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4,600 | Hillary’s Message To Former Miss Universe Called ‘Miss Piggy’ By Trump Is PERFECT (TWEET) | Miss Universe 1996 Alicia Machado is now an American citizen and will be voting for the first time this November, and it s become apparent who she ll likely be voting for, and it s not Donald Trump.You see, after Machado won her crown she gained a little bit of weight, which apparently did not please Trump, who is the man behind the pageant. He even called her Miss Piggy and said that she must be somebody that likes to eat. He then forced her to work out and try to lose weight.When asked if she d vote for Trump this fall, all Machado could do was laugh.When Hillary Clinton heard about the insults and the response to if Machado would vote for Trump, she tweeted out: Congratulations on becoming a U.S. citizen, Alicia. Enjoy casting that vote. Congratulations on becoming a U.S. citizen, Alicia. Enjoy casting that vote. https://t.co/jewmwZrrOA Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 20, 2016Very clearly insinuating that Machado will be voting against Trump, and most likely for Hillary Clinton.And honestly, what better revenge is that? That s called karma, Mr. Trump, and it s best served cold.Trump is as good for women as he is for hair care products he clearly doesn t give a damn about either, and will say and do as he pleases no matter how ugly.Good on you Machado for standing up against Trump, and kudos to you, Hillary for embracing her.Featured Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images video screen capture | 0 |
4,601 | Defense Secretary Mattis addresses confusion over carrier | RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis looked to address confusion over a U.S. aircraft carrier group on Wednesday, saying that its schedule had been disclosed earlier to be transparent. “The bottom line is, in our effort to always be open about what we are doing we said that we were going to change the Vinson’s upcoming schedule,” Mattis told reporters, referring to the Carl Vinson strike group. “We don’t generally give out ships schedules in advance but I didn’t want to play a game either and say we were not changing a schedule when in fact we had,” Mattis said. There had been confusion after U.S. President Donald Trump boasted early last week that he had sent an “armada” as a warning to North Korea even as the aircraft carrier strike group he spoke of was still far from the Korean peninsula. The U.S. military’s Pacific Command explained on Tuesday that the Carl Vinson strike group first had to complete a shorter-than-initially planned period of training with Australia. But it was now “proceeding to the Western Pacific as ordered”, it said. | 1 |
4,602 | Carter says defense relationship with Philippines is strong | LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said on Tuesday that the defense relationship with the Philippines was a “strong” and “longstanding” one, when asked about the Philippines’ president’s insult toward U.S. President Barack Obama. Carter, speaking to reporters as he was landing in London, also described the Philippines’ new defense minister, Delfin Lorenzana, as someone who was “very knowledgeable about all the things that we do together”. President Rodrigo Duterte called Obama a “son of a bitch” and said he would not be lectured over extrajudicial killings in the Philippines’ drug war. Duterte later voiced regret for his language. The two had been scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Laos but Obama canceled the meeting. | 1 |
4,603 | FBI to give Congress report on lack of charges over Clinton's email use: CNN | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI on Tuesday will deliver a report to U.S. lawmakers explaining why the law enforcement agency did not recommend charges over Hillary Clinton’s use of a personal email server, CNN reported, citing U.S. officials briefed on the matter. The confidential material, which will include FBI agent memos on their interviews with the U.S. Democratic presidential candidate, is classified and cannot be made public, according to CNN. (This version of the story has been refiled to fix typo in second paragraph) | 1 |
4,604 | Top Democrat says Puerto Rico bill could come early as Thursday | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers are making progress toward legislation to address Puerto Rico’s financial crisis and could produce a bill as early as Thursday, the top House Democrat said. “It was supposed to be filed yesterday; (they) put it off to today. It could be filed today. I don’t mean right this minute, but the day is young,” House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters. “We are making progress. We’re having very constructive conversations,” she added. “It’s an issue of what will work in terms of restructuring, how the make-up and the scope of the board is in furtherance of having the restructuring work. Issues that relate to language about pensions and minimum wage, etc., are also part of that discussion.” | 1 |
