreans quickly made clear that was not why they had come: They wanted to secure U.S. investment, particularly from restaurant giant Yum! Brands Inc (YUM.N), said Susan Shirk, a University of California at San Diego professor who helped organize the visit. They really wanted to get KFC to North Korea, Shirk said, referring to the fried chicken chain. She added that Yum did not reciprocate their interest. In recent years, a handful of visits from official delegations and athletes have provided rare opportunities for ordinary Americans and North Koreans to come together. Those exchanges are now in jeopardy after President Donald Trump included North Korea in a group of nations that will face travel restrictions to the United States because they do not share enough information about visa applicants. The new policy comes at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and North Korea over Pyongyang s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile tests, as well as escalating verbal threats from the country s leader Kim Jong Un. While the travel restrictions are unlikely to have a broad impact - the number of non-diplomatic travelers from North Korea per year rarely tops 50, according to U.S. State Department data - human rights activists worry it has severed one of the few human bonds between the isolated country and the West. The main point in inviting these people here is to give them exposure to the U.S., and see if one can open the door a bit, said Roberta Cohen, co-chair emeritus for the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. A State Department official said the restrictions were necessary because North Korea does not cooperate with the United States government in any respect and fails to satisfy all information-sharing requirements on visa applicants. North Koreans wishing to visit the United States must first obtain permission from their own government, then apply for a visa in person at a U.S. embassy, typically in Beijing, said Robert King, former U.S. special envoy for North Korea human rights issues. When North Koreans arrive in the United States they never go anywhere alone, King said, and are chaperoned by North Korean government minders. In 2015, 15 North Korean weightlifters along with coaches, reserves and officials traveled to Houston for the International Weightlifting Federation world championships, said Phil Andrews, chief executive officer of USA Weightlifting. North Korea was planning earlier this year to take part in the 2017 world championships in Anaheim, California, in November, Andrews said. However, he does not know whether they will be allowed to come. The new travel restrictions do not affect people who already have visas, and they include waivers for people with certain ties to the United States. The State Department declined to comment on individual visa applications. C. Jerry Nelson, professor emeritus at the University of Missouri, said some visits serve humanitarian purposes. In 2011, four North Korean scientists traveled to Missouri to collaborate with their U.S. counterparts on soil quality testing methods, he said, in order to boost food production. Referring to the economic officials trip in 2011, Shirk said they seemed reluctant to express opinions but enjoyed their snapshot of American life, which included visits to a mushroom farm, department store and New York s Carnegie Deli. We arranged for people to go to families for dinner in San Diego, she said. They really liked that a lot. | 1 |
4,037 | comment on congress attorney general lynch pleads fifth on secret iran ransom payments by marlene | daisy luther
according to a report in the new yorker james comey big kahuna of the fbi went fullon cowboy in releasing details of the new clinton email inquiry apparently the department of justice advised him not to release the information just days before the presidential election
gosh i wonder if the same advice would have been given if it was donald trump who was being investigated by the fbi
comey explained his decision in a letter to fbi employees
we dont ordinarily tell congress about ongoing investigations but here i feel an obligation to do so given that i testified repeatedly in recent months that our investigation was completed i also think it would be misleading to the american people were we not to supplement the record
the doj and by doj i mean attorney general loretta lynch who famously had a secret meeting on an airport tarmac with bill clinton to talk about her nonexistent grandchildren is implying that comey is not playing fair and that the move is inconsistent with the rules which have been designed to make it seem like they are not interfering in an election
heres comeys letter to the senate judiciary committee
really
the doj thinks that the public shouldnt know that the person they may be voting for is being investigated by the fbi
thats the most absurd thing i have heard for quite some time and considering this election thats really saying something
this is from the new yorker report emphasis mine
on friday james comey the director of the federal bureau of investigation acting independently of attorney general loretta lynch sent a letter to congress saying that the fbi had discovered emails that were potentially relevant to the investigation of hillary clintons private server coming less than two weeks before the presidential election comeys decision to make public new evidence that may raise additional legal questions about clinton was contrary to the views of the attorney general according to a wellinformed administration official lynch expressed her preference that comey follow the departments longstanding practice of not commenting on ongoing investigations and not taking any action that could influence the outcome of an election but he said that he felt compelled to do otherwise
comeys decision is a striking break with the policies of the department of justice according to current and former federal legal officials comey who is a republican appointee of president obama has a reputation for integrity and independence but his latest action is stirring an extraordinary level of concern among legal authorities who see it as potentially affecting the outcome of the presidential and congressional elections source is this investigation the iceberg to hrcs titanic campaign
hillary clinton has said she finds the development unprecedented and deeply troubling source
oh ill bet she does
ill bet if trump had been the target of the investigation she would have been up on the stage gripping the podium to stay upright saying how wonderful it was that comey decided to break the news so that voters could be aware that they might be voting for someone who was suspected of having broken federal laws ill bet shed be saying that the public has a right to know if a candidate was under investigation ill bet shed take the high road and say that those elected to the office of president of the united states have to be above and beyond reproach
of course when its her things are a little different arent they
we do have a right to know we absolutely have a right to know that a person who could be elected to know all of the secrets was careless when she only knew some of the secrets it seems like a nobrainer that the public should know that a candidate is being investigated for a second time for being criminally negligent with information entrusted to her
and the fact that we know has severely damaged clintons campaign although previous polls were incredibly skewed to the point of being outright fake it looks like the mainstream is now trying to save face with a new batch of polls a poll from abc news and the washington post both hotbeds of liberal voters has shown that her lead has dropped to within a single point over donald trump due to the clinton email scandal
about a third of likely voters say theyre less likely to support clinton given fbi director james comeys disclosure friday that the bureau is investigating more emails related to its probe of clintons use of a private email server while secretary of state
finally some people are actually paying attention to the character of hillary clinton
but it may not be enough there was one finding that was astonishing to me even though it probably shouldnt be
given other considerations percent say it makes no difference
meanwhile on social media the fbi emails are somehow not a trending topic it certainly appears that twitter facebook snapchat and buzzfeed are blacking out the topic my biggest question is this why now
why did james comey who has probably committed career suicide along with a potential actual suicide via a shot to the back of his own head like others who have run afoul of the clintons feel the need to break the news particularly after giving her a pass during the last investigation
opponents will jump on the fact that hes a republican and will say that he did it for political reasons
they wont admit that perhaps he felt guilty for being complicit in letting her off the hook in the first investigation into the clinton email negligence
they will never ever admit that maybe his integrity and belief in the office he holds made it impossible for him to keep quiet until after the election and that perhaps when he was given a chance to right a previous wrong he took it clinton isnt taking it gracefully
clintons complaints which have appeared in the press around the world make her look even worse than she did before
this is from the telegraph a uk publication
hillary clinton was furiously fighting to keep her presidential bid on track on saturday night as her lead in the polls narrowed after the fbis bombshell announcement that it had reopened its investigation into her emails
james comey announced on friday afternoon that fresh evidence had emerged for his investigation into whether mrs clinton was criminally negligent in her handling of classified material
on saturday the latest poll of polls by tracker site realclearpolitics put clinton percentage points ahead of the republican nationwide down from points just days previously
but wait it gets better
the clinton campaign has responded with what amounts to a declaration of open warfare against mr comey alleging that his actions are backed by a political motive and mrs clinton herself called the decision unprecedented and deeply troubling
its pretty strange to put something like that out with such little information right before an election she complained addressing cheering supporters at a rally in the mustwin state of florida
democrats questioned the timing of the agencys decision which comes as polls showed mrs clintons lead falling just days before the presidential election
this is like an wheeler smacking into us and it just becomes a huge distraction at the worst possible time said donna brazile the chairwoman of the democratic national committee
the campaign is trying to cut through the noise as best it can
we dont want it to knock us off our game but on the secondtolast weekend of the race we find ourselves having to tell voters keep your focus keep your eyes on the prize
hillarys campaign manager sounds pretty desperate to me as for the complaints from hrc they just make her sound like the outoftouch moneygrabbing powerhungry deceitful | 0 |
4,038 | House panel to consider measure seeking Comey firing documents | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A House of Representatives committee said on Tuesday it will consider this week a resolution asking President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions to provide documents related to Trump’s firing of James Comey as FBI director. The House Judiciary Committee said it would consider the resolution of inquiry asking Trump to provide the documents to the House and directing Sessions to do so on Thursday. Trump fired Comey, who was overseeing the investigation of ties between his campaign and Russia, on May 9. Moscow has denied any effort to influence the 2016 U.S. election, and Trump has disputed any allegations of collusion between his associates and Russia. | 1 |
4,039 | Saudi king warns Trump against U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem: agency | DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi King Salman told U.S. President Donald Trump that any decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem before a permanent peace settlement is reached will inflame the feelings of Muslims, Saudi state-owned media said on Tuesday. They said that King Salman had received a telephone call from Trump about developments in the region and the world. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques asserted to His Excellency the U.S. president that any American announcement regarding the situation of Jerusalem prior to reaching a permanent settlement will harm peace talks and increase tensions in the area, state news agency SPA said. It quoted King Salman as saying that Saudi Arabia supported the Palestinian people and their historic rights and asserted that such a dangerous step is likely to inflame the passions of Muslims around the world due to the great status of Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa mosque... | 1 |
4,040 | Factbox - Department of Labor retirement 'fiduciary' rule | (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Labor plans to announce on Wednesday its rule requiring financial advisers and brokers to act in the best interest of retirement clients when providing investment advice. The agency first proposed a new rule in 2010 but withdrew it in 2011 after widespread criticism from financial industry officials and lawmakers. A modified version was presented in 2015 and also met with criticism. Here are some key provisions of the final rule, according to a White House fact sheet provided on Tuesday: - Financial brokers must now act in clients’ “best interest” when giving retirement investment advice. That is tougher than a previous standard in which they had to ensure products were “suitable” for clients. - Firms must ban financial incentives for advisers not to act in the client’s best interest. - Firms must disclose compensation arrangements on a webpage and by making sure customers are aware of their right to all fee information. - The rule allows firms and advisers to continue receiving the most common forms of compensation for offering investment advice to retail customers and small-plan sponsors. The rule also does not limit the types of assets they can invest in. - Firms are allowed to sell insurance products like variable and indexed annuities under the best interest rule. - The rule clarifies treatment of small businesses that sponsor 401(k) plans, allowing brokers to sell products and services to them. - The rule allows firms and their advisers to recommend proprietary products. - Education is not included in the definition of retirement investment advice, allowing advisers to offer basic information without acting as fiduciaries. - Under the rule, financial advisers may communicate with potential clients before signing a contract. But firms must eventually tell new clients in writing that they are acting in their best interest, and any advice given before a contract is signed must be covered by the contract and meet the best interest standard. - To give firms more time to adapt to changes, the rule will be implemented in phases. Full compliance is required on Jan. 1, 2018. | 1 |
4,041 | Trump 'disappointed' by Republican criticism of judge comments | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Wednesday he was “disappointed and surprised” by the criticism and charges of racism he had received from Republican leaders for comments he made about the Mexican heritage of a federal judge. “I had just won more votes than anyone in the history of the party, so I was a little bit surprised when they said that,” Trump told Time. “I didn’t think it was necessary. But you know, they have to say what they have to say. I’m a big boy. They have to say what they have to say.” | 1 |
4,042 | Illinois lawmaker's daughter charged in political staple attack | (Reuters) - A daughter of an Illinois state representative has been charged with participating in an attack on one of her mother’s political rivals that included using a staple gun on the victim’s forehead, police and the victim said on Friday. Jessica Soto and Bradley Fichter, both 26 and of Chicago, have been charged with three counts of aggravated battery in a March 6 attack on Robert Zwolinski, who was defeated in a primary this month by Soto’s mother, state Representative Cynthia Soto, Chicago police said. Lawyers for the two were not immediately available for comment. The attack took place outside of Zwolinski’s campaign office. Frank Avila, a lawyer for the couple, told local media that Zwolinski started the fight and possibly put a stable in his own head for attention. Avila identified Soto as the daughter of Representative Soto and denied the daughter was part of the attack. Police said Zwolinski was hit with a metal object and glass bottle. Zwolinski said the metal object was the staple gun and he had his forehead repeatedly stapled by the pair. The night of the fight, Zwolinski posted photos on social media of a staple sticking out of his forehead, a bloodied face, and a swollen nose. “The girl was yelling, while I was on the ground fighting the man off of me, ‘This is Soto’s territory! This isn’t your territory,’” Zwolinski said. Representative Soto could not immediately be reached. | 1 |
4,043 | World Food Program seeks 75 million dollars for Rohingya crisis | COX S BAZAR, Bangladesh (Reuters) - The World Food Program (WFP) appealed on Sunday for 75 million dollars in emergency aid over the next six months to help alleviate the suffering of Rohingya Muslims fleeing violence in Myanmar. Since August 25th, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled their homes in majority Buddhist Myanmar, overwhelming aid agencies in neighbouring Bangladesh. The bottom line? This is a deplorable situation. This is as bad as it gets. We need 75 million for the next six months, David Beasley, WFP executive director, told reporters after visiting refugee camps in Bangladesh near the Myanmar border. I say we can end world hunger with a few billion dollars. I tell donors, if you can t give us the money, stop the wars, added Beasley, whose U.N. agency is the main humanitarian organisation battling hunger worldwide. The United Nations is currently seeking 200 million dollars from donors to help tackle the crisis among the Rohingya Muslims. | 1 |
4,044 | Minnesota governor collapses while addressing legislators | (This January 23 story corrects to amend chief of staff’s name to Jaime Tincher in paragraphs six and seven) (Reuters) - Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton collapsed on Monday while delivering his state-of-the-state address to legislators in St. Paul, but aides said afterward that Dayton quickly recovered from what they described as a fainting spell and returned home. A video clip from official statehouse footage posted on YouTube showed the 69-year-old, silver-haired governor pausing to take a sip of water, then slurring his words as he tried to resume his address before slumping at the lectern. He appeared to hit his forehead on the lectern as he lost his footing and aides rushed to grab him. Gasps rose from the assembly hall and someone was heard saying, “Get him to the ground, get him to the ground, please.” Lawmakers immediately adjourned the session while Dayton, a member of the Democratic-affiliated Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party, was attended to. The Minneapolis Star Tribune said Dayton appeared to be seated upright and aware some moments afterward. The episode came about 40 minutes into Dayton’s speech to a joint session of the state legislature, according to a statement released by his chief of staff, Jaime Tincher. “He quickly recovered, walked out of the Capitol and turned home,” Tincher said, adding that emergency medical technicians met Dayton at his home and performed a “routine check” on him there. “He is now spending time with his son and grandson” and would present his 2017 budget to legislators on Tuesday morning as planned. Gubernatorial spokesman Sam Fettig said the governor, now midway through his second four-year term, did not go to a hospital. Fettig declined to say what might have caused the governor’s collapse but said he believed Dayton to be otherwise in good health. Dayton’s son, Eric, posted a separate message on Twitter saying, “I’m with my dad now and he’s doing great. Thank you all for your kind well-wishes and words of concern.” Dayton was briefly hospitalized about a year ago after fainting while speaking during an event in the St. Paul suburb of Woodbury. Aides said then that he was treated for dehydration before being released. Dayton served six years at a U.S. senator from Minnesota before he was elected to his first term as governor in 2010. | 1 |
4,045 | Trump signals support for Alexander-Murray healthcare plan in Senate | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signaled support for a bipartisan healthcare deal in the U.S. Senate, saying it was a short-term fix to get through a “very dangerous little period” but not the ultimate answer to U.S. healthcare needs. “The solution will be for about a year or two years,” Trump told reporters at a joint news conference with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. “It is a short-term solution so that we don’t have this very dangerous little period.” | 1 |
4,046 | Liberal, conservative lawmakers offer opposing U.S. healthcare ideas | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. senators unveiled two opposing visions of a healthcare system in the United States on Wednesday - leading liberals advocating government insurance for all and several Republicans proposing an eleventh-hour repeal of Obamacare to replace it with programs run by the states. Neither plan was thought likely to succeed in a Congress exhausted with fighting over the issue, raising questions over whether lawmakers would instead prop up the health benefits offered under former President Barack Obama’s healthcare law. Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, a 2016 Democratic Party presidential candidate, held a campaign-style gathering at which enthusiasts applauded as he proposed extending the federal Medicare health insurance program for seniors to include everyone. “The American people want to know what we are going to do to fix a dysfunctional healthcare system which costs us twice as much per person as any other country and yet leaves 28 million people uninsured, and even more underinsured,” Sanders declared. Senator Elizabeth Warren, one of 16 Democratic co-sponsors for Sanders’ proposal, told the gathering it was time to go a step beyond Obamacare, the 2010 law officially called the Affordable Care Act that expanded health coverage to 20 million Americans. “We will say that in this country everyone gets a basic right to healthcare,” Warren said. But in an office building nearby, Republican senators announced they were offering a “last chance” to repeal Obamacare, before a parliamentary procedure allowing them to pass it with a simple majority, instead of a three-fifths majority like most Senate legislation, expires at the end of September. They proposed replacing the law with a program that would give states money in the form of block grants to run their own healthcare programs. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of the plan’s authors, said he was not ready to give up the long-held Republican goal of repealing Obamacare despite a stunning failure to muster enough votes within the party this summer to kill the law. “The idea that the Republican party has done its best to repeal and replace Obamacare is a joke,” said Graham, who was joined by fellow Republican Bill Cassidy in the effort. A system of U.S. government-run healthcare for all is anathema to many Republicans, who think the hybrid Obamacare system in which government subsidizes private health insurance already was a step too far. Republicans’ last attempt in July to overturn Obamacare fell one vote short in the Senate in a humiliating defeat for President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. In addition to the Sanders and Graham-Cassidy proposals, a bipartisan effort is under way in the Senate health committee to repair Obamacare without repealing it, by protecting subsidies that are paid to insurance companies to help offset discounts under the program. McConnell this week declined to comment on either the Cassidy-Graham bill or the bipartisan health committee effort, saying the way forward was not clear. The Republican leader is not expected to bring Sanders’ proposal to the Senate floor for a vote. Trump applauded Graham and Cassidy, saying he hoped the senators “have found a way to address the Obamacare crisis.” Trump has frequently complained that Obamacare is in crisis. Democrats dispute this but many admit there is room for improvement. A greater than expected mixture of sick and healthy customers hampered Obamacare from the start, leading to large premium increases and many counties have just one insurer. | 1 |
4,047 | Over 500 NFL Players Plan To Tell Trump To F*** Off Today In The Best Way Possible | A backlash of epic proportions ensued after Donald Trump launched a war against African-American athletes who protest by kneeling during the national anthem. The former reality show star has managed to piss off players in three major professional sports and even went so far as to call Colin Kaepernick s mother a bitch. And even this morning, the 71-year-old man crawled out of bed to rant and rage on his Twitter timeline again about black athletes silently protesting. The backlash has been fierce, with the Pittsburgh Steelers announcing that they plan to stay in their locker room for the national anthem before their game against the Chicago Bears. Multiple team members from the Ravens and Jaguars took to their knees during the anthem while the remaining players stood behind them linking arms in solidarity.The Dolphins are wearing #ImWithKap t-shirts.The Dolphins have shirts showing their support for Colin Kaepernick's push for social justice and racial equality. pic.twitter.com/OMha2xl0wj Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) September 24, 2017 Over 500 players have communicated to me that they intend on demonstrating today, activist and writer Shaun King tweeted.Over 500 players have communicated to me that they intend on demonstrating today. Shaun King (@ShaunKing) September 24, 2017There are 14 games that will be played today, with protesting athletes totaling at least one-third of all the players.Former NFL head coach Rex Ryan, a Trump supporter who endorsed the former reality show star during the campaign last year because he says what s on his mind now says that he s appalled and pissed off at Trump over his remarks against black NFL athletes.Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagilabue called Trump s comments on NFL players insulting and disgraceful and added that we re not entitled to shut anybody s speech down. Trump blasted the NFL this morning over its ratings but he failed to mention his own. Trump s approval numbers are the lowest of any president in the history of polling.To kneel during the national anthem is not a sign of disrespect toward our country s flag. It is actually respecting what the flag truly stands for and the rights we have as citizens of this country. Ignoring racism is disrespecting the flag.Featured image via Scott Olson/Getty Images. | 0 |
4,048 | China customs handles 2,773 cases of smuggling from January-October: paper | SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese customs authorities handled 2,773 cases of smuggling in the first 10 months of this year, part of a nationwide crackdown, the China Daily reported on Friday citing a senior official. The 2017 Sword Guarding the Country s Gate campaign netted 233 smuggling cases involving weapons and ammunition, 474 cases related to illegal drugs and 86 related to endangered species, according to Huang Songping, a spokesman with China s General Administration of Customs. He said 56 of the cases involved rice smuggling, with traders trying to avoid paying duties on imports worth a total of 1.6 billion yuan ($242.09 million). Previous cases this year involved the import of Thai white sugar, with nine arrested for trying to evade customs inspections by disguising their ship as a domestic vessel and entering the port of Yancheng, which is not open to overseas traffic. China also cracked down on an oil smuggling ring in which a criminal gang bought 400 million yuan worth of overseas oil products and sold it to gas stations in Zhejiang province, the customs authority said in a notice last month. China s environment ministry said this week that as many as 259 people had been arrested this year for smuggling more than 300,000 tonnes of foreign waste into the country for recycling and reprocessing. | 1 |
4,049 | Cameroon army helicopters shot separatist protesters: witnesses | DAKAR/BAMENDA, Cameroon (Reuters) - Troops and attack helicopters opened fire on protesters at the height of separatist rallies in English-speaking areas of Cameroon over the weekend, killing and wounding people, witnesses and rights groups said. The army dismissed the reports from sources in five towns as completely false and said helicopters had only been used for surveillance. Any use of air attacks would mark a major escalation in a government crackdown on separatist protests that have been rumbling in Anglophone districts of the central African oil producer for almost a year. Thousands took to the streets in towns across the Northwest and Southwest regions on Sunday, Oct. 1, calling for independence from the country s French-speaking majority. Rights groups said they started to collect reports on ensuing violence in the areas bordering Nigeria as the week progressed. Eight people in the towns of Bamenda, Buea, Ndu, Tombel and Kumbo told Reuters that police and soldiers moved in to stop the protests and in some areas, low-flying attack helicopters fired tear gas and live rounds on the crowds. Etienne Ndage, a 31-year-old journalist for Savannah Frontier Radio in the northwest tea-plantation town of Ndu said he saw helicopters firing at around 1 pm local time, killing two protesters as a 1,000-strong march gained momentum. They were firing like in a war film, he told Reuters. Hilary Manjong, private secretary to a local Member of Parliament in Ndu, said witnesses had shared similar accounts with him. Army spokesman Didier Badjeck dismissed the accounts. Reports that the helicopters fired on protestors is completely false. The helicopters were only conducting surveillance, he said. The government earlier this week said about 10 people had died on Sunday including five in a prison fire that may not have been linked to the protests. The governor of Southwest region, Bernard Okalia Bilai, told the Cameroon Tribune newspaper in an article published on Tuesday that protesters had ambushed soldiers in Kumba, forcing them to open fire in self defense. Amnesty International told Reuters on Thursday that more than 20 people were killed between Oct. 1 and 2. Demonstrations began nearly a year ago when Anglophone lawyers and teachers protested against having to work in French, saying it showed the wider marginalization of the English-speaking minority. The protests gained support and have increasingly called for Cameroon s five million English speakers to get their own country. The rallies have also have become a lightning rod for opposition to President Paul Biya s 35-year rule. Campaigners called more protests on Sunday, the anniversary of Anglophone Cameroon s independence from Britain. In the southwest town of Tombel, a resident who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters that a military helicopter came so low over the town center that the wind gusts threw a man off his motorbike. First the helicopter fired teargas to disperse the crowd, then it opened fire, the resident said. Normally they fire rubber bullets, but I could tell from the sound that these were real, they added. Outside Buea, police on the ground and a helicopter opened fire on protestors who had run into the bush to bypass a military checkpoint, said Louis Anuchem, a 35-year-old taxi driver from Buea. The helicopter came close to the ground, he added. We heard the gunshots and the bullets coming through the trees, he told Reuters. After the demonstrations police went door-to-door in some towns, rounding up young men and women, residents said. Soldiers came to our neighborhood and broke into homes and carried boys away, said Lanya Joel, a 21-year-old Kumba resident. I am scared and will be away until it s all over. Rights group the Southern Cameroon s Public Affairs Committee said in a report that a 12 year-old girl was shot by security forces from a helicopter in the town of Kumbo. The Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference of Anglophone Christian Bishops said in a statement this week that is was disturbed by reports that some of our Christians were ... arrested, some maimed, and some were simply shot to death, some from helicopters. Helene Mekem said her son was shot dead by security forces outside his home in Kumba on Sunday, even though he was not involved in the protests. They are killing the innocent ones, she told Reuters. | 1 |
4,050 | #NeverTrump GOP Delegates: Party Brass Intimidating Us Into Supporting Trump (VIDEO) | Donald Trump is the Republican Party s presumptive presidential nominee for the 2016 election. However, there is a growing faction of the party that is not at all happy about this. Trump has been a public relations nightmare since the day he started running, and he is showing no signs of stopping that trend. Further, anyone with a brain can see that he is dangerously unqualified to hold the office of the presidency. However, that has not stopped major GOP players from lining up behind Trump like the spineless, party-before-country morons that they are. The #NeverTrump faction of the party sees this as the massive problem that it is, though, and they have decided to openly revolt in an effort to deny Trump the nomination at the GOP convention in Cleveland.This newly formed group of #NeverTrump delegates has rebranded themselves. They are now known as Free the Delegates. The name comes from the idea that delegates bound to Donald Trump should be free to vote their conscience at the convention rather than being forced to vote for the presumptive nominee. They held a conference call Sunday night, with a reported more than 1,000 Republican delegates nationwide participating in the brainstorming efforts to stop Trump from formally taking their party s nomination.However, there is a problem. The party elite at the state and national level are not going to easily allow these country-before-party Republicans to rise up against Trump. Delegates from the #NeverTrump faction say that they are facing intimidation from party leaders who are insisting that they are all, as a party, obligated to support Trump. A delegate from North Carolina says that she and other N.C. delegates are very much under direct threat from our state with a $10,000 fine if they refuse to vote for Trump. She also alleges that she was threatened via social media over her #NeverTrump position. The same delegate says that in Arizona, in order to participate in the convention, delegates actually have to sign a pledge that they will, unequivocally, vote pro-Trump.Despite the intimidation and threats, though, those on the nationwide Sunday night call say that they want those who are uneasy about Trump to do the right thing, not the easy thing. #NeverTrump Colorado delegate Regina Thompson said to those who support their cause: We want you to be proud to tell your children and grandchildren that the person we have nominated and are ready to elect as president is a moral person who will take seriously the oath of office. Will you be able to tell them that you were not afraid of public opinion or party leaders? Luckily, the #NeverTrump delegates already have an outside PAC, called Courageous Conservatives, that is going to be collecting funds to help with legal fees due to the inevitable blowback those looking to oust Trump will face. Spokesman Steve Lonegan says to the delegates that it will help to provide you support should you be threatened on the state level with some form of retribution. Kendal Unrah of Colorado is on the RNC Rules Committee and firmly #NeverTrump. She says of the planned ousting: It s just kind of an easy sell. And I don t think that there s going to be enough organized resistance on the other side to defeat it. Unruh does acknowledge how difficult it will be to get rid of Trump, but she is also optimistic: I m just very glad that we ve just all come together so quickly, because we have a monumental task to actually accomplish. But I will tell you the momentum that I have seen within the last week it is just astonishing how fast this has come together, she said. We re going to be hitting our peak right at convention time. Good luck, #NeverTrump delegates. You re the only remotely moral GOPers left in your party.Either way, this GOP civil war should be massively fun to watch for Democrats.Here is a video detailing the newly revived #NeverTrump effort, via NBC News:Featured image via Joe Raedle/Getty Images | 0 |
4,051 | Young Japanese voters, happy with job market, lean toward ruling party | TOKYO (Reuters) - Young Japanese will back the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in a lower house vote on Sunday at a higher rate than their elders, survey data shows, apparently reflecting approval of low unemployment, not an ideological drift to the right. Among voters aged 18 to 29, 41 percent intend to vote for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe s LDP in proportional representation districts, according to a survey by the Asahi Shimbun daily published on Thursday. That compared with 27 percent of voters in their 60s. For young people, the most important thing is employment. Japan is doing really well in that field, when compared with other countries, said one analyst, Naohiro Yashiro, dean of Showa Women s University s global business department. This is not young people turning more conservative, but wanting to keep the status quo, said Yashiro, an economist who has worked on several government panels. After five years of the prime minister s Abenomics recipe of hyper-easy monetary policy and fiscal spending, Japan s jobless rate stood at a 23-year low of 2.8 percent in August. Among university students who graduated in March, 97.6 percent of those who had sought employment got jobs, a record high. Mikitaka Masuyama, professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, also said young voters preferences had little to do with ideology. My impression is they don t care much about being left or right. They just don t have real alternatives, or other attractive parties, Masuyama said. The poor showing of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), which ruled from 2009 to 2012, haunts the opposition and helps the LDP among younger voters, said Takeshi Kohno, professor at Keio University. Young people are worried about Japan s future given the aging of the population, Kohno said. As the DPJ did so badly before, the LDP or an LDP-led coalition can be viewed as a good choice. The Democratic Party, faced with rock-bottom ratings, has imploded and is running no candidates of its own this time, encouraging its members to run on the slate of Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike s new conservative Party of Hope. | 1 |
4,052 | Republican U.S. Senators Rubio, Lee want boost to child tax credit | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Mike Lee said they want a child tax credit to increase to $2,000 in a Senate tax bill unveiled on Thursday. “While we are glad to see an increase to the child tax credit, like the House bill, it is simply not enough for working families,” Rubio and Lee said in a joint statement. The Senate bill would raise the child tax credit to $1,650 from $1,000 currently. | 1 |
4,053 | Turkey's Erdogan says ready to support Iraq reopening oil pipeline | ANKARA (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday Turkey was ready to give all support to Baghdad as it seeks to reopen a crude oil pipeline from the Kirkuk oilfields to Turkey, through which Iraq stopped sending oil in 2014. In a statement to media after meeting Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Erdogan said they discussed what political, military and economic steps they could take after what he called the illegitimate Iraqi Kurdish referendum last month. | 1 |
4,054 | White House says Obama will not discuss FBI probe with Clinton | ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will not speak with Hillary Clinton about the FBI’s investigation of Clinton’s use of private email servers while secretary of state, the White House said on Tuesday. “The president all along has believed that it is important for the Department of Justice to conduct their investigation free from any sort of perceived influence of the White House or anyone else in the federal government,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. Obama and Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, are traveling together on Air Force One to North Carolina on Tuesday for their first joint campaign rally for the 2016 election. | 1 |