4,605 | Factbox: EU's vision of post-Brexit transition and future ties with Britain | BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union wants a post-Brexit transition in which Britain would no longer have a say in the bloc but would still fall under EU laws, according to EU documents and diplomats of the bloc s 27 remaining states. Here is a summary of the EU s vision of both the immediate period after Britain leaves the bloc and its future trade relationship, as outlined in the documents seen by Reuters ahead of a meeting of the 27 on Wednesday. The EU plans to engage with Britain on these two issues only after the first, ongoing round of divorce talks advances enough to merit new negotiations with London on what comes after Brexit. The current, slow-moving talks have focused mainly on matters surrounding Britain s actual split from the bloc, namely the exit bill, safeguarding expatriate rights and the future Irish border. The EU is waiting for Britain s moves on these key issues before it agrees to open talks about the transition and future ties. That may happen in December but is not a given. * Crucially, the EU is determined to ensure Brexit does not leave Britain better off economically or otherwise, as this could create a precedent undermining the bloc s purpose and existence in the future. A discussion document for the Wednesday meeting in Brussels hence says that a non-member of the Union, that does not live up to the same obligations as a member, cannot have the same rights and enjoy the same benefits as a member. * Britain s request for a transition period of about two years in which the status quo would be largely preserved would require a temporary application of Union law to and within the United Kingdom together with... regulatory, budgetary, supervisory, judiciary and enforcement instruments and structures, it reads. * EU 27 will look further into how such a temporary arrangement would impact the bloc s cooperation with third countries, including on trade, fisheries or air transport. * The bloc will also seek to ensure Britain adheres to EU rules - including any changes - during transition, and the possible avenue for communication with London since it would no longer be represented in the EU institutions and participate in the decision-making process. * For any agreement on the future ties with London, the EU expects safeguards to preserve financial stability and rules out British participation in parts, but not all, of its single market. * The bloc is keen to protect itself against unfair competitive advantages through... tax, social, environmental and regulatory measures and practices. * Beyond trade, the EU is keen to maintain cooperation with Britain on security - including fighting terrorism and international crime - defense and foreign policy. * The bloc seeks a balance of rights and obligations for Britain and is determined to preserve the indivisible four freedoms of its single market - of goods, capital, services and labor. * Inside the bloc, the EU wants to preserve the role of the top European Court of Justice, from whose jurisdiction London wants to remove itself. * After Britain leaves, no agreement between the EU and UK would apply to Gibraltar without a separate accord between London and Madrid. * In preparing their own stance on transition and future ties, the 27 will bear in mind the UK position. | 1 |
4,606 | Trump to meet congressional leaders next week on legislative issues -White House | WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with congressional leaders next week to discuss “end-of-year legislative issues,” a White House spokeswoman said on Wednesday. Republicans are rushing to pass a major tax bill before the end of the year, and lawmakers need to pass legislation to fund the government and raise the nation’s debt ceiling. “The president will be meeting with congressional leaders next week to discuss end-of-year legislative issues,” White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said. | 1 |
4,607 | President and First Lady Arrive in Texas: Serve Food, Hand Out Coloring Books: ‘We are with you’ [Video] | Check out what s happening in Texas! President Trump and the First Lady arrived and got to work helping out. FLOTUS AND POTUS ARRIVE IN TEXAS:TEXAS: We are with you today, we are with you tomorrow, and we will be with you EVERY SINGLE DAY AFTER, to restore, recover, and REBUILD! pic.twitter.com/p1Fh8jmmFA Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 2, 2017Melania Trump exited Air Force One ready to get to work:OUR FIRST LADY LOOKING GREAT ROCKING A TEXAS HAT AND CONVERSE TENNIS SHOES:HUGS FROM OUR PRESIDENT!President Trump Serves Food at NRG Stadium: This is awesome! President Trump puts on gloves to serve food. He turns to the press and says My hands are too big! PresidentAs he puts on plastic gloves to serve food at NRG Stadium President Trump turns to press and says: My hands are too big! pic.twitter.com/WIUTLOS4XD Pat Ward (@WardDPatrick) September 2, 2017President Trump hands out food boxes and meets with Harvey victims: We will get through this and rebuild President Trump is handing out food boxes & meeting with #Harvey victims in Houston. We will get through this and rebuild.#TexasStrong pic.twitter.com/4DAKfnBRIk Alex (@SoCal4Trump) September 2, 2017 | 0 |
4,608 | U.S. GOVERNMENT THREATENS ILLEGAL SEIZURE OF FAMILY’S LAND NEAR AREA-51 BASE | This case has been on our radar for some time now but will come to a head tomorrow. The government is offering its last best offer for the land and they want an answer by Thursday. This family doesn t want to give up their land no matter what the price so we ll see what happens For more than 70 years, since the U.S. government moved to that part of southern Nevada, they have completely disregarded our constitutional rights BARBARA MANNINGThe U.S. Air Force is giving an ultimatum to owners of a remote Nevada property now surrounded by a vast bombing range including the super-secret Area 51: Take a $5.2 million last best offer by Thursday for their property, or the government will seize it.The answer: No, at least for now.The owners, who trace their mining and mineral claims to the 1870s, include descendants of a couple who lost their hardscrabble mining enterprise after the Air Force moved in in the 1940s. Nuclear tests then began in 1951, their mine mill mysteriously exploded in 1954 and they ran out of money to seek reparations from the government in 1959. What they really want to buy is our property, our access rights and our view, said Joseph Sheahan, 54, who has led the fight with his cousin, Barbara Sheahan Manning, on behalf of about 20 property co-owners. Both live in Henderson, Nev. We prefer to keep our property, but it s for sale under the right price at the right conditions, Sheahan said. Why don t they ask themselves what it cost my family over the years in blood, sweat, tears and money? The two sides are far apart. And they know condemnation proceedings would lead to a fair market value determination that could end up in court for a long time.The federal government gradually encircled the mine property totaling fewer than 400 acres northwest of Las Vegas, making it a private island reachable today only by passing armed guards at security gateposts. The surrounding secure 4,500-square-mile reservation for nuclear testing, military training and other research is almost twice the area of the state of Delaware. The land has become an increasingly greater safety and security risk as demand for test and training opportunities have increased, the government said in an Aug. 28 news release describing the final offer.Today, Groom Mine overlooks Groom Lake, a site so secret that Col. Thomas Dempsey, a Nellis Air Force Base commander, would only refer to it on Friday as one of many remote locations within the Nevada Test and Training Range. Nothing you can look up in any Air Force naming convention refers to Area 51, added Jennifer Miller, deputy assistant Air Force secretary for installations.But check the Internet or watch TV s X-Files and Area 51 and Groom Lake evoke tales of top-secret aircraft research and testing, CIA programs and maybe extraterrestrials. The Triple-A baseball Las Vegas 51s even poke fun at the legend, with the team name and a mascot character named Cosmo.Sheahan family members consider themselves good neighbors and patriotic Americans, with generations of decorated military members, Manning and Joe Sheahan said. They don t tell what they ve seen.But Manning, 59, remembers the tales handed down during decades on the porch of a rustic home overlooking Groom Lake. We didn t have much more than a transistor radio and a deck of cards, and no indoor toilet, she said. Our grandparents told us the stories. For more than 70 years, since the U.S. government moved to that part of southern Nevada, they have completely disregarded our constitutional rights, Manning said.Read more: Conservative Focus | 0 |
4,609 | Unacknowledged Secret Access Projects: The Black Budget & Military Industrial Complex | 21st Century WireAre black budget projects illegally swallowing up your taxes?The military industrial complex has eaten up billions, if not trillions, of dollars from the American tax payer, and much of that has happened on a black budget that is entirely unacknowledged.The military industrial complex is one of the few industries in the world that actually profits from the misery of others, and is involved in numerous questionable projects like creating military cyborgs.In the following video, Dr. Steven Greer explains the significance of unacknowledged secret access projects and the consequences of their illegality: | 0 |