4,055 | Kuwait orders North Korea's ambassador to leave within a month | KUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwait has ordered North Korea s ambassador to leave within a month as the Gulf country downgraded diplomatic relations with Pyongyang, a North Korean diplomat in the Gulf region said on Sunday. The United Nations Security Council imposed new sanctions after North Korea s sixth and largest nuclear test this month, and the United States called on countries to sever diplomatic and financial ties with it. The diplomat, who asked not to be named, told Reuters the ambassador, So Chang Sik, will leave following Kuwait s decision to downgrade the North Korean diplomatic representation to charge d affaires level. However, Chang Sik was planning to leave at the end of September because he has ended his term, the diplomat added. Kuwaiti officials did not immediately respond when asked to comment. Kuwait, where around 3,000 North Koreans live, has been hosting North Korea s sole diplomatic mission in the Gulf region. Kuwait s announcement comes after U.S. President Trump met with the Gulf state s ruler in Washington earlier this month. Last month the Gulf country stopped direct flights to and from Pyongyang as well as halting entrance visas and commercial licenses, state news agency KUNA reported, citing an official at the foreign ministry. The Kuwait foreign ministry said at the time it was committed to implementing Security Council resolutions on North Korea, adding that it had stopped loans to the Asian state, banned imports and cut the numbers of its diplomats in the country. | 1 |
4,056 | At least three dead, scores rescued off Greek islands as arrivals rise | ATHENS (Reuters) - Three people drowned, at least six were missing and scores of others were rescued in three separate incidents of migrants trying to reach Greece across the Aegean Sea early Friday. Greek authorities recovered the body of a woman and searched for more people missing after a wooden boat carrying migrants sank off Kalymnos island, close to the Turkish coast. Fifteen people, 10 men, four women and a child, were rescued, and Greek coastguard vessels were searching for another six to eight people missing, a Greek coastguard official said. The Turkish coastguard said it recovered another two bodies on its side of the maritime border, and that the boat was carrying 27 people. Rescue operations in Turkish waters were ongoing, it said. The departure point of the boat and the nationality of those on board was not immediately clear. Separately, Greece rescued 127 migrants and refugees off Chios island on board two boats in distress earlier on Friday, the coastguard said. Arrivals of refugees and migrants to Greece, which shares a long sea border with Turkey, have increased in recent months, but not on the scale of mass arrivals in 2015. Nearly 148,100 refugees and migrants have crossed to Greece from Turkey this year - a fraction of the nearly 1 million arrivals in 2015 - but arrivals have increased in recent months. An average 214 people arrived daily in September, compared with 156 in August and 87 in July, Greece s migration minister, Yannis Mouzalas, said on Wednesday. About 60,000 refugees and migrants, mostly Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis, have been stranded in Greece after border closures in the Balkans halted the onward journey many planned to take to central and western Europe. | 1 |
4,057 | Todd Palin in intensive care after snowmobile accident, wife says | (Reuters) - Former U.S. vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin on Tuesday said her husband is still in the intensive care unit of an Alaska hospital with multiple injuries, including broken bones and a collapsed lung, two days after a serious snowmobile accident. Todd Palin, 51, suffered multiple broken ribs, a broken shoulder blade and clavicle, as well as knee and leg injuries. He was back in surgery to repair several fractures, Sarah Palin said in a statement on social media on Tuesday. “Knowing Todd, once he’s cognizant, he’ll probably ask docs to duct tape him up and he’ll call it good,” she said. “He’s tough.” An attorney for Sarah Palin declined to comment. A representative for the hospital where Todd Palin is said to be receiving treatment could not be reached. The accident on Sunday forced Sarah Palin to cut short a campaign trip for Donald Trump, the front-runner in the race for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination. Palin, who has endorsed Trump, had been scheduled to campaign for him on Monday in The Villages, a central Florida retirement community of more than 100,000 residents which has its own newspaper and radio station. Florida is one of five states holding nominating contests on Tuesday for the Nov. 8 general election. Trump campaign officials said Palin, 52, was returning to Alaska to be with her husband and they looked forward to her return to the campaign trail soon. Sarah Palin was Republican Senator John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 presidential election won by Democrat Barack Obama. | 1 |
4,058 | Egypt blocks Human Rights Watch website amid widespread media blockade | CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt has blocked the website of Human Rights Watch just one day after the organization released a report on systematic torture in the country s jails. Reuters attempted to access the website late on Thursday but was unsuccessful. Egyptian authorities keep insisting that any incidents of torture are isolated crimes by bad officers acting alone, but the Human Rights Watch report proves otherwise, Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said on Thursday. The report titled We Do Unreasonable Things Here , based on the accounts of 19 former detainees and the family of another, claimed Egyptian authorities used arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and torture. Rather than address the torture crisis in Egypt, the authorities have blocked access to a report that documents what many Egyptians and others living there already know. Egypt s foreign ministry lambasted the report in a statement on Wednesday, saying it defamed the country and ignored progress made on human rights in recent years. The report ... is a new episode in a series of deliberate defamation by such organization, whose politicized agenda and biases are well known and reflect the interests of the entities and countries sponsoring it, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid. Egypt first blocked access to a number of news websites including Al Jazeera and Huffington Post Arabic in May after similar actions by its Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. But since, hundreds of other news sites and blogs have been wiped from Egyptian screens with the most recent count according to the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression, a non-government organization tracking the affected sites through software that monitors outages, at 424. Journalists see the campaign against them as a step toward banning all but the most state-aligned media, effectively reversing the private media boom that flourished in the final decade of former president Hosni Mubarak s rule and which they say helped push him from power in 2011. The government has offered no comment on the reason behind the blockages. | 1 |
4,059 | London Mayor Demands UK Cancel Trump’s State Visit After His Deranged Post-Attack Meltdown | Trump picked a petty, embarrassing fight with the Mayor of London after a terror attack rocked the British capital now Mayor Sadiq Khan just finished it.In an unprecedented demand, Mayor Khan asked the British government to cancel Trump s planned state visit in response to the way he treated the United Kingdom in the aftermath of a terror attack. Trump had made headlines the world over when he quickly jumped on the tragedy in London to push for his Muslim ban, scare people, and repeatedly smear the Mayor of London (who, it s no coincidence, happens to be Muslim).At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is "no reason to be alarmed!" Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2017Pathetic excuse by London Mayor Sadiq Khan who had to think fast on his "no reason to be alarmed" statement. MSM is working hard to sell it! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2017The attacks were complete lies. (Trump may very well be the first president to ever be sued for libel.) The London Mayor has been praised both in England and across the globe for his measured and competent response to the attacks on his city.On Monday, Trump s chief flack Sarah Huckabee claimed Trump had not taken Khan s remarks out of context despite that being exactly what had happened. No apology was issued.Due to this and Trump s other unhinged ranting about London, Mayor Khan said it was time for the British government to stand up to this behavior.Appearing on Channel 4 News on Monday evening, Khan said Trump was wrong about many things and that his state visit should not go ahead. I don t think we should roll out the red carpet to the president of the USA in the circumstances where his policies go against everything we stand for, he said. When you have a special relationship it is no different from when you have got a close mate. You stand with them in times of adversity but you call them out when they are wrong. There are many things about which Donald Trump is wrong. One of the ways Trump is wrong is in his use of a terror attack in London to promote his Muslim ban. Foreign policy experts have repeatedly warned that barring Muslims from immigrating or visiting the United States is not only unethical and unconstitutional, but it actually hurts the military s ability to combat terrorism at home and abroad.Conservative British Prime Minister Theresa May seemed to suggest Trump was out of line in attacking London s mayor. (She stopped short of naming Trump personally, which has infuriated many in the country.) You just praised the work that Sadiq Khan has been doing as mayor, another reporter asked. Donald Trump responded to the attack by mocking Sadiq Khan. Would a period of silence on his part now be welcome? As I ve said, I m very clear that I m very clear that Sadiq is doing a good job as mayor of London, she said before moving on.England by-and-large hates Trump. In one recent poll, just 18 percent of the British public said they approved of Trump. In parliament, in yet another first, the country s top politicians held a debate to argue whether Trump should be barred entry into the UK entirely due to his well-documented bigoted views. The vote eventually went in favor of letting him come, but even many conservative politicians admitted it was mostly because banning the sitting president of the United States would be a bad diplomatic move.Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images | 0 |
4,060 | CHICAGO AREA SCHOOLS REPLACING BOOKS BY WHITE MALE AUTHORS With Books That Are “more culturally relevant” | Because books written by authors like Ernest Hemingway, William Shakespeare, Mark Twain and John Steinbeck are so-o-o-o overrated and so culturally irrelevant Chicago area schools are replacing white male authors on student reading lists with minority and women authors who delve into themes like power, justice, humanity and social responsibility. I think yes, book lists in schools are sexist, but I don t think it s the school s fault, senior Sarah Eiden told the Gapers Block Book Club blog. I think it s because we still think good literature is only written by white males, which simply isn t true. I do see though that teachers are trying to change that. New Trier High School English teacher Scott Campbell is among them. When we think about summer reading books or adding a new book to a course, we re often looking for woman or people of color, he told the site.It s some teachers way of countering the prevalence of white male authors who penned classics like The Great Gatsby, Lord of the Flies, The Catcher in the Rye and Of Mice and Men, Campbell said. Women a hundred or so years ago were not encouraged or expected that they might write, so we re left with literature that seems unbalanced and institutionalized, almost in the way we talk about racism, he said. Women haven t been championed as writers generally, Campbell said. This is just one of the after-effects of male domination. John Hancock College Prep English teacher and curriculum coordinator Natalie Garfield seems to share Campbell s perspective.She hunts out books that are more culturally relevant to students at the school than classic books written by white male authors. At the end of their high school career, a kid can pick up any new book and potentially have been exposed to anything like it based on the wide spectrum of texts we offer here, Garfield told Gapers Block. (You) make changes and reflect the times and kids in front of you. Those changes include books like The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is actually a fictionalized story about a 14-year-old Native American teen that attends a mostly white high school with themes of alcoholism, sexuality, violence and bullying, according to the blog.Other titles like Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A. focuses on gang life, unemployment, drug addiction, incarceration and suicide. But in the end, it s a positive, uplifting story of a man who realizes his potential as a Chicano activist and artist and manages to turn his life around, Gapers Block reports. This book gives readers a raw look at what it meant to be Latino in Los Angeles during the 80s and how community involvement can truly impact marginalized groups. Some student told the site they appreciate that teachers are catering reading lists to their culture by replacing books written by white male authors with minority-penned prose.Hancock senior Lisseth Perez said books on Hispanics offered in the past are from a white person s perspective. We come from a Hispanic culture, but enven when they give us Hispanic books, it s more like, just Hispanic people trying to fit into a white community, Perez said. It s the same book over and over: Hispanic kid wants to go into the white community and not get looked down upon. It s the same story with women, Hancock junior Sandra Rodriquez told Gapers Block. These books just talk about men and men and men. And they never actually show women actually doing something, she griped. You have to read something you feel good about. Via: EAG News | 0 |
4,061 | Pope urges respect for human rights in Myanmar, avoids 'Rohingya' row | NAYPYITAW (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Tuesday urged the leaders of majority-Buddhist Myanmar, mired in a crisis over the fate of Muslim Rohingya people, to commit themselves to justice, human rights and respect for each ethnic group and its identity . The pope avoided a diplomatic backlash by not using the highly charged term Rohingya in his addresses to officials, including leader Aung San Suu Kyi. However, his words were applicable to members of the beleaguered minority, who Myanmar does not recognize as citizens or as members of a distinct ethnic group. More than 620,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh - where the pope heads on Thursday - since the end of August, escaping from a military crackdown that Washington has said included horrendous atrocities aimed at ethnic cleansing . Francis made his comments in Naypyitaw, the country s capital, where he was received by Suu Kyi, the Nobel peace laureate and champion of democracy who has faced international criticism for expressing doubts about the reports of rights abuses against the Rohingya and failing to condemn the military. The future of Myanmar must be peace, a peace based on respect for the dignity and rights of each member of society, respect for each ethnic group and its identity, respect for the rule of law, and respect for a democratic order that enables each individual and every group none excluded to offer its legitimate contribution to the common good, he said. Myanmar rejects the term Rohingya and its use, with most people instead referring to the Muslim minority in Rakhine state as illegal migrants from neighboring Bangladesh. The pope had used the word Rohingya in two appeals from the Vatican this year. But before the diplomatically risky trip, the pope s own advisers recommended that he not use it in Myanmar, lest he set off a diplomatic incident that could turn the country s military and government against minority Christians. Human rights groups such as Amnesty International, which has accused the army of crimes against humanity , had urged him to utter it. A hardline group of Buddhist monks warned on Monday - without elaborating - that there would be a response if he spoke openly about the Rohingya. Richard Horsey, a former U.N. official and analyst based in Yangon, said the pope s speech was very cautiously worded and crafted to avoid antagonizing local audiences . He has clearly taken the advice of his cardinals to avoid weighing in too heavily on the Rohingya crisis, but he certainly alludes to it with a message in his speech on some of the specific points that he makes, Horsey said. Vatican sources say some in the Holy See believe the trip was decided too hastily after full diplomatic ties were established in May during a visit by Suu Kyi. The pope met privately with Suu Kyi at the presidential palace in this sparsely populated town that became the capital in 2006, and then they both made public addresses at a conference center. Suu Kyi said in her speech that there had been an erosion of trust and understanding between communities of Rakhine state, but did not refer to the Rohingya. Francis, speaking in Italian, said that as it emerged from nearly 50 years of military rule, Myanmar needed to heal the wounds of the past. He called for a just, reconciled and inclusive social order , adding that the arduous process of peacebuilding and national reconciliation can only advance through a commitment to justice and respect for human rights . Myanmar s army, whose leaders the pope met on Monday, has been battling various autonomy-seeking ethnic minority guerrillas for decades. The military has denied the accusations of murder, rape, torture and forced displacement of the Rohingya that have been made against it. The Rohingya exodus from Rakhine state began after Aug. 25, when Rohingya militants attacked security posts and the Myanmar army launched a counter-offensive. Referring to the country s communal tensions, Francis said religious differences need not be a source of division and distrust, but rather a force for unity, forgiveness, tolerance and wise nation-building . He made the same point at an earlier meeting with leaders of the Buddhist, Islamic, Hindu, Jewish and Christian faiths in Yangon, where he called for unity in diversity . Aye Lwin, a prominent Muslim leader who was at the interfaith meeting, told Reuters he had asked the pope to appeal to Myanmar s political leaders to rescue the religion that we cherish, which could be hijacked by a hidden agenda . Only about 700,000 of Myanmar s 51 million people are Roman Catholic. Thousands of them have traveled from far and wide to see him and more than 150,000 people have registered for a mass that Francis will say in Yangon on Wednesday. Francis is expected to meet a group of Rohingya refugees in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, on the second leg of his trip. | 1 |