4,610 | Wisconsin bill giving $3 billion incentives to Foxconn advances | (Reuters) - Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled state Assembly voted 59-30 on Thursday to approve a bill that paves the way for a $3 billion incentives package for a proposed liquid-crystal display plant by Taiwan’s Foxconn. The plan still needs to be approved by the joint finance committee, which has members from both the Assembly and the state Senate, as well as the Senate before it can go to the governor. The finance committee and Senate are also controlled by Republicans. Foxconn, an electronics manufacturer formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd (2317.TW), hopes to open a $10 billion plant in 2020 at a 1,000-acre site in southeastern Wisconsin. Foxconn is a major supplier to Apple Inc (AAPL.O) for its iPhones. “We are ready to take advantage of this historic opportunity ... and build a long-lasting relationship with Foxconn,” Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, a Republican who helped negotiate the deal, said in a statement. Walker ordered the legislature into special session on Aug. 1 to consider the incentives package, which would award Foxconn $3 billion over 15 years in mostly cash incentives. Foxconn, Walker, President Donald Trump and other leaders announced the deal on the incentives last month in a White House ceremony. The 20-million-square-foot LCD plant would initially employ 3,000 people, but Walker and Foxconn said the company could ultimately employ 13,000 at the site. “We look forward to continuing to work with them to transform Wisconsin’s economy and make it a center of worldwide high-tech manufacturing,” Foxconn said in a statement, referring to the legislature. Proponents have touted the project’s investment potential and job creation, including an expected 22,000 ancillary and 10,000 construction jobs. Critics including some Democrats have attacked the plan as corporate welfare, too expensive, rushed and potentially harmful to the environment. “I think we need more time,” Democratic Representative Jill Billings said. “I want a better deal and more guarantees for my taxpayers.” Thursday’s vote did not follow strict party lines; three Democrats voted in favor and two Republicans voted against. Early in a debate that lasted several hours, Democrats proposed referring the matter to the finance committee for review, which would have stopped the debate. The Assembly rejected the proposal with a 57-32 vote. The Assembly also voted to ignore three amendments proposed by Democrats. Wisconsin would not break even on the incentive package for at least 25 years, a legislative analysis released last week said. | 1 |
4,611 | Zimbabwe opposition wants Mugabe's pillars of repression dismantled | HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe s main opposition said on Thursday it wanted incoming president Emmerson Mnangagwa to dismantle all pillars of repression that helped sustain Robert Mugabe s 37 years in power. In its first official comments since Mugabe resigned on Tuesday, the MDC said it was cautiously optimistic that a Mnangagwa presidency would not mimic and replicate the evil, corrupt, decadent and incompetent Mugabe regime. | 1 |
4,612 | MUSLIM INVASION UPDATE: Gang Members In Germany On Trial For Robbing Churches And Schools To Fund ISIS | Deep down, they just want to assimilate Eight young men have appeared in court in the German city of Cologne after they allegedly stole from churches and schools to fund Islamic State. The group is believed to have plundered 19,000 worth of goods, as well as causing serious property damage.Security was tight around the Cologne Regional Court as the eight men went on trial. The raids are believed to have taken place between 2011 and 2014, with the group stealing collection boxes, crosses and other religious items, worth an estimated 10,000 (US$11,400).They also ransacked schools, taking laptop computers, money and a cash card, which they used to help fund Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), the chief prosecutor in the case, Nadja Gudermann said, as cited by the Local.The German tabloid Bild also claimed that the IS sympathizers had even targeted an Afroshop, with the total amount stolen by the group reaching around 19,000.Via: RT | 0 |
4,613 | When Asked What His Favorite Bible Lesson Is, Trump Settles On The One With Facial Mutilation | Of all the biblical teachings Donald Trump could choose from, the Republican front-runner landed on the one best known for telling people to be vindictive.Donald Trump was a guest on WHAM 1180 AM when he got a question that by now he should have prepared for and somehow still clearly hasn t: What s your favorite Bible verse? Trump s flailing response speaks volumes.When host Bob Lonsberry asked him what passage particularly informed his character, Trump stumbled around before finally landing on eye for an eye. Well, I think many. I mean, when we get into the Bible, I think many, so many. And some people, look, an eye for an eye, you can almost say that. That s not a particularly nice thing. The adage goes that crimes should be punished by committing an equally severe punishment on the transgressor. If a victim loses an eye, then the assailant should have his ripped out. Notably, the New Testament is steadfastly against this form of justice. Even worse, Trump may very well think the founder of Christianity was weak for not agreeing with him. Jesus Christ famously condemned the practice and instead suggested people learn to turn the other cheek. You have heard that it was said, AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH. But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. The eye for an eye model isn t even unique to Judeo-Christian tenets. Long before Judaism, the Sumerians were doing the same. Needless to say, in the