4,062 | Under scrutiny, Trump decides to dissolve his foundation | (Reuters) - U.S President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday he intends to dissolve his charitable foundation, the Donald J. Trump Foundation, which has been under investigation by the New York attorney general. Trump gave no timeline for winding down the foundation, but said in a statement that he wanted “to avoid even the appearance of any conflict with my role as President.” He directed his counsel to take the necessary steps for the dissolution. With less than four weeks to his Jan. 20 inauguration, the New York real estate magnate is under increasing pressure to reduce potential conflicts of interest ranging from his vast global business operations to his family’s philanthropic work. This week, Trump said his son Eric would stop raising money for his own foundation over concerns that donors could be seen as buying access to the Trump family. The president-elect said it was a “ridiculous shame” that his son’s foundation would stop raising money. Before Trump’s surprising election victory on Nov. 8, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in October directed the Donald J. Trump Foundation to stop taking donations, saying the foundation violated state law requiring charitable organizations that solicit outside donations to register with a state office. Schneiderman’s order followed a series of reports in The Washington Post that suggested improprieties by the foundation, including using its funds to settle legal disputes involving Trump businesses. A spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office said on Saturday that Trump cannot shutter the foundation while the investigation is ongoing. “The Trump Foundation is still under investigation by this office and cannot legally dissolve until that investigation is complete,” spokeswoman Amy Spitalnick said. She would not comment on expected timing for completing the investigation. Trump said he was “very proud” of the money raised by the foundation and said it had operated at “essentially no cost for decades.” “But because I will be devoting so much time and energy to the Presidency and solving the many problems facing our country and the world,” he added in his statement, “I don’t want to allow good work to be associated with a possible conflict of interest.” The Trump Foundation, which was established in 1988, runs no programs of its own. Instead, it donates to other nonprofit groups such as the Police Athletic League for youths. Scrutiny of the Trump family’s philanthropic activities heightened in recent weeks following reports of access to the family for potential donors. Eric Trump faced criticism for an online auction sponsored by his foundation, which raises money to help terminally ill children at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, offering the highest bidder a chance to have coffee with his sister Ivanka. After the announcement that Eric would not be allowed to raise money for his foundation, Trump tweeted: “He loves these kids, has raised millions of dollars for them, and now must stop. Wrong answer!” Trump’s critics, however, remembered how the president-elect had attacked his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, over their family foundation. In August, Trump urged the Justice Department to investigate the Clinton Foundation, which he called a “pay-to-play” operation that rewarded big donors with favors from the State Department while Clinton was secretary of state. Eric Trump and his brother Donald Trump Jr. also came under fire this week for their role in a post-inauguration charity event that offered a private reception with their father in exchange for a $1 million donation. The brothers were listed on a draft invitation as honorary co-chairmen of the fundraiser for conservation charities, dubbed “Opening Day,” set to be held in Washington the day after the Jan. 20 inauguration. On Tuesday, the Trump transition team said Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump were not involved with the fundraiser and a subsequent invitation dropped references to donors meeting with any members of the Trump family. | 1 |
4,063 | Seven killed by car bomb explosion in Mogadishu: police | MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Seven people were killed when a car bomb exploded near a bus stop in a district of Somalia s capital Mogadishu on Thursday, police said. It was not yet clear who had carried out the bombing. The Islamist group al Shabaab has frequently carried out bombings in Mogadishu and other towns, seeking to destabilize the western-allied central government. I have counted seven dead bodies of civilians, Major Nur Hussein, a police officer, told Reuters by phone. He said the car exploded just as a minibus carrying civilians was passing by. The death toll was likely to rise, he said. A Reuters witness at the scene said he saw at least three dead bodies and a damaged minibus with blood stains on it. | 1 |
4,064 | Black Trump Adviser: Staff Doesn’t Care About Reaching Out To Black Voters | It s no secret that Team Trump has a problem with minorities and that is putting it kindly. Despite Trump s recent attempts to fake caring about black people by speaking to black voters in a mostly white Wisconsin suburb, it couldn t be more clear that it s all just an attempt to save face. Well, now, one black Trump adviser has actually admitted what we already knew: the Trump camp couldn t give two shits about minority outreach.Sean Jackson leads the Black Republican Caucus of Florida, and somehow he thinks that Trump actually likes black people. Jackson actually blames Trump s campaign staff rather than the Great Orange Racist himself for the abysmal polling results when it comes to African American voters. Jackson says: Mr. Trump really does have a sincere, passionate interest in black outreach, but his campaign staff has dropped the ball. I have been saying repeatedly that you cannot go into a black community in the ninth hour of a campaign and ask them to vote for a GOP candidate. The party has done a piss-poor job of courting the black vote over 50 years. So you have to have more vested interest in time and in your financial effort for the whole campaign, not just in the last 100 days. Well, Mr. Jackson, you got one thing right here: The GOP HAS done a piss poor job of reaching out to black voters for decades. There s a reason for that, though: the party is full of racists. That s just the truth, but being a black Republican yourself, I suppose that you either refuse to see or choose to overlook that fact. Just a couple of examples, to remind you. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise is the number three ranking Republican in the House of Representatives. He also once bragged to a reporter that he is, quote, David Duke without the baggage. Then you have Rep. Steve King, who literally floated white supremacist theories on live television during convention coverage. And that s just TWO examples. We won t even get started on just how racist The Donald himself is.Wake up, man Donald Trump and the GOP don t give a damn about black people. They just want our votes, and you ve fallen for their line of bullshit hook, line, and sinker.Featured image via Ralph Freso/Getty Images | 0 |
4,065 | Balkan leaders back Serbia's bid to join European Union | SOFIA (Reuters) - The prime ministers of Bulgaria, Greece and Romania gave their support to their Balkan neighbor Serbia s bid to join the European Union on Tuesday, saying the integration of the western Balkans would guarantee regional peace and stability. Serbia, which in the 1990s was seen as pariah of Western Balkans for its central role in wars that followed the collapse of Yugoslavia, expects to complete negotiations on EU membership by 2019. All of us know that the natural place of Serbia is in the European Union, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said after a four-party summit in the Black Sea city of Varna with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Romanian Prime Minister Mihai Tudose and Serbian President Alexander Vucic. Borissov said that the three EU members would work to speed up the process to the advantage of peace and stability in the Balkans and Europe generally. Bulgaria takes over the rotating six-month EU presidency in January while Romania will take over in 2019. Many Serbs, however, remain skeptical about joining the bloc and view Western European countries as outspoken advocates of the 1999 NATO bombing to halt the killing and expulsion of ethnic Albanians in the former province of Kosovo, in which thousands of civilians had been killed. Vucic accused the European Union of using double standards by refusing to accept the Catalan independence referendum while largely welcoming a separate Kosovo. We support Spain, it is our friendly country, said Vucic. But the European Commission responded in a different way (over Kosovo) and it was against my people and my state. Kosovo s declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008 was accepted by Washington and most EU states, but rejected by Belgrade and its allies. Kosovo gained independence without even holding a referendum but Catalonia ... cannot get anything like that, Vucic said. Sometimes, we, the Serbs, are asking ourselves why we should have been the victim of double standards? Serbia s position on Kosovo has been one of the main stumbling blocks in its own bid to join the European Union. Brussels has said it needs to improve relations with the authorities in Pristina and stop trying to block their efforts to join international bodies. | 1 |
4,066 | Exclusive: China curbs tourism to North Korea ahead of Trump visit - sources | BEIJING/SEOUL (Reuters) - Chinese tour operators based in the border city of Dandong have been told to halt trips to the North Korean capital Pyongyang, five sources told Reuters on Tuesday, the day before U.S. President Donald Trump s first official visit to China. Chinese President Xi Jinping will host Trump in Beijing on Wednesday, with North Korea s development of nuclear weapons expected to top their agenda. The United States has been pressuring China to do more to rein in its neighbor and ally. Tourism is one of the few remaining ways North Korea earns hard currency, as the United Nations has ramped up sanctions on the country over the past year, curbing key export industries including coal, seafood and textiles. It was very unexpected, we had no idea this was going to happen until we received the notification today, said a Chinese tour operator who runs trips to North Korea out of Dandong. This is devastating news for us, he said, adding the order had come from the Dandong Tourism Bureau. The sources Reuters interviewed for this story all requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. The Dandong Tourism Bureau was not immediately reachable for comment late on Tuesday. China s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent after working hours on Tuesday night. Most tour companies that take Chinese tourists to North Korea are based in Dandong, the main trading hub on the Chinese side of the border. Dandong-based tour companies were told on Tuesday that, as of Wednesday, they were only permitted to run one-day tours to Sinuiju, the North Korean city opposite Dandong, which is a popular destination for Chinese tourists making day trips. Longer trips to Pyongyang and other parts of North Korea were banned until further notice, the sources said. Many Chinese tour operators run three-day or longer tours inside the world s most isolated country. The sources said the government had not given any official explanation for the changes. It s low season right now, but that s unlikely to be the reason, said another Dandong-based tourism source. It s much more likely to be connected to increasing sanctions against North Korea. We ll have to wait and see what happens once Trump leaves China. Maybe they will loosen the rules but it s very hard to say. This is all connected to the growing tensions. Earlier this year, the United States banned its citizens from visiting North Korea after American college student Otto Warmbier died shortly after returning to the United States in a coma following more than a year in captivity in North Korea. He had been detained during a tour there. The Korea Maritime Institute, a think-tank in the South, estimates that tourism generates about $44 million in annual revenue for North Korea. About 80 percent of all North Korea s foreign tourists are Chinese, it says. China said more than 237,000 Chinese visited in 2012, but it stopped publishing the statistics in 2013. The order does not appear to affect North Korea-focused tour operators based elsewhere. We didn t receive any notice to halt trips to North Korea, said Rubio Chan of GLO Travel, a Hong Kong-based tour company which takes tourists to North Korea. But that may be because we are based out of Hong Kong and we work directly with our partners in Pyongyang. | 1 |
4,067 | BREAKING! INVESTIGATION: Hillary Clinton Did NOT Comply With Records Rules | Was Hillary Clinton negligent or was she doing this on purpose? Either way, it s a really bad situation and gives more fodder for the Trump campaign. Keep at it!The State Department inspector general concluded that Hillary Clinton did not comply with the agency s policies on records, according to a report released to lawmakers on Wednesday that also revealed that Clinton and her top aides chose not to cooperate with the review.The agency on Wednesday released the long-awaited report to Capitol Hill, copy of which was obtained by POLITICO, providing just the latest turn in the headache-inducing saga that has dogged Clinton s campaign.While the report concludes that the agency suffers from longstanding, systemic weaknesses with records that go well beyond the tenure of any one Secretary of State, it specifically dings Clinton for her exclusive use of private email.The watchdog s findings could exact further damage to Clinton s campaign, and they provide fresh fodder for Trump, who has already said he will go after Clinton for the email scandal bigly. The Democratic frontrunner s bid for the White House has already been hindered by high unfavorability ratings, with people saying they don t trust her. The report represents the latest pushback in this case by a nonpartisan government entity against her campaign s claim that she did not break any rules and that her use of a private server was completely allowed. The report also details how some technology staff said they were instructed to not talk of Clinton s email set-up after they raised concerns about the unusual arrangement. It also includes conflicting information about whether the private email server had been approved by the State Department s legal staff. Read more: POLITICO | 0 |
4,068 | Active Shooter Drill Suddenly ‘Goes Live’ at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland | SEE ALSO: 21WIRE calls out US media for hyping fake Active Shooter event at Andrews BaseDaily Shooter 21st Century WireWashington DC area was put on high alert today following reports of an Active Shooter a Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, home of the president s Air Force One private jet.The base has been placed on lock-down and first responders are on-scene following a report of an active shooter at the Malcolm Grow Medical Facility located on Andrews.Authorities have instructed all personnel continue to shelter in place. JBA is currently on lockdown due to a report of an active shooter. All personnel are directed to shelter in place. More info as it comes. Joint Base Andrews (@JBA_NAFW) June 30, 2016There s only one problem with this story: we also learned that the base had planned a no-notice Active Shooter Exercise scheduled for 9 am this morning, and as if by some amazing coincidence, during exercise, local first responders received emergency calls about a real world active shooter on the base. Still, this hasn t stopped flippant news anchors and expert analysts from US media outlets like CNN and FOX News from going into media-siege mode, and treating the event as if it were a real active shooter event and injecting addition, unnecessary fear in the public discourse this morning.If one follows the inter-agency security protocols for a security exercise such as this, it would play out more or less exactly as it has today thus far, as evidenced by announcements by what other law enforcement and emergency services are saying.NBC News local affiliate adds here: Fort Belvoir in Virginia says it is increasing its security posture in response to the incident at Joint Base Andrews. It has advised its personnel to stay clear of Joint Base Andrews. Last month Andrews had another active event, in what apparently turned-out to be a non-threat. Last month, Joint Base Andrews was placed on lockdown after a woman walked onto the base and claimed she had a bomb. An Explosive Ordinance Disposal team found the woman had no explosives, and she was apprehended. The only question left now is: is this a real active shooter situation, or is this merely another example of a drill gone live ?UPDATE 11:15AM ET: [Yes, we called it before authorities finally admitted it was only drill ] JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. Andrews Air Force Base is all clear after a lock-down Thursday morning, amid confusion during an active shooter drill, according to a law enforcement official. According to a public information officer in the Washington office, the reason for this is because of the confusion over reports of a drill or an actual incident. The FBI field offices let security on Joint Base Andrews sort out the confusion. (FOX6 NOW) Joint Base Andrews was locked down just after 9 a.m. after someone mistook an active shooter drill for the real thing, senior law enforcement officials told NBC News. All personnel were directed to shelter in place, said NBC News."All Clear." The lock down on base has been lifted Joint Base Andrews (@JBA_NAFW) June 30, 2016SEE ALSO: TROUBLE IN THE HOMELAND: Chattanooga s Made-for-TV PsychodramaREAD MORE DAILY SHOOTER NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Daily Shooter FilesSupport our work and Become a Member @ 21WIRE.TV | 0 |
4,069 | Turkey should follow West's lead on rights: author Orhan Pamuk | (Reuters) - Turkey under President Tayyip Erdogan needs more Westernization, and not less, to bolster dwindling free speech rights and a wobbly democracy, Nobel Prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk said on Tuesday. Pamuk, 65, also said in an online chat in the Reuters Global Markets Forum that he laments much modernization and saw his stories, including his 10th novel published last year, The Red-Haired Woman as focused on the personal costs people pay for discarding traditions in the rush to adapt to the ways of 21st century. The following are edited excerpts: Question: Is Turkey, often described as a bridge between West and East, becoming too Westernized? Answer: The lack of free speech is so grave that we definitely need to be more friendly with the West and Europe. I am not worried about too much Westernization, especially in these days when government is trying to push us away from Western values. Q: Do you see gentrification in Istanbul and other Western influence in Turkey as threats or positives to Turkey s identity? A: I actually do not want to bring East and West together. I essentially want to write poetic, literary observations about the lives of the people in and around Istanbul. And since Istanbul is made up of things from the West, and modernity, and also things that come from traditional cultures, and East, readers think my intention is to bridge them. Actually, there are things from East and West that are already harmoniously together in Istanbul. All I do is invent stories about them. Q: How is that theme in The Red Haired Woman ? A: My main character carries the weight of having an idealist political father, while he is more busy with making money. I have many friends like that ... They are troubled by moral issues like the ones I discussed in this book. Individuality versus belonging to community ... Or economic development and comforts of modernity versus preserving the past than the old architecture and culture. My books are always about how to be modern without losing your identity. Q: It is Nobel award season. How did your win in 2006 affect you? A: My books were already translated to 46 languages before I won the Nobel prize. Now my books are translated into 63 languages. The prize may have helped. It definitely brought me new readers and some diplomatic responsibility of representing my country. | 1 |
4,070 | North Carolina’s Religious Freedom Law Is About To Cost The State BILLIONS | North Carolina Republicans just would not listen when everyone kept telling them not to re-legalize discrimination by passing its hateful religious freedom law. Now they are going to be paying a huge price literally as you will see below.The Obama Administration is stepping in this time and has given the state s Republican legislature an ultimatum: Repeal the law or We pull billions of dollars in federal aid from your state.In a way, this should be a wonderful thing for Republicans. They hate the federal government and hate handouts. So, logically thinking, if Obama pulls out billions of dollars that normally funds their roads, schools, and housing assistance programs it will be a great thing for the state. Right?My, how quickly Republicans forget literally all of their ideology when it s something that benefits them. They re actually calling it illegal for the federal government to single out North Carolina for what they call unfavorable treatment. Republicans don t seem to care about the unfavorable treatment they just legalized against their own LGBT citizens. I mean they can only get fired, evicted from their homes, or denied basic things like being able to shop in stores if the owners sincerely believe they are bad people for being LGBT. But that s totally different. Right?There are already costly lawsuits coming in from the passage of the law, and businesses are already threatening to leave the state if they have not done so already. Add all that expense and loss of business and jobs on top of a few billion dollars less from the government. Soon their schools will be closing and roads crumbling with disrepair. The same people who voted these idiots in and supported the law will be crying about how bad it is in their state. But, Jesus will be happy with them. Maybe they can pray for the roads to get fixed.Featured image via camel city dispatch | 0 |
4,071 | Catalan leader casts vote in banned independence referendum | MADRID (Reuters) - Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont cast his ballot in a banned referendum on independence from Spain on Sunday morning, images from TV3 television channel showed. He voted in the village of Cornella del Terri in the province of Girona, the regional government said, not in the village originally planned where police broke down the door of the voting station. | 1 |
4,072 | Ireland set for December election if crisis not averted by Tuesday -PM | DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Friday he would not seek the resignation of his deputy prime minister, as sought by the party propping up his government, and would be forced to call an election if that demand was not withdrawn by Tuesday. I think if we don t resolve matters by Tuesday, then there will be a motion of no confidence in the Tanaiste (deputy prime minister) and, if the opposition come together to remove the Tanaiste, then we will be into an election at that point, Varadkar told the national broadcaster RTE. | 1 |
4,073 | Democrats Chant Warning To GOP As Trumpcare Passes: Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye! (VIDEO) | Alleged president Donald Trump is throwing a party for House Republicans after passing the worst healthcare plan imaginable to replace Obamacare while sticking a knife in the back of the middle class. Republicans had eight years to come up with a viable alternative, but instead, the ACHA will raise pregnancy costs by 425 percent, and the top two percent will be gifted with a trillion dollar tax cut and that will be paid for by the bottom 40 percent. Fiscally conservative Republicans don t seem to care what Trumpcare will cost the taxpayers. They refused to wait for the CBO scores to find out.Twenty Republicans in total broke with their party and voted against the bill which will strip health care from 24 million Americans.Democrats had a message for House Republicans who voted to let this travesty of a health care plan pass. They taunted Republicans by chanting, Na na na na, Na na na na, Hey hey hey, Goodbye! Watch:Here's the video: House Dems singing "Na na na na, Na na na na, Hey hey hey, Goodbye to Repubs following the health care vote via @MSNBC pic.twitter.com/nnQ5kc8HEp Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 4, 2017Every single Republican who voted for Trumpcare will now have a well-deserved target on their backs.Trumpcare would cut Medicaid by $880 billion, or 25 percent, over 10 years and impose a per-capita cap on funding for certain groups of people, such as children and the elderly, according to the New York Times.People with pre-existing conditions will see their premiums explode. The elderly, people with cancer, diabetes, asthma, etc, will see a surge in their premiums. Having healthcare will no longer be affordable. Obamacare had issues but it was fixable and those with pre-existing conditions were covered.Trump supporters will be largely affected by the repeal of Obamacare and some of them are waking up to that inconvenient fact.I voted for Trump, dear god I wish I could take my vote back. To the entire world I apologize #VoteNoAHCA John Bush (@JohnJBush5) May 4, 2017Republican voters were warned that this would happen. Trump told them he would repeal Obamacare. Democrats warned them, too.Image via screen capture | 0 |
4,074 | Texas cuts funding to Travis County over 'sanctuary city' policy | (Reuters) - Texas Governor Greg Abbott made good on his promise to cut $1.5 million in grant money to Travis County after the county sheriff said she would limit her department’s cooperation with federal immigration officers, county officials said on Wednesday. Travis County includes the Texas capital Austin, which is a so-called “sanctuary city”. Abbott spokeswoman Ciara Matthews said the money that would be withheld from Travis County is a series of one-time criminal justice grants totaling $1.8 million. About $300,000 of that has already been spent, but she said the governor would not try to claw back that money. Sanctuary cities in general offer safe harbor to illegal immigrants and often do not use municipal funds or resources to advance the enforcement of federal immigration laws. Sanctuary city is not an official designation. In January, newly elected Sheriff Sally Hernandez said in a statement on the Sheriff’s Office website that she was “following all state and federal laws, and upholding constitutional rights to due process for all in our criminal justice system. Our community is safer when people can report crimes without fear of deportation.” In a Jan. 20 memo seen by Reuters, her office said it would make an exception for people charged with serious crimes like murder, aggravated sexual assault, or human smuggling. Hernandez was not available to comment on Wednesday. Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt, who manages the county’s budget, said on Wednesday that Hernandez’s directive does not violate state or federal law. “Any of the 254 sheriffs across the state of Texas has discretion to decide whether or not to put their resources toward assisting federal immigration enforcement,” she said in a press conference that was webcast. “I will do everything I can to protect revenue sources. I believe it is foolhardy for the state to starve itself by starving its own programs,” she said. In a letter to Hernandez in January, Abbott said her position was “not a pronouncement of sound public policy; it is a dangerous game of political Russian roulette – with the lives of Texans at stake.” Abbott has voiced strong support for proposed legislation in Texas that would penalize sanctuary cities. On Tuesday, San Francisco, another sanctuary city, filed a lawsuit challenging a Jan. 25 executive order by President Donald Trump directing the U.S. government to withhold money from cities that have adopted sanctuary policies toward illegal immigrants. The lawsuit marked the first court challenge over the sanctuary order. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Denver, Washington and Seattle, in addition to San Francisco, offer forms of protection to illegal immigrants, and billions of dollars in federal aid to those cities could be at risk. | 1 |
4,075 | BUMBLING BILL CLINTON Manages To Insult Poland And Hungary [Video] | The Clinton Campaign just managed to commit the biggest blunder of the presidential race yet! Bill needs a hobby! He s not helping Hillary on the campaign trail. He had a finger wagging moment with some Black Lives Matter folks and now this!The media are protecting the Clinton campaign, as usual. According to the mainstream narrative, voters are supposed to believe that Donald Trump presents a mortal danger to American foreign policy because of a penchant to say stupid and reckless things. Yet it is the Clinton campaign that has said something so outrageous that the prime minister of a faithful ally is demanding an apology, as is the foreign minister of another, and two domestic ethnic voting blocs are up in arms.It all began a week ago yesterday, when Bill Clinton said something outrageous at a Clinton campaign rally in New Jersey:Former US President Bill Clinton said that Poland and Hungary have now decided Democracy is too much trouble, therefore they want Putin-like leadership. The former US President was speaking about the Central European countries to offer some comparison to Republican candidate and Hillary s potential rival Donald Trump. Just give me an authoritarian dictatorship and keep the foreigners out, sound familiar? , Clinton said. Hungary and Poland would not be free today without the United States and the long cold war, he insisted. | 0 |
4,076 | if you dress like an attention whore at work expect to be treated like one | what would you do if you saw two boys of years wrestling their shirts off red and sweaty they have a large group of peers around them cheering eyes wide and knuckles white would you stop them or give the young scraps some advice do you see a violent squabble or boys acting on natural impulses which will better equip them to defend their family and neighbours later in life the answer you give is in large part dependent on your gender so the fact that this scenario would make an increasingly large number of men upset is a sign of a collapsing civilization but nil desperandum western civilization has the solution
mere horseplay
as an early years professional i saw education academics acknowledging the databoys need rough and tumble play for their mental and physical wellbeing but they have no way of encouraging this in institutions where boys are immediately reprimanded for making fingerpistols at each other without saying it directly they thought that the majority female teaching staff for younger age ranges were pushing our boys natural urge to fight like lioncubs underground whats more the boys were made to feel bad about themselves and their very nature
their solution they suggested that more men be encouraged to teach younger children and engage in rough play with them until the late s education was male dominated and boys spent a lot of time with male mentors but of course there has been no effort to bring back that environment instead a compromise between boys being boys and boys being fairy princesses was achievedplaying superheroes
as though female teachers are going to tone down the disapproval as the boys shoot lasers and magic at each other the treacherous political class present only feeble attempts to manage the symptoms of our societal masculinity problem like sticking some tape over the burst pipe of our hemorrhaging testosterone as cultural marxism continues to swing the pickaxe of nthwave feminism at it so its high time we took a few swings back
but first we need to teach our lads how to fight at the age of or viking children were taught the martial art of glima this was not just father and son playfighting boys and occasionally girls already wrestle with friends and family up to that age this was more systematic a group activity
the greeks also taught their boys how to wrestle because our other ancestors could see the big picture the hoplites for example were individualistic free men of all ages who voluntarily came together to practise combat this not only strengthened their communities but also allowed these farmers to fend off the persian empire yet today even isolated expressions of violence in computer games are questioned by sjws nevertheless all the signs are thereour boys are yearning for the same activities practised by their forefathers
at college i started a unofficial fight clubmen only this based in large part on the book and movie of the same name in which the narrators nietzschean alter ego tyler durden describes the bubbling frustration inside the everincreasing number of somethings coming together for underground fights were a generation of men raised by women naturally half the guys in my year were participating within a week but our young boys should be taught how to fight openly and without shame to avoid hidden expressions of violence and maybe even some massshootings by angry loner teens when they are young it is the perfect time to teach them
young lads have no intention of seriously injurying their friends its just good fun and produces healthier attitudes towards violence and confidence in selfdefence and the defence of ones community furthermore a recent study has shown that fighting helps to strengthen peer relationships meaning less bullying and segregation it is interesting to compare the codes of honour of ancient greek wrestling etc with those we intuit as wrestling children
no intentional hitting or kicking no gouging the eyes or biting no going for the balls thats precisely how i used to wrestle with my brothers and friends as a pup it was just obvious if someone took things too far they were ostracised from the fun at least until they calmed down and apologised if someone got hurt we stopped checked whether they were just being a pussy or needed to get themselves mended we kept calm and carried on
were a generation of men raised by women tyler durden
the data are screaming that men havent changed especially our need to practise fighting we still have the same natural impulses but their suppression no their demonisation has made our men weak and submissive so much so many are selfdeprecating betas who believe masculinity is toxic full of white guilt and ashamed of western civilization we have everything to be proud of and need to encourage our boys fighting spirit so they grow some balls some confidence in themselves and their kin thats the spirit which has kept our enemies foreign and domestic at bay for thousands of years and will do the same to cultural marxism malevolent immigrants and anyone else who wants to have a go if we want to turn scrapping boys into men first and gentlemen second we need to organise some fights not break them up
read more a short history on the masculinity of fighting
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4,077 | WATCH: Trump Issues Bizarre Response To Leak Of Groping Audio, And It’s A Total DISASTER (VIDEO) | Donald Trump issued a strange video after midnight on Friday night to address the leaked audio of him making crude jokes about sexually assaulting women. The video, released via his Facebook page had all the appearance of a hostage video, and the actual content was almost as bad.Referencing his comment that he would grab them by the p y and that he was in favor of pushing himself on women and kissing them, Trump said, Anyone who knows me knows these words don t reflect who I am. I said it, I was wrong, and I apologize. He then went on to say, Hillary Clinton and her kind have run our country into the ground, and made the allegation that Bill Clinton has actually abused women. The comments come as condemnations continue to pile up against Trump from his fellow Republicans, and some have also called for him to completely drop out of the race. Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois, stuck in a tight race against Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth, called for Trump to leave the race, as did former New York Governor George Pataki.Other Republicans, while not calling for Trump to drop out, issued condemnations, including Speaker Paul Ryan (who disinvited him from a joint campaign event), Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Marco Rubio, former Governor Jeb Bush, and Senator Kelly Ayotte, among others.Trump was roundly condemned by Hillary Clinton s campaign, and her spokesperson issued a statement: This is horrific. We cannot allow this man to become president. Her running mate, Senator Tim Kaine also responded to Trump s remarks: This kind of behavior is disgusting. It makes me sick to my stomach. Some reports have indicated that senior officials hastily arranged meetings on Friday night to discuss possible scenarios in which Trump would be removed from the ticket. But doing so is nearly impossible at this point, and several states that allow early voting have already had ballots cast.This is unquestionably a disaster for the Republican Party, and Trump s crazed, petulant video does not help.Featured image via screen capture | 0 |
4,078 | Venezuela socialists win Zulia state governorship | CARACAS (Reuters) - The candidate for Venezuela s ruling Socialist Party, Omar Prieto, won the governorship of western Zulia state with 57 percent of the ballots in a rerun of an October vote, election authorities said on Sunday. Turnout for nationwide mayoral elections, also being held on Sunday, was 47 percent, the national election board said. Three major opposition parties were boycotting the polls, alleging the election authorities were biased towards the socialists. | 1 |
4,079 | Trump picks NJ Governor Christie to head transition team | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Monday he has chosen New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a rival turned ally, to lead his White House transition team as he prepares for the general election campaign. “Governor Christie is an extremely knowledgeable and loyal person with the tools and resources to put together an unparalleled Transition Team, one that will be prepared to take over the White House when we win in November,” Trump said in a statement. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee in the Nov. 8 presidential election, said Christie will oversee an “extensive team.” Christie endorsed Trump after dropping out of the 2016 Republican primary race in February and has been campaigning with the New York billionaire. Trump’s campaign said the candidate was moving into a general election mode and “implementing an infrastructure capable of securing a victory including making key hires, building a finance operation to benefit the Republican Party and unifying the party by working with several Republican leaders now voicing their support for Mr. Trump and his candidacy.” | 1 |
4,080 | Bannon Allies: Breitbart Return Imminent, Gear Up For War On Trump’s ‘Democrat White House’ | Prior to being on Donald Trump s campaign, and later his chief strategist, Stephen K. Bannon ran Breitbart news. That particular internet news outlet is known for its promotion of racism, misogyny, anti-Semitism, and other various forms of overt bigotry. They have also always been huge Trump supporters. However, that may be changing now that Bannon is out as Trump s White House Chief Strategist.According to journalist Gabriel Sherman, Breitbart is about to unleash to the full force of far-right media on the Trump Administration. Bannon could be set to return to Breitbart, where he will wage a full-on war on Trump s quote, Democrat White House. Source close to Bannon confirms Bannon expected to return to Breitbart after a WH exit Gabriel Sherman (@gabrielsherman) August 18, 2017Bannon friend says Breitbart ramping up for war against Trump. "It's now a Democrat White House," source says. Gabriel Sherman (@gabrielsherman) August 18, 2017Now, with his racist, xenophobic, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ views, Trump is far from being in line with the mainstream Democratic Party. The fact remains, though, that Trump himself was once a Democrat and that is not ancient history. His own kids couldn t vote for him in the GOP primaries because they forgot to unregister as Democrats and re-register as Republicans. He has given money to top Democrats like Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton. Further, two of Trump s most trusted confidantes, Ivanka and Jared, are huge supporters of traditional Democratic causes, such as LGBTQ rights, climate change action, and women s right to choose.So, we can expect a shift to the left if Trump listens to his daughter and son-in-law with Bannon gone, and therefore we can expect ripe fruit for infighting between right-wing media and the Trump White House. It really does seem as if the GOP made a Faustian deal with their proverbial devil, and they are losing. That s terrible for Trump but great for America.Pop your popcorn folks, and keep watching. This is about to get VERY interesting. Let s just hope the republic survives it.Featured image via Win McNamee/Getty Images | 0 |
4,081 | WATCH: HOLLYWOOD ACTOR SCOTT BAIO…All In For TRUMP: ‘We Need Somebody to Relentlessly Attack Hillary’ | Add one more name to the growing list of celebrities who are brave enough to speak out and risk their careers for the sake their country.Scott Baio has added his name to the list of celebrities who are getting behind Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump.The actor revealed his endorsement of Trump to Fox News Judge Jeanine Pirro on Saturday, calling himself fed up with the Republican party. When asked why he supports Trump, Baio, who identifies as a conservative independent, said Trump communicates with people very well. https://youtu.be/Yxv7rEnf-a0 It s very simple, because when he speaks I understand him, Baio said. He speaks like I speak, he communicates with people very well. I want him, as any one person can do, to go into Washington and blow it up. The Charlies in Charge, Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi actor went on to say that the right needs someone to relentlessly take on democrat Hillary Clinton. They re going to attack whomever the Republican nominee is, he said. We need somebody to relentlessly, relentlessly attack Hillary. It s the only way we re going to win. I m trying to be a classy guy, but to win elections nowadays, the Democrats and liberals attack viciously. Baio also slammed the Republican party, telling Pirro that it lie and conned and B.S.ed him. He s only the latest celebrity voicing support for Trump, joining Ted Nugent, Jon Voight, Kid Rock, Aaron Carter, Willie Robertson and Stephen Baldwin. Meanwhile, stars including Johnny Depp and Louis C.K. have spoken out against him. Via: Variety | 0 |