intervening thousands of years, legal codes and moral philosophers have evolved beyond this crude form of punishment. It seems part of Making America Great Again means rewinding ethical progress by about 4,000 years.During his interview he pivoted from the Bible to saying America is an embarrassment for not being more vengeful. If you look at what s happening to our country, I mean, when you see what s going on with our country, how people are taking advantage of us, and how they scoff at us and laugh at us. And they laugh at our face, and they re taking our jobs; they re taking our money; they re taking the health of our country.And we have to be firm and have to be very strong. And we can learn a lot from the Bible, that I can tell you. Astonishingly, this isn t even the first time Trump has gotten a softball religious question and managed to strike out. Earlier, he said his favorite quote from the Bible was never bend to envy a line which does not appear in the Bible. In this respect, Trump is getting a bit better. At least the things he s citing now actually exist even if they are the values Jesus deliberately spoke out against.But then who can blame Trump for being biblically illiterate, isn t there something in there about Heaven, camels, eyes of needles, and billionaire real estate tycoons?Featured image by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images | 0 |
4,614 | Lebanon's Hariri visits UAE as home crisis escalates | BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon s outgoing prime minister, Saad al-Hariri, made a brief visit to the United Arab Emirates from Saudi Arabia on Tuesday despite a deepening crisis back home and a rise in regional tensions triggered by his surprise resignation. Hariri announced his resignation on Saturday during a visit to his ally Saudi Arabia and has not yet returned to Lebanon. He said he believed there was an assassination plot against him and accused Iran, Saudi Arabia s arch-rival, and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah of sowing strife in the Arab world. His resignation has thrust Lebanon back into the frontline of the regional rivalry that pits a mostly Sunni bloc led by Saudi Arabia and allied Gulf monarchies against Shi ite Iran and its allies. Hariri s office said he had flown to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and then returned to Riyadh, but it gave no reason for the trip. It also did not say when he would return home. Hariri s Future TV channel said he would also visit Bahrain but gave no reason. Hezbollah has accused Riyadh of forcing Hariri to resign. Riyadh and aides to the Lebanese leader, whose family made their fortune in the Saudi construction industry, have strongly denied reports that he has been detained or was forced to quit. On Monday Riyadh accused Lebanon of declaring war against it because of aggression by Hezbollah, dramatically escalating the crisis and threatening to destabilize Lebanon. On Tuesday Lebanese politicians and Hezbollah remained silent about the escalation in Saudi rhetoric after a series of consultations with President Michel Aoun, a Hezbollah ally. A rocket fired from Yemen was intercepted on the outskirts of Riyadh hours after Hariri s resignation on Saturday. On Monday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told CNN the rocket was an Iranian missile launched by Hezbollah . Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called Aoun on Tuesday to discuss developments, telling him that unity among the Lebanese people would ensure that external strife and regional problems could be overcome, Iran s state news agency IRNA reported. Iran will do all it can to bolster the stability of Lebanon, IRNA quoted Rouhani as saying. Hariri s resignation has triggered the collapse of a national unity government agreed last year in a political deal that united Lebanon s opposing sides. This had led to Lebanon s first budget since 2005 and to agreement on a new law for a parliamentary election, which could now get derailed. Aoun has said he will not accept Hariri s resignation until he returns to Lebanon to explain his thinking a move widely seen as a stalling tactic. Hezbollah and its allies will struggle to form a government without Hariri or his blessing. The post of prime minister must be filled by a member of Lebanon s Sunni community, among which he is the most influential politician. The pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar daily reported on Tuesday that Hariri was placed under house arrest hours after arriving in Riyadh last Friday , that a Saudi security team was supervising his movements and that he had only limited access to his phones. Fouad Siniora, a former prime minister and member of Hariri s Future Movement, said he had spoken to him on Monday and added that Hariri would return to Lebanon. The political crisis has alarmed investors. On Tuesday Lebanon s dollar bonds fell and the cost of insuring exposure to its debt reached its highest since late 2008, and Moody s ratings agency warned of damage to its credit rating. Five-year credit default swaps (CDS) for Lebanon LBGV5YUSAC=MG jumped 51 basis points from Monday s close to 588 bps, according to IHS Markit data. Lebanon s 2022 issue dollar bond LB055923779= fell 3.4 cents to 92 cents in the dollar, trading at its lowest ever level, Thomson Reuters data showed. The finance minister, central bank governor and head of the banking association all issued statements on Monday stressing Lebanon s financial and monetary stability. | 1 |
4,615 | Sean Hannity Goes Apesh*t Over Trump As Caesar AGAIN, Gets Torn Apart Over HUGE Mistake (TWEETS) | It s crystal clear that nobody can accuse Sean Hannity of knowing what he s talking about, particularly over Twitter. Tonight, he got into a heated exchange with conservative writer Ben Shapiro over the suddenly-controversial depiction of Trump as Julius Caesar, because in Shakespeare s play, Julius Caesar gets assassinated.Hannity seemed to enjoy chants of liberal hate kills, after another Trump-loving protester rushed the stage at the play, and Shapiro called him out on his hypocrisy over that. Hannity responded by calling him stupid in one tweet, and then again with this little bit in which he made a complete fool of himself:Really, who s the stupid one here? The same theater company that did this play did have an Obama lookalike as Caesar in 2012. Other parallels have been drawn between Shakespearean characters and politicians, too: For instance, Henry V seemed to depict George W. Bush. There wasn t anything like the outcry we re seeing with the Trumpian Caesar.And Twitter is busy pointing all of this out with glee: The manufactured controversy could be due to the right s ongoing persecution complex. They latch onto anything that makes them look like it s them against the world, like the world is out to get them. It s absolutely ridiculous in the face of real persecution.This tweet may get deleted and it may stay up. Hannity isn t really known for admitting when he screwed something up royally like this. Kind of like his hero, Trump. He s more Trumpian every day.Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images/screenshot | 0 |
4,616 | MEDIA HIDES TRUTH ABOUT #UnFitHillary: FALLS OFF PODIUM…Takes Weekends Off From Campaigning In Front Of Tiny Audiences [VIDEO] | #UnFit Hillary spoke to another small crowd today in Scranton, PA:Once inside the rally, Hillary fell off the podium after introducing Joe Biden to the few folks that came to see Crooked Hillary and Crazy Joe:But the REAL news, and the news you won t be seeing in the mainstream media, is that #UnhealthyHillary is taking the weekends off from campaigning.By reviewing the activities of Presidential candidates Trump and Clinton a new phenomenon has appeared. While Trump continues to smash Clinton in attendance at events, Hillary appears to have decided to take weekends off.Clinton took the weekend of August 6th and 7th off and she decided to take three days off this past weekend August 12th through 14th. She also has no events scheduled to participate in this coming Thursday through Saturday August 18th through 20th. This in essence would mean another three days off after three days of events scheduled starting today. In total Clinton has taken 7 days off in August out of the first 14 days and is scheduled to continue with this approach through at least this coming Saturday.Donald Trump on the other hand has taken only two days off in August, Sunday August 7th and Sunday the 14th. Trump has 7 days where he has participated in more than one campaign event.As previously noted, Trump has more than ten times the number of people at his campaign events than Hillary has at hers since August 1st. More than 100,000 people have shown up for Trump events since the beginning of August (with many more turned away due to the events reaching capacity). Hillary on the other hand hasn t even had one tenth of that or not even 10,000 show up at her events since August 1st.Also, it is clear by just looking at the crowds at Trump and Clinton events that Trump has a movement and Hillary has barely a heartbeat.Here s Trump questioning Hillary s low energy campaign:Trump s largest event was in Ft Lauderdale, Florida, where it was estimated that the massive crowd there to see him was near 20,000. The largest crowd Clinton spoke at was in Washington, DC but this was a NABJ/NAHJ Event which had an estimated 4,000 in attendance. Hillary s largest event held by her campaign in August was back on August 1st in Omaha, NE when businessman Warren Buffett joined her and an estimated 3,000 locals. In total when looking at just the Clinton campaign events, barely 8,000 people showed up to the seven campaign events since August 1st. It is unknown why Clinton is taking so much time off. Questions arise whether it is related to her terrible campaign event turnout or her poor health or some combination of both. Gateway Pundit | 0 |