4,082 | Venezuela's Maduro thanks Putin for support in difficult times | MOSCOW (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for his political and diplomatic support in difficult times. I thank you for all the support, political and diplomatic, in difficult times which we are living through, Maduro told Putin at talks in the Kremlin. I m very thankful for the agreement on grain, it has helped keep consumption in Venezuela stable, Maduro said. | 1 |
4,083 | DEFIANT NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STAFF GOES ROGUE: Mounts Anti-Trump Twitter Campaign | The employees went on twitter to speak about global warming and immigration The Twitter accounts themselves went beyond the official National Park Service accounts. The @AltUSNatParkService account, which calls itself an Unofficial Resistance team of the U.S. National Park Service, has garnered over half a million followers.Climate-related tweets sent out by the official Badlands park account were deleted after they went viral on Twitter, sparking debate over whether the park was defying the Trump administration.YES! THIS IS DEFIANT AND SINCE THE FEDS ARE THEIR EMPLOYER, THEY SHOULD BE FIRED! | 0 |
4,084 | Hillary Clinton Is Officially The Democratic Nominee For President Of The United States | History has been made (once again) in the United States. Hillary Rodham Clinton after decades in public service, has been officially nominated as the first female candidate for President of the United States from a major political party.Sending Secretary Clinton over the 2,383 vote necessary was South Dakota, which awarded 15 delegates to Clinton and 10 to Senator Bernie Sanders, who delivered the acclamation that officially cemented Clinton s nomination.Clinton walked away with 2,838 to Sanders 1,843. Vermont, which had passed, allowed a final tribute to Sanders, before walking off the convention floor.Just 96 years ago, women (some of them) were given the right to vote. It wasn t until 1965 when ALL women were truly given the right to vote, freely and democratically. And today, July 26th 2016, a woman has been nominated to take on a rampant sexist and misogynist.Today is a day America should celebrate.To celebrate this truly historic day, the strongest, most successful women in American politics will speak, including Nancy Pelosi, the first female Speaker of the House, Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood, Barbara Boxer (Senator from California) as well as a plethora of female Representatives such as Lois Frankel and Kathrine Clark, and feminist activist Lena Dunham.Clinton responded on Twitter with a moving tribute dedicated to little girls all across America:This moment is for every little girl who dreams big. #WeMadeHistoryhttps://t.co/DRAJuUUhOr Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 26, 2016Today women all across the country can rejoice in one thing: the highest, hardest glass ceiling has been smashed (sorry Sarah Palin, you didn t make it).Onward to November, where a strong, determined woman will take down a thin skinned, vile xenophobe. Trump has made it his mission to demean anyone (including women) who stand in his way.Hillary Clinton will knock him down, and the door will hit him on the way out.Featured image via Justin Sullivan/Getty Images | 0 |
4,085 | Investor Carl Icahn steps down as adviser to President Trump | (Reuters) - Billionaire investor Carl Icahn ended his role as a special adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday after facing criticism that policy recommendations he offered could help his own investments. Some Democratic lawmakers and biofuels advocates argued that Icahn’s guidance to the Republican administration created a conflict of interest with his businesses, including oil refining company CVR Energy Inc. Icahn has denied any conflict of interest. Icahn’s departure followed a flurry of changes at the White House. Trump on Friday fired his chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, two days after disbanding two high-profile business advisory groups. “I chose to end this arrangement (with your blessing) because I did not want partisan bickering about my role to in any way cloud your administration,” Icahn wrote in a letter to Trump released on his website. The White House declined to comment. A call to Icahn’s office was not immediately returned. The activist investor, who leads Icahn Enterprises LP, was an early and close ally of Trump who was often praised by the Republican for his business acumen. One of Icahn’s first tasks was to vet the future Securities and Exchange Commission chairman and a number of candidates met with the octogenarian investor in his Fifth Avenue office just a few blocks north of Trump Tower in Manhattan. While Icahn stopped managing money for clients years ago, he still has large stakes in companies like Herbalife Ltd , CVR and American International Group Inc , which have faced regulatory issues. Icahn was so sure Trump’s election last year would give a boost to stocks that he left the campaign’s victory party to make a $1 billion bet on the market, he told Reuters last year. The day after the election, stocks leapt. In his letter to Trump, Icahn downplayed his role as an adviser on regulatory matters, saying “I never had access to nonpublic information or profited from my position.” Trump, who came to office promising to roll back regulation, reform the tax code and boost infrastructure spending, never put Icahn on the payroll. But Icahn’s involvement was considerable. He interviewed Scott Pruitt, now the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the very agency that would determine regulations about requiring refiners to blend biofuels. His web of financial interests became a lightning rod. “If he was not willing to admit he was a de facto special government employee, and follow the rules, then he had no place serving in government,” said Norman Eisen, co-founder of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, who served as the chief ethics lawyer for former President Barack Obama. “His short tenure, marred by serious conflicts allegations, was yet another black eye for an administration that has become notorious for violations of ethics and the rule of law.” Icahn has been one of the loudest critics of the federal biofuels program, and he was working at price-crushing reforms of the program at the same time he was betting that credits at the center of the program would fall. Biofuels regulations require refiners either to blend biofuels into gasoline or - in the case of companies like CVR that have no blending facilities - to buy credits from competitors. The regulation, the Renewable Fuel Standard, also allows companies to delay those credit purchases by a year. As an adviser to Trump, Icahn urged the president in February to alter the policy to lift the blending burden from refiners. Yet environmental regulators are preparing to formally reject that proposal, sources told Reuters. Investors have built up a large short position in CVR in the past three months, according to Reuters data, as evidence mounts that the company’s gamble on the biofuels market is going sour. | 1 |
4,086 | Former Trump security aide was Russia blackmail risk: ex-U.S. official | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates said on Monday she warned the White House in January that then-national security adviser Michael Flynn had been compromised and could have been vulnerable to blackmail by Russia. Yates testified at a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing that focused primarily on Flynn, and did not shed much light on other aspects of investigations of allegations that Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. election and whether there was collusion between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Moscow. Yates repeatedly declined to discuss details of the investigation in a public forum. Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who also testified, said he stood by past assertions that he had not seen evidence of such collusion but also declined to comment on classified matters. Yates briefly led the U.S. Justice Department until Trump fired her on Jan. 30 for declining to defend his travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries. She told White House counsel Don McGahn on Jan. 26, less than a week into Trump’s presidency, that Flynn had not been telling the truth about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to Washington. Making her first public statements about the issue, Yates said she feared Moscow could try to blackmail Flynn because it also knew he had not been truthful about conversations he had with Ambassador Sergei Kislyak about U.S. sanctions on Russia. Flynn, a retired general once seen as a potential Trump vice president, has emerged as a central figure in the Russian probes. Russia has repeatedly denied any meddling in the election and the Trump administration denies allegations of collusion with Russia. Yates told the hearing she had been concerned that “the national security adviser essentially could be blackmailed by the Russians.” “Logic would tell you that you don’t want the national security adviser to be in a position where the Russians have leverage over him,” she said. Trump, who continued to praise Flynn, waited 18 days after Yates’ warning before Flynn’s forced resignation for failing to disclose the content of his talks with Kislyak and then misleading Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations. Several Democratic senators questioned Trump’s delay. Yates said that in her meetings, McGahn “demonstrated that he understood this was serious. .. If nothing was done, certainly that would be concerning.” During that section of the hearing, Clapper described as accurate a report in the Guardian newspaper that British intelligence officials became aware in late 2015 about suspicious interactions between Trump advisers and Russian agents, and that the information was passed on to U.S. intelligence agencies. “Yes, it is (accurate), and it’s also quite sensitive,” Clapper said. Yates was a holdover from the administration of President Barack Obama. Obama had warned Trump, then president-elect, not to give the post of national security adviser in his administration to Flynn just after the Republican’s surprise victory in the Nov. 8 election, a former Obama aide said. The warning, first reported by NBC News, came up during a discussion of White House personnel. White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters Obama had communicated concerns about Flynn. It “shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, given that General Flynn had worked for President Obama, was an outspoken critic of President Obama’s shortcomings,” Spicer said. Obama pushed Flynn out in 2014 from his job as director of the military’s Defense Intelligence Agency, or DIA. Congressional committees began investigating after U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered hacking of Democratic political groups to try to sway the election toward Trump. The main investigations are being conducted by congressional Intelligence Committees, although Democrats have clamored for a special prosecutor or independent committee. They argue that congressional committees are too partisan to conduct credible probes. After Monday’s hearing, Trump took to Twitter to bash the media and deny any collusion. “Director Clapper reiterated what everybody, including the fake media already knows- there is ‘no evidence’ of collusion w/ Russia and Trump,” he said. And in another tweet, the president seemed to denounce the hearings. “The Russia-Trump collusion story is a total hoax, when will this taxpayer funded charade end?” he asked. FBI Director James Comey testified in the House on March 20 that the agency was investigating potential links between Trump associates and Moscow’s attempts to tilt the election. Trump had also used Twitter before the hearing to insinuate that Yates had leaked information on Flynn to the media. Yates and Clapper both swore under oath that they had never leaked classified information. Questioning on Monday often broke along party lines. Some Republicans veered away from Russia to focus on issues such as whether the Obama administration had improperly revealed the names of Trump associates contained in surveillance records. Senator John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, was one of a handful who grilled Yates about her objections to Trump’s travel ban. Trump fired Yates after she defied the White House on the travel ban, a policy that Trump said would help protect Americans from Islamist militants. | 1 |
4,087 | Louis C.K. Tears ‘Insane Bigot’ Donald Trump Apart In Devastating Rant: ‘The Guy Is Hitler’ (IMAGE) | Add comedian Louis C.K. to the ever-growing lost of people trying to stop Republican front-runner Donald Trump from getting any closer to the White House. In a scathing rant released on Saturday morning, C.K. skewered Trump with a plea to voters in an email about his web series Horace and Pete. C.K. compared Trump to Adolf Hitler, stating that the Nazi leader was once thought to be just a harmless crazy nut until it was too late to stop him. C.K. s message, which appeared in full on Variety, said: Please stop it with voting for Trump. It was funny for a little while. But the guy is Hitler. And by that I mean that we are being Germany in the 30s. Do you think they saw the s t coming? Hitler was just some hilarious and refreshing dude with a weird comb over who would say anything at all. Twitter He s not a monster. He s a sad man. But all this makes him horribly dangerous if he becomes president. Give him another TV show. Let him pay to put his name on buildings. But please stop voting for him. C.K. didn t mince his words as he continued, stating that voting for Trump would be national suicide. I get that all these people sound like bullshit soft criminal opportunists. The whole game feels rigged and it s not going anywhere but down anymore. I feel that way sometimes. And that voting for Trump is a way of saying f*ck it. F*ck them all . I really get it. It s a version of national Suicide. Or it s like a big hit off of a crack pipe. Somehow we can t help it. Or we know that if we vote for Trump our phones will be a reliable source of dopamine for the next four years. I mean I can t wait to read about Trump every day. It s a rush. But you have to know this is not healthy. C.K. noted that although he likes the Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, he would enjoy seeing the next president as a conservative. However, he s smart enough to recognize that Trump is not the guy to face Sanders or Clinton, and certainly not presidential material: I m not advocating for Hillary or Bernie. I like them both but frankly I wish the next president was a conservative only because we had Obama for eight years and we need balance. And not because I particularly enjoy the conservative agenda. I just think the government should reflect the people. And we are about 40 percent conservative and 40 percent liberal. When I was growing up and when I was a younger man, liberals and conservatives were friends with differences. They weren t enemies. And it always made sense that everyone gets a president they like for a while and then hates the president for a while. But it only works if the conservatives put up a good candidate. A good smart conservative to face the liberal candidate so they can have a good argument and the country can decide which way to go this time. Trump is not that. He s an insane bigot. He is dangerous. For all the conservatives that have pledged to vote for Trump despite how awful they acknowledge him to be, C.K. had some much-needed advice: If you are a true conservative. Don t vote for Trump. He is not one of you. He is one of him. Everything you have heard him say that you liked, if you look hard enough you will see that he one day said the exact opposite. He is playing you. Trump is not your best. He s the worst of all of us. He s a symptom to a problem that is very real. But don t vote for your own cancer. You re better than that. C.K. is just the latest comedian to blast Trump, and his message follows an epic verbal lashing from John Oliver on Last Week Tonight, which aired a 20-minute takedown of Trump. Many other celebrities, including Miley Cyrus, George Clooney, and Stephen King, have also urged voters to wise up and forget about voting for the business mogul.Currently, the Republican party is scrambling to figure out what to do with Trump. He s currently dominating the GOP polls, and even though several conservatives have pledged to stop him, many Republicans feel helpless and are afraid no other candidate will be able to stop him from getting the nomination.Featured image via Wikimedia Commons and Gage Skidmore | 0 |
4,088 | California senators seek methane leak task force in U.S. energy bill | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The two U.S. Senators representing California said on Friday they will propose a federal task force to investigate the cause and response to the massive natural gas leak near Los Angeles. Democratic Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein announced they will introduce an amendment to a national energy bill being debated by the Senate that would direct U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to lead a task force that will recommend how to solve the ongoing methane leak and prevent future incidents. Southern California Gas Company’s Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility, which sprung a leak in October that has not yet been sealed, has raised alarms about the danger of aging oil and gas infrastructure. There is little oversight of the 400 underground natural gas storage facilities in 30 U.S. states. “We have a responsibility not only to address this leak, but also to ensure nothing like this ever happens again,” Feinstein said in a statement. The amendment is one of nearly 100 that senators have introduced or plan to offer next week, as the Senate works to pass the country’s first major energy bill in over eight years. The bill, which aims to modernize the country’s aging energy infrastructure, is one of the few in Congress to have bipartisan support. Senate Majority Leader McConnell said he expects the legislation to pass late next week, after members vote on the list of amendments. The California senators’ proposal would direct Moniz to lead a six-member intergovernmental task force to study the impacts of the leak on affected communities as well as the environment and issue its findings within six months. Those findings and subsequent updates would help agencies such as the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) help respond to the leak. The task force would recommend whether to continue operations at Aliso Canyon and other facilities in close proximity to densely populated areas. Other amendments the Senate will consider next week include a proposal by Michigan Democrats to deal with another environmental crisis - lead water contamination in Flint. The proposal would also direct $200 million for a research center to focus on the needs of children, and would also require the EPA to warn the public of high lead levels in drinking water if a state fails to do so. | 1 |
4,089 | Michael Moore Destroys Trump On Megyn Kelly’s Show (VIDEO) | Michael Moore made on appearance on the Megyn Kelly s show in time to mock Trump for boycotting the debates scheduled for Thursday night. Trump has thrown a hissy fit over what he says is Kelly s unfair treatment of him. What s he afraid of? I m sitting here, I don t feel any fear, said Moore. Speaking directly to Trump, Moore said: Donald, come now. Come sit beside me, I ll hold your hand, she s fine. She s fine. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR8s32UCTd4] It was fun watching Moore revel in the glee of Trump and Fox News not getting along. He also enjoyed watching Kelly get under Trump s skin. He said: You have done something that Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Rubio, Cruz, none of them have been able to do, which is to essentially frighten him, make him run, shut him down. Everyone s tried to do this for months and you did it! This is true. All of the candidates have been lame in standing up to Trump. His unprecedented domination of the debates has seen him not only lead the Republican pack for the nomination, but he has at times obliterated his opponents, especially the squirmy Jeb Bush.Yet, he chose to ditch the debates at crunch time. Moore said: To get elected President in this country, you have to come on this network. You have to play ball with this network. Donald Trump today said I m not playing with this network. That s an historic moment, and it s going to be interesting to see where the real power is. Trump thinks he doesn t need Fox News. I think Fox News probably has something else to say about that. Fox News and Donald Trump make a perfect couple. Let s hope the marriage made in hell continues to disintegrate.Featured Image Via YouTube Screenshot. | 0 |