4,617 | TWISTED! Anti-American Riots By Illegals Portrayed As Anti-Trump: “This is our land” [Video] | More protests are probably happening today at the California State GOP Convention. Anti-American thugs will once again cause violence and a loss of freedoms in the age of the open borders Obama administration. You wanted fundamental transformation with Obama well, you got it! RIOTERS BURN AMERICAN FLAG: We don t need a white man telling us that he s gonna build a wall in our land we want him out! #CAGOPconventionhttps://t.co/qkviXbP7vS Fusion (@ThisIsFusion) April 29, 2016 WE VE GOT NEWS FOR THE MAIN STREAM MEDIA TRYING TO TWIST THE RESON FOR PROTESTS: THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TRUMP BUT EVERYTHING TO DO WITH ANTI-AMERICANISM! I want to go to college! This #CAGOPconvention protester is fighting on behalf of undocumented students:https://t.co/EP5mFxYF9f Fusion (@ThisIsFusion) April 29, 2016 | 0 |
4,618 | China says diplomacy needed to rid Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons | BEIJING (Reuters) - Denuclearization of the Korean peninsula should be achieved through peaceful and diplomatic means, China s foreign ministry said on Monday, as the United Nations discusses fresh sanctions against North Korea following its latest nuclear test. At a regular news briefing, ministry spokesman Geng Shuang reiterated China s call for more steps by the U.N. Security Council, saying he hoped its members could reach consensus. A U.S.-drafted resolution originally called for an oil embargo on the North, a halt to key textile exports and financial and travel bans on leader Kim Jong Un, but appears to have been watered down, according to a draft seen by Reuters. North Korea drew global condemnation for conducting its sixth nuclear test on Sept 3, which it said was of an advanced hydrogen bomb. | 1 |
4,619 | Trump vows strong U.S. ties with Israel, draws fire from Clinton | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Monday vowed an unbreakable U.S. alliance with Israel if he is elected president in November, seeking to clear up confusion over his repeated pledges to remain neutral in any peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Trump’s speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a powerful pro-Israel lobbying group, was part of a daylong effort by the anti-Washington candidate to persuade establishment Republicans to get behind his insurgent candidacy and give up on an effort to deny him the party’s presidential nomination. Describing Israel as ready to negotiate a peace agreement, Trump said the Palestinians would have to be willing to accept that Israel will forever exist as a Jewish state and able to stop attacks on Israelis. “The Palestinians must come to the table knowing that the bond between the United States and Israel is unbreakable,” the New York billionaire businessman said. Trump has drawn fire for his position on Middle East peace negotiations. He has described himself as extremely pro-Israel, but has said he would take a “neutral” stance in trying to negotiate an elusive peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians. Trump’s critics have said he could harm long-standing U.S. support for Israel. Trump’s leading Republican rival, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, reminded the AIPAC gathering of Trump’s position. “Let me be very, very clear,” Cruz said. “As president I will not be neutral. America will stand unapologetically with the nation of Israel.” Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state, used her AIPAC appearance to attack Trump. “We need steady hands, not a president who says he’s neutral on Monday, pro-Israel on Tuesday and who-knows-what on Wednesday because everything’s negotiable,” she said. Clinton also took aim at Trump’s vow that, if elected, he would deport illegal immigrants and bar Muslims temporarily from entering the United States. “If you see bigotry, oppose it, if you see violence, condemn it, if you see a bully, stand up to him,” she said. In a rarity, Trump delivered his AIPAC speech with the aid of a TelePrompter, abandoning his typical free-wheeling style. Throughout the day, his public remarks lacked their usual bombast, an obvious effort to appear more presidential. At a news conference, Trump presented himself as Republicans’ best chances of capturing the White House in the Nov. 8 election. He took steps to appear as the nominee-in-waiting, releasing the names of some foreign policy advisers and pledging to name seven to 10 people he would pick for the Supreme Court. Trump said establishment Republicans would be making a mistake if they persuade a high-profile party leader to launch a third-party run to deny him the White House. He said it would “almost certainly” mean the Democrats would win the presidency. “If people want to be smart, they should embrace this movement,” Trump said at the site of a new hotel he is building in Washington. “If they don’t want to be smart, they should do what they’re doing now and the Republicans are going to go down to a massive loss.” Trump laid out some foreign policy priorities in a CNN interview, saying the United States is contributing more than it should to the NATO alliance and that he would continue a U.S. thaw toward Cuba begun by President Barack Obama, who is now in Havana. Trump was in Washington for closed-door talks with a variety of Republicans organized by his top backer in the capital, U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama. It was