4,090 | As Predicted, Google Fires Man Who Complained About Firm’s Repressive Political Culture | 21st Century Wire says Earlier in the week, 21WIRE reported about the Google employee who released a controversial 3,000 word memo which went internally viral complaining about the Silicon Valley tech giant s ideological echo chamber a repressive, intolerant corporate cultural where political correctness rules, and which only caters to the leftist progressive side of the political paradigm. Any other viewpoints or opinions will not be tolerated at Google. The man who wrote the memo as a Google engineer named James Damore, has since been fired for voicing his opinions on the company s politics.As a result of the employee blowing the whistle on this issue, other Google employees, like one Jaana B. Dogan (see tweet below), appear to have threatened to leave the company in protest if Human Resources did not retaliate against the political whistleblower:Google staffer Dogan then goes further, and mocks Damore, by hurling slurs based on racial identity politics:Of course, the irony (not surprisingly, unknown to those at Google) is that Dogan and others knee-jerk political reaction only proved James Damore s point that Google has fostered an insular, political and intellectual ghetto which does not tolerate any variance away for the prevailing group-think de jour. In the video released last weekend by YouTube gamer pundit, Mister Metokur, the commentator predicted that, the person who wrote that memo is probably going to be fired. Mister Metokur was right. But there s an even bigger aspect to this story Why is all this important? Because that same repressive political culture at Google is reflected in how it programs the new censorship algorithms of its search engine effectively disappearing political views and articles it does not like, and wishes to bury. Bloomberg Business reports:Alphabet Inc. s Google has fired an employee who wrote an internal memo blasting the web company s diversity policies, creating a firestorm across Silicon Valley.James Damore, the Google engineer who wrote the note, confirmed his dismissal in an email, saying that he had been fired for perpetuating gender stereotypes. He said he s currently exploring all possible legal remedies. The imbroglio at Google is the latest in a long string of incidents concerning gender bias and diversity in the tech enclave. Uber Technologies Inc. Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick lost his job in June amid scandals over sexual harassment, discrimination and an aggressive culture. Ellen Pao s gender-discrimination lawsuit against Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in 2015 also brought the issue to light, and more women are speaking up to say they ve been sidelined in the male-dominated industry, especially in engineering roles.Earlier on Monday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai sent a note to employees that said portions of the memo violate our Code of Conduct and cross the line by advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace. But he didn t say if the company was taking action against the employee. A Google representative, asked about the dismissal, referred to Pichai s memo.Damore s 10-page memorandum accused Google of silencing conservative political opinions and argued that biological differences play a role in the shortage of women in tech and leadership positions. It circulated widely inside the company and became public over the weekend, causing a furor that amplified the pressure on Google executives to take a more definitive stand.After the controversy swelled, Danielle Brown, Google s new vice president for diversity, integrity and governance, sent a statement to staff condemning Damore s views and reaffirmed the company s stance on diversity. In internal discussion boards, multiple employees said they supported firing the author, and some said they would not choose to work with him, according to postings viewed by Bloomberg News. We are unequivocal in our belief that diversity and inclusion are critical to our success as a company, Brown said in the statement. We ll continue to stand for that and be committed to it for the long haul. Continue this story at BloombergREAD MORE GOOGLE NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Google FilesSUPPORT 21WIRE SUBSCRIBE & BECOME A MEMBER @ 21WIRE.TV | 0 |
4,091 | Vatican vows to seek truth about diplomat in child pornography case | ROME (Reuters) - The Vatican, at the start of a conference on protecting children from online sexual abuse, pledged on Tuesday to seek the truth about one of its diplomats whom it recalled after he became suspected of possessing child pornography. This is a very painful episode and a great trial for all involved, said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican s Secretary of State and number two in the Holy See. Parolin was referring to the case of a monsignor who was recalled to the Holy See from its Washington embassy in August after the U.S. State Department said he may have violated child pornography laws. We are treating the case with the maximum seriousness, the maximum commitment and the maximum attention, Parolin told reporters as he arrived to deliver the conference s keynote address. He said the case was under judicial secrecy to protect the investigation and to protect truth and justice . The Vatican never identified the monsignor, who is also wanted in Canada on suspicion of uploading child pornography from a social networking website in 2016. He is being investigated by Vatican prosecutors and will stand trial in the Vatican if indicted. In his keynote speech, Parolin said the Catholic Church wanted to share the experience it had acquired from dealing with its own scandals concerning priestly sexual abuse of children so that it may prove useful for an ever greater good . He said all sectors of society, including companies that promote and drive the development of the digital world, have a responsibility to protect vulnerable children from forms of sexual abuse on the internet. The conference is also being addressed by Jacqueline Beauchere, the chief online safety officer for Microsoft and Antigone Davis, head of global safety policy for Facebook. The three-day conference, which will present its findings to Pope Francis on Friday, will discuss themes such as bullying and the preying on children by pedophiles. The kids aren t alright, said Baroness Joanna Shields, founder of Britain s WeProtect, an alliance to end child exploitation online. If a child s first lesson in sexual education is a pornographic video, then this will become their reference point, she said. Professor Ernesto Caffo, the Italian founder of a 30-year-old hotline to report cases of endangered children, told the conference that 18 million children suffer sexual abuse in Europe and that there were more than 57,000 URLs containing child sexual abuse images. He said that in nearly 25 percent of cases, adult survivors of sexual abuse suffer from psychological problems, including depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and self harm. There was an urgent need to provide specialized training for professionals working in education, Caffo said. | 1 |
4,092 | Watch Father of #Benghazi Victim Slam Hillary: “My son would still be alive…” – #NeverForget The Benghazi Heroes 9/11/12 [Video] | We will never forget the men who gave everything in Benghazi EVER!Charles Woods speaks up on Hillary Clinton s ineptness and inability to properly do her job as Secretary of State: My son would still be alive if she had performed her duties and protected the people under her care and supervision in Libya. If she couldn t protect four Americans in Libya, how can she protect 330 million Americans here in our country? THIRTEEN HOURS IN BENGHAZI-THE SURVIVORS TELL THEIR STORY:FIVE FACTS ABOUT HILLARY AND BENGHAZI:THIS IS EVERYTHING IN ONE PICTURE: EVIL! | 0 |
4,093 | Russian Twitter accounts promoted Brexit ahead of EU referendum: Times newspaper | LONDON (Reuters) - Russian Twitter accounts posted almost 45,000 messages about Brexit in the 48 hours around last year s referendum in an attempt to sow discord during the vote on whether to leave the European Union, the Times newspaper reported on Wednesday. The Times cited research from an upcoming paper by data scientists at Swansea University and the University of California, Berkeley, which it said showed accounts based in Russia had tweeted about Brexit in the days leading up to the June 23 vote. The Times said most of the tweets seen by the newspaper encouraged people to vote for Brexit, although a number advocated remaining in the EU. It quoted Tho Pham, one of the paper s authors, as saying the main conclusion is that bots were used on purpose and had influence . The research tracked 156,252 Russian accounts that mentioned #Brexit, including one, Svetal1972 which posted 92 tweets between June 20 and 24, including one calling for Britain to make June the 23rd our Independence Day . It said many of the messages appear to have come from automated accounts known as bots or from cyborg accounts which are heavily automated but have some human involvement. In the June 23, 2016 referendum, 17.4 million votes, or 51.9 percent of votes cast, backed leaving the EU while 16.1 million votes, or 48.1 percent of votes cast, backed staying. Russia has repeatedly denied meddling in Brexit. Russian officials say the West is whipping up anti-Russian hysteria around Moscow s alleged involvement in both the U.S. presidential election and Brexit. In Britain, a parliamentary committee has written to Facebook s Mark Zuckerberg asking for information on any paid-for activity by Russian-linked Facebook accounts around the EU referendum and the 2017 national election. British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday accused Russia of meddling in elections and said the government would maintain its commitment to protecting Europe after Brexit. We will take the necessary actions to counter Russian activity, she said. | 1 |
4,094 | miley cyrus crying over trump victory video | by ike mclean november crazy left
vice presidentelect mike pence was attending the broadway musical hamilton on friday night when the cast decided to send a political message to trump and his administration
brandon victor dixon the actor who played the part of vice president aaron burr during the musical about the life of the founding father alexander hamilton acknowledged that pence was in the crowd and then said the following
we sir we are the diverse america who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us our planet our children our parents or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights we truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our american values and to work on behalf of all of us
dixon was asked on cbs this morning monday about the decision to deliver his political message which prompted donald trump to take to twitter and say that pence was harassed and that the cast was very rude
the presidentelect is demanding an apology cbs anchor charlie rose said to dixon during the monday morning interview
i heard dixon responded
we assume that no apology is forthcoming rose asked
there is nothing to apologize for dixon said
dixon then added that this is certainly not the first time nor will it be the last that somebody went into a theater and began to act inappropriately or stand up and interrupt the show
dixons cbs this morning interview can be seen below
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4,095 | Israel's Netanyahu says he will push Trump on Iran sanctions | JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he planned to push U.S. President Donald Trump to renew sanctions against Iran during a visit to Washington next month, complaining that Iran had once more tested a ballistic missile. Netanyahu has been harshly critical of the deal that six world powers including the United States under president Barack Obama struck with Iran to curb its nuclear program in return for an end to multilateral sanctions. Iran is Israel’s avowed enemy and Israel argues that the agreement fails to prevent Iranian weapons posing a threat to its very existence. During the U.S. election campaign, Trump called the pact a “disaster” and “the worst deal ever negotiated”, though he has also said it would be hard to overturn an agreement enshrined in a U.N. resolution. In a statement on his personal Twitter account, around the same time the White House announced his Feb. 15 visit, Netanyahu said: “Iran again launched a ballistic missile. This is a flagrant violation of a Security Council Resolution.” A U.S. official said on Monday that Iran had test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile on Sunday, which exploded after 630 miles. “In my upcoming meeting with President Trump I intend to bring up the renewal of sanctions against Iran,” Netanyahu said. “Iran’s aggression cannot be left without a response.” The Obama administration said Iran’s ballistic missile tests had not violated the nuclear agreement, but Trump has said he will stop Tehran’s missile program. Under the U.N. resolution approving the nuclear deal, Iran is “called upon” to refrain from work on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons for up to eight years. Critics of the deal have said the language is ambiguous and does not make compliance obligatory, while Tehran says the missiles it has tested are not specifically designed to carry nuclear warheads. This month, Iranian lawmakers approved plans to increase military spending, including expanding the long-range missile program. | 1 |
4,096 | Trump unyielding on Hispanic judge uproar | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday rejected a barrage of criticism from his own party over his allegations of bias against a Hispanic judge, insisting his concerns were valid. “All I want to do is figure out why I’m being treated unfairly by a judge. And a lot of people agree with it,” Trump said on Fox News. Trump has been on the defensive since his comments last week about Mexican-American U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is overseeing fraud lawsuits against Trump University, the New York businessman’s defunct real estate school. He has also been castigated by Democrats, including the party’s likely presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. “I don’t know what else you could call these attacks other than racist, other than prejudiced, other than bigoted,” Clinton said in an interview with MSNBC on Monday. “It’s just plain wrong, and certainly wrong coming from someone who is vying to become President of the United States.” Trump told campaign supporters in a conference call they should stand by him in his attacks on the judge, Bloomberg Politics reported. It said during the call Trump distanced himself from a memo his campaign sent supporters on Sunday that urged them to avoid the issue. Asked for comment, Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said: “It was a very positive call to discuss overall messaging.” Two Trump supporters, Tana Goertz and Scottie Nell Hughes, told CNN that former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer had said on the call that she wanted the campaign to go on the offense against expected Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Goertz said Trump told his suppporters not to be afraid to “call out the media” when TV reporters suggest that Trump is racist. Trump has suggested that Curiel’s heritage is influencing the judge’s opinion about the case because of Trump’s campaign rhetoric about illegal immigration. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for the Nov. 8 presidential election, has pledged to seal the U.S.-Mexico border with a wall, and has said Mexico is sending rapists and drug dealers to the United States. Former Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, a U.S. senator from Florida, joined the chorus of criticism. In an interview with Orlando’s WFTV, Rubio called Trump’s comments wrong and said he had to stop. “I ran for president and I warned this was going to happen,” Rubio said. Trump has regularly stirred up controversy on the campaign trail and has frequently dismayed Republican establishment leaders. His view of an ethnically biased judiciary has drawn a fresh wave of criticism, including concern in his own party. On Sunday he was asked if - by the same token - he believed a Muslim judge would be biased against him based on Trump’s call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country. “It’s possible. Yes,” Trump said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” Republican leaders including House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell have distanced themselves from Trump’s comments, saying they are worried the tone of his presidential campaign could enrage Latinos, who are a growing U.S. voting bloc. “If this doesn’t change we’re in for big trouble,” Senator Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican, said on MSNBC on Monday. “I hope to be able to support the nominee. I certainly can’t now,” said Flake, whose state has a large percentage of Hispanics. A former rival for the Republican presidential nomination, Ohio Governor John Kasich, called on Trump to apologize to Curiel, who was born in Indiana to Mexican immigrant parents. “Attacking judges based on their race (and/or) religion is another tactic that divides our country,” Kasich wrote on Twitter. “More importantly, it is flat out wrong.” It was unclear what, if any, effect the latest furor would have on Trump’s unorthodox candidacy. States with significant Hispanic populations including California, New Mexico and New Jersey hold nominating contests on Tuesday. Trump fought back against his Republican critics on Monday, with especially sharp words for Newt Gingrich, a former House speaker. Gingrich, mentioned as a possible running mate to Trump, on Sunday called Trump’s comments inexcusable. “I was surprised at Newt,” Trump told the “Fox & Friends” program. “I thought it was inappropriate what he said.” | 1 |
4,097 | Qatar emir says open to dialogue to resolve Gulf crisis | BOGOR, Indonesia (Reuters) - Qatar is open to dialogue in resolving a dispute that has seen the Gulf state isolated from its Arab neighbors, its emir said during a visit to Indonesia on Wednesday. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of financing terrorism and maintaining too close of ties to their arch-rival Iran. Doha denies the charges. Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said he discussed the issue with President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, which has the world s largest population of Muslims and has close ties to the Arab world. We conveyed...that Qatar is ready to conduct a dialogue to solve the problem as we already know that no one will win, Thani told reporters after meeting with Widodo at the state palace in Bogor, outside the capital of Jakarta. We are all brothers and suffering because of this crisis, he added. President Widodo did not publicly address the dispute. The leader of the world s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas also visited Malaysia - another Muslim-majority nation - and Singapore this week. Saudi and other Arab nations have made a list of 13 wide-ranging demands of Qatar, including closing down the Al Jazeera television network and curbing ties with Iran. Kuwait and top United States officials have attempted to mediate between the parties, but there is little sign that the crisis will be resolved soon. | 1 |