his most overt bid yet to seek party unity at a time when many establishment Republicans bitterly oppose him. The meeting, held at the offices of the Jones Day law firm, included some Republican lawmakers and a former Republican speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, and former Congressman Bob Livingston. “We’ve had almost eight years of Mr. Obama, who’s been a disastrous president. We have now an opportunity to change course or have four more years of the same. And I think that Donald Trump is the alternative,” Livingston said after the session. Also at the meeting were Representatives Renee Ellmers of North Carolina and Chris Collins of New York, as well as former Senator Jim DeMint, who is head of the Heritage Foundation, an influential conservative Washington think-tank. In a separate session with the Washington Post editorial board, Trump named some members of his foreign policy team. The team included Walid Phares, who Trump called a counter-terrorism expert; George Papadopoulos, an oil and energy consultant; and Joe Schmitz, a former inspector general at the Department of Defense. Trump’s rise has alarmed establishment Republicans who have tried in vain to stop him. Their best hope of derailing his insurgent candidacy is to stretch the contest out and deny him the 1,237 delegates needed to formally win the party’s presidential nomination. Trump has 678 delegates to 423 for Cruz and 143 for Ohio Governor John Kasich, according to the Associated Press. If Trump does not win the 1,237 delegates, the Republican nominee would be decided at the party’s convention in Cleveland in July. | 1 |
4,620 | Trump picks Boeing executive Shanahan to become Pentagon's No.2 | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior Boeing (BA.N) executive Patrick Shanahan is U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to take over the No. 2 role at the Pentagon as deputy U.S. defense secretary, the White House announced on Thursday. The White House also announced plans to nominate: * David Norquist to become Under Secretary of Defense, Comptroller. Norquist is a partner with Kearney and Company, a Certified Public Accounting firm. * David Joel Trachtenberg to become Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, Policy. Trachtenberg is president and CEO of Shortwaver Consulting, LLC, a national security consultancy. * Kenneth Rapuano to become Assistant Secretary of Defense, Homeland Defense and Global Security. Rapuano is senior vice president and director of the studies and analysis group at the ANSER Corporation. | 1 |
4,621 |
Trump Gets STOMPED For Whining About President Obama Using Air Force One On Campaign Trail
| Donald Trump has been attacking President Obama for campaigning in support of Hillary Clinton, and he got his ass handed to him for it on Twitter.The Republican nominee attacked Obama on his Twitter account on Thursday by complaining about the use of Air Force One and said President Obama should be creating jobs and fixing Obamacare instead of campaigning for the Democratic nominee.Looking at Air Force One @ MIA. Why is he campaigning instead of creating jobs & fixing Obamacare? Get back to work for the American people! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 3, 2016But sitting presidents have been campaigning for their party s nominee and potential successor for decades, and seeing as how flying commercial is not practical, traveling on Air Force One is the best way for President Obama to campaign and do his job at the same time since the office goes where he goes, even on vacation.Trump and his deplorable supporters have also been claiming that taxpayers are paying the cost of President Obama using Air Force One to campaign for Hillary, but that s not true. As it turns out, the Hillary Clinton campaign pays the cost of these trips.So Trump s complaints about President Obama are nothing more than petty swipes designed to rile up his supporters who already hate Obama, which is why Twitter users hilariously mocked the Republican nominee in response to his post.@realDonaldTrump You mean the American people who ve made him an incredibly popular President with a high approval rating? Slothy McSloth Sloth (@smcslothsloth) November 3, 2016@realDonaldTrump Must give you heartburn remembering briefly in 2012 when he mocked you for the clown you are and everyone laughed at you Slothy McSloth Sloth (@smcslothsloth) November 3, 2016@realDonaldTrump And now, you may try to convince yourself you re close, but you ll never ride that plane as President. Slothy McSloth Sloth (@smcslothsloth) November 3, 2016@KatSnarky Source? Presidents pay for their (and their families ) lodging, food and incidentals while on vacation. https://t.co/mmdKDQqdH5 Amy I m With Her (@Poddling) November 3, 2016@hspickering1 Hey skippy, the Clinton campaign PAYS for the POTUS to travel and stump for her. That s under FEC LAW. @KatSnarky @Poddling Billy Tee (@BillyT_202) November 3, 2016.@realDonaldTrump Delete your account. Ryan Sager (@ryansager) November 3, 2016@realDonaldTrump He s doing fine. pic.twitter.com/uj5pR2QOcJ pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