4,098 | Paul Ryan's challenges will not start until after Nov. 8 election | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan is expected to cruise to re-election in his Wisconsin congressional district on Nov. 8, the day before his real political problems are likely to start. That is when Ryan will know the shape of the new House of Representatives. If, as some analysts foresee, it becomes even more conservative than it is now, Ryan’s difficulties in managing the lower chamber of Congress could worsen. For the highest-ranking elected U.S. Republican, that could spell trouble as the former vice presidential nominee looks ahead to a possible presidential run in 2020. Some staunch House conservatives, questioning Ryan’s commitment to them and their agenda, are looking less kindly on the idea of re-electing him as speaker early next year. But his real test, assuming he retains the speaker’s gavel, would be getting legislative results with a more conservative House. Compounding that could be the U.S. Senate switching to Democratic from Republican control and possibly a Democratic president, Hillary Clinton, if she beats Republican Donald Trump in the November election. “Next year, almost no matter what, is going to be a very tough one for Paul Ryan,” said political scientist Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute think tank. The 2016 election results could cast a shadow over Ryan’s presidential ambitions in 2020 and 2024, assuming he harbors them. “It may well be that he decides it’s just not worth it, partly given what he sees within his own party,” Ornstein said. Ryan’s aides were reluctant on Monday to discuss the possible challenges of the next Congress. “The focus over the next 57 days is defending and strengthening our House majority. We are in a good position,” said Ryan’s political spokesman, Zack Roday. Republicans hold 246 of the 435 House seats, their biggest majority in decades. But analysts expect the party will lose seats in November, especially if Trump hurts fellow Republicans. House members serve two-year terms and most are easily re-elected. The political prediction newsletter “Sabato’s Crystal Ball” has tagged only 16 races as too close to call. Ten of those are currently held by moderates or pragmatists who have been fairly reliable supporters of legislation backed by Republican leaders including Ryan. Five of the 10 are retiring from the House. If Trump’s performance damages candidates down the ticket, moderates may bear the brunt. The result could be a smaller House Republican majority more dominated by politically secure conservatives of the sort who have in recent years defied Ryan on some legislation. “A shrinking GOP conference is no doubt going to be more conservative in the new Congress, raising the challenge for Speaker Ryan to form majorities with a slimmer and more conservative rank and file,” said Sarah Binder, professor of political science at George Washington University. If a number of moderates lose their seats, while most conservatives hold theirs, “then the House Freedom Caucus becomes more powerful,” said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of “Sabato’s Crystal Ball.” The Freedom Caucus is the House’s most conservative bloc, with about 40 members. It helped eject Ryan’s predecessor, John Boehner, a year ago, leading to Ryan’s election as speaker. The Freedom Caucus initially welcomed Ryan, a budget and fiscal policy specialist seen as more willing to listen to their agenda. But some Freedom Caucus members are unhappy with him since one of their members, Representative Tim Huelskamp of Kansas, lost a primary election last month. Ryan could have done more to help Huelskamp, some critics said. “There was huge disappointment in that,” said Representative John Fleming, a Freedom Caucus member from Louisiana who is running for the U.S. Senate in November. The Huelskamp fallout has driven speculation that some conservatives who previously backed Ryan will oppose him when the House elects a new speaker in January, although none of them has said so publicly. “I don’t think most members feel yet that Ryan is undeserving of more time (as speaker), but frustration with the leadership is certainly growing,” said Dan Holler of Heritage Action, the political wing of the Heritage Foundation conservative think tank. | 1 |
4,099 | COVER-UP? New Details from Orlando Shooter’s Crisis Call Casts Light on FBI | Shawn Helton 21st Century WireEarlier this week, the FBI released new details regarding an apparent crisis negotiation call made between Orlando Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen and authorities.Will this new release reveal anything new about the Orlando shooting case, or will it continue a trend of unanswered questions regarding the incident? SCRIPT CHANGE OR TRUE MOTIVE? The FBI has released more details regarding a crisis call said to have been placed by Omar Mateen (Photo illustration: 21WIRE s Shawn Helton)Crisis Call Motive According to the Washington Free Beacon [unredacted] transcripts were released by Orlando police Friday after a Florida court hearing held in response to a lawsuit filed by several news organizations. The new details supposedly reveal a motive in the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting.Here s an excerpt from the alleged shooter Mateen s negotiation call featured in the Beacon: Yo, the air strike that killed Abu Wahid a few weeks ago that s what triggered it, okay? said Mateen, who earlier in the conversation identified himself as a follower the Islamic State terror group. They should have not bombed and killed Abu Wahid, the former security guard declared. Do your fucking homework and figure out who Abu Wahid is, okay? The shooting suspect allegedly discussed concern over US airstrikes in Syria, supposedly stating the following: They need to stop the U.S. air strikes. You have to tell the U.S. government to stop bombing. They are killing too many children, they are killing too many women, okay? Given Mateen s profile as stated by media and officials since June, the idea that he would be concerned with the lives of innocent civilians is patently absurd making this latest, rather timely release, extremely suspect.Mateen s alleged crime confession via a crisis negotiation call, also smacks of another rewrite in the Pulse shooting saga, an event that displayed elements of foreknowledge and planning beyond that of a lonewolf. In addition, it was an incident littered with a number of anomalies and numerous intelligence connections. Although one cannot absolutely prove the scripted nature of this latest FBI release regarding the Pulse shooting, several quotes in the conversation stand out, falling in line with an all to familiar Western policy perspective regarding Syria and Iraq.Interestingly, after a number of strange motives were initially attached to the Orlando shooting, we re conveniently told it was triggered by an airstrike apparently killing Abu Wahib in May of this year. Wahib was an al-Qaeda/ISIS leader well-known to authorities and according to the controversial intelligence linked media blog Long War Journal. He had been detained by US officials in 2006 and sentenced to death in 2012, only to mysteriously escape from Tikrit Central Prison after a large jailbreak: Abu Wahib, whose full name is Shakir Wahib al Fahdawi al Dulaimi, has been waging jihad in Iraq for more than a decade. He was detained by US forces in Ramadi in 2006 during the height of al Qaeda in Iraq s insurgency.The LWJ article continued by stating the following: Wahib was sentenced to death and transferred to Tikrit Central Prison. In November 2012, he escaped along with 110 inmates after the Islamic State of Iraq assaulted the prison. That jailbreak and others like it infused the Islamic State of Iraq with leaders and fighters who were captured during US and Iraqi military operations. Given Wahib s lengthy criminal background and unexplained escape from prison, is it possible he may have been a Western intelligence asset released back into the public?The theory may not be as far-fetched as it seems when considering there is a historical precedence for such activity In the aftermath of 9/11 up until 2006, the CIA operated a facility that was used to train terrorists to be double agents to supposedly infiltrate Al Qaeda terror cells. This program was called called Penny Lane.Penny Lane was named after the Beatles tune and was connected to another secret facility called Strawberry Fields, a name also taken from the British rock group.We were told that operation had been successful in its scope but by 2013, the CIA had lost touch with many of its newly trained double agents.The Penny Lane facility was unlike any other building in the Guantanamo Bay prison area, as it was said to have beds, kitchens and a patio for its prisoners. The money to pay informants and double agents was also provided for by the CIA under the codename Pledge. But how does this relate to the Orlando club shooting?Drills & Informants Shortly after the Pulse shooting attack it was revealed that Mateen had been attending services at a Mosque, meeting with a known FBI informant named Marcus Dwayne Robertson (see left also played role in 1993 WTC bombing), a former US Marine turned bank robber turned radical imam. Here s this passage from Fox News describing Robertson s role: It is no coincidence that this happened in Orlando, said a law enforcement source familiar with Robertson s history of recruiting terrorists and inciting violence. Mateen was enrolled in [Robertson s online] Fundamental Islamic Knowledge Seminary.Robertson and several associates were rounded up for questioning early Sunday, according to law enforcement sources, a development his attorney refused to confirm or deny. DISNEY MONEY BOMB? Heavily orchestrated fundraising campaigns follow almost every dramatized mass shooting in America. (Image Source: fox13news)Fast-tracked Fundraisers Interestingly, on September 27th, the Orlando Weekly revealed that Each of the families of the 49 victims killed in the massacre at the gay nightclub Pulse will get $350,000 from the OneOrlando Fund this week, though privately, they still have to iron out who will get what funds. The Weekly also disclosed the total charitable amount received: The OneOrlando Fund received $29.5 million from various sources, which will now be divided between families and survivors of the mass shooting. The funds will be distributed through the end of this week, Martins says. Additionally, the article continues, stating that even uninjured patrons the night of the shooting will receive quite a large sum from the fund: The families of the deceased victims received a larger share of the funds, totaling about $17.2 million. The 37 survivors who were hospitalized after the shooting will receive anywhere from $65,000 to $300,000 depending on how many nights they spent at the hospital, while 31 people who required outpatient treatment for their injuries will get $35,000 each. An additional 182 patrons of Pulse who were there when the shooting began but not injured will received $25,000 each. The amount granted to Orlando victims is strangely, nearly the same amount given to all of the Charleston church families affected by the suspicious shooting involving Dylann Roof. It turned out, that the Department of Justice fast-tracked $29 million dollars from the Crime Victim Assistance Formula Grant program, shortly after the tragedy.According to OneOrlando s own website, The OneOrlando Board, chaired by Orlando Magic President Alex Martins, was developed to provide oversight and guidance to ensure that funds are dispersed in a timely, accountable and transparent manner. Other members of the board include the following as stated on OneOrlando s website:Rena Langley, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs & Worldwide Government and Industry Relations, Walt Disney World Diane O Dell, Vice President of Community Relations, Universal Orlando Resort Stephanie Ghertner, Director, Darden Foundation & Community Affairs Mark Meyer, Industry Manager, JPMorgan ChaseOn another note, a woman claiming to have been injured at Pulse the night of the shooting, was denied funds, leading her to sue OneOrlando. Here s the Orlando Sentinel on the matter: Jillian Amador, who filed the suit asking for an audit, was at Pulse with friends on June 12. She initially filed the complaint on Friday in Orange County Circuit Court, but a judge tossed it because the respondents were not served. She refiled the petition Tuesday, seeking an emergency order to stop the payout, but Circuit Judge John E. Jordan again denied the request. VICTIM OR ACTOR? The purported Pulse nightclub victim shown above was carried to the corner where he was seen walking off without assistance while still on camera. (Image Source: www.wftv.com)Revisiting The Orlando ShootingBack in June, here at 21WIRE, we discussed how the most important aspect of the FBI supplied 911 transcript had gone virtually unnoticed as there was nothing in the contents of the transcript that discussed an actual shooting occurring inside of the Pulse nightclub.While the report was a basic outline of America s largest mass shooting it failed to account for any of the shootings said to have occurred within the interior of Pulse. There was no mention of bar patrons being shot or reportedly shot at in the FBI s official narrative. It s as if the mainstream media and authorities left out the biggest piece of the investigation, as the implications of who shot who and when are extremely significant forensically speaking.While the description of the Orlando shooting included mention of the Orlando Police Department (OPD) pulling an air conditioning unit out of a Pulse dressing room to evacuate victims, a multi-call crisis negotiation, the alleged shooter s outrageous claims of a bomb-laced vest and authorities breaching the back wall of the nightclub with an explosive charge there was no mention of additional shots fired at club goers inside Pulse? CRIME SCENE PROTOCOL? Multiple officials seen coming in and out of Pulse nightclub with and without CSI attire. (Image Source: boingboing)In recent years, media press conference rituals backed by law enforcement officials have shaped a narrative within the first hours of a mass casualty event and even if that story turns out to be mostly false, the media runs with it anyway, whether or not new information and crime scene analysis belies the original story pushed by media. The most clear example of this happened during the aftermath of the WTC 1993 bombing, where major media outlets exposed it as an FBI run sting with their operators in control yet still, media anchors still called it an al-Qaeda led attack.Aspects of the orchestrated bombing in 1993 played out in another high profile case dubbed the Newburgh Sting In May of 2009, the investigative tactics of the FBI came into question, none perhaps more suspect than the Newburgh sting an incident that involved the entrapment of four men in a fabricated terror event created by the bureau.Here s another look at a 2011 passage from The Guardian describing how an FBI informant named Shahed Hussain coerced four others to be involved in a fake terror plot: The Newburgh Four now languish in jail. Hussain does not. For Hussain was a fake. In fact, Hussain worked for the FBI as an informant trawling mosques in hope of picking up radicals.Yet far from being active militants, the four men he attracted were impoverished individuals struggling with Newburgh s grim epidemic of crack, drug crime and poverty. One had mental issues so severe his apartment contained bottles of his own urine. He also believed Florida was a foreign country.Hussain offered the men huge financial inducements to carry out the plot including $250,000 to one man and free holidays and expensive cars.As defence lawyers poured through the evidence, the Newburgh Four came to represent the most extreme form of a controversial FBI policy to use invented terrorist plots to lure targets. There has been no case as egregious as this. It is unique in the incentive the government provided. A quarter million dollars? said Professor Karen Greenberg, a terrorism expert at Fordham University. So when you consider what happened in Orlando, one should question the lack of shooting details, in addition to conflicting eyewitness testimony- why have portions of this story still been left open for interpretation when every other part of the official timeline of events appears to be accounted for?Here s a portion reviewing the FBI s summary of events that excludes any mention of shots fired within Pulse: Based on OPD radio communications, there were no reports of shots being fired inside Pulse between the initial exchange of gunfire between responding officers and shooter, and the time of the final breach. During this time, the shooter communicated with an OPD 911 operator and an OPD crisis negotiator, and OPD radio communications reported that victims were being rescued. Here s a more basic chronology of the Orlando shooting, as told by the FBI: 2:02 a.m.: OPD call transmitted multiple shots fired at Pulse nightclub.2:04 a.m.: Additional OPD officers arrived on scene.2:08 a.m.: Officers from various law enforcement agencies made entrance to Pulse and engaged the shooter.2:18 a.m.: OPD SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) initiated a full call-out.2:35 a.m.: Shooter contacted a 911 operator from inside Pulse.3:03 a.m.: Second crisis negotiation call occurred lasting approximately 16 minutes.3:24 a.m.: Third crisis negotiation call occurred lasting approximately three minutes.4:21 a.m.: OPD pulled an air conditioning unit out of a Pulse dressing room window for victims to evacuate.4:29 a.m.: As victims were being rescued, they told OPD the shooter said he was going to put four vests with bombs on victims within 15 minutes.5:02 a.m.: OPD SWAT and OCSO Hazardous Device Team began to breach wall with explosive charge and armored vehicle to make entry.5:14 a.m.: OPD radio communication stated that shots were fired.5:15 a.m.: OPD radio communication stated that OPD engaged the suspect and the suspect was reported down. The Orlando shooting details state multiple shots [were] fired at Pulse nightclub at 2:02 am, as Additional OPD officers arrived on scene, at 2:04 am, with law enforcement engaging the shooter at 2:08 am again, there is no other mention of shots fired until police exchange fire with the alleged suspect after breaching the wall at 5:15 am.Matten s weapons of choice during the apparent attack were a Sig Sauer MCX .223 caliber rifle and a Glock 17 9mm semi-auto pistol and according to the official story, and he was far more accurate than most well-trained law enforcement agents, defying statistical averages as examined by the Rand Corporation below.Question: Would it have really been possible for the alleged gunman Omar Mateen to have accurately shot over 100 people, take hostages and then engage in a fire fight with officers in just a 6 minute time frame?This scenario is hardly likely, if not impossible.Here s another look at an extensive study conducted by Rand Corporation that involved the NYPD: According to a 2008 Rand Corporation study evaluating the New York Police Department s firearm training, between 1998 and 2006, the average hit rate during gunfights was just 18 percent. When suspects did not return fire, police officers hit their targets 30 percent of the time.Many other such studies and risk assessments exist throughout law enforcement organizations nationwide, and most come to very similar conclusions as the RAND study. The odds are almost zero that the Pulse event was so drastically different unless there was an intentional, or staged element at play here.Did the Police Kill Most of the Club Goers?Another aspect of the Orlando shooting attack was the possibility that many patrons could have been injured by authorities, something that also seemed to be absent from the official story. Here s a passage from WFAA8, an ABC affiliate discussing that point: Orlando Police Chief John Mina and other law enforcement officers offered new details about the shooting, including the possibility that some victims may have been killed by officers trying to save them. I will say this, that s all part of the investigation, Mina said. But I will say when our SWAT officers, about eight or nine officers, opened fire, the backdrop was a concrete wall, and they were being fired upon. Police also used an explosive charge and a Bearcat armored vehicle to breach the wall as civilians were allegedly holed up in a bathroom. This has led some critics to consider the possibility that non-combatants could have become collateral damage during the SWAT siege at Pulse.Below is YouTube clip from TRUNEWS displaying FOX News analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano discussing how no one had died in the Pulse club prior to the SWAT building breach READ MORE ORLANDO SHOOTING NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Orlando FilesREAD MORE WAR ON TERROR NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire W.O.T FilesHelp support us by becoming a 21WIRE Member at: 21WIRE.TV | 0 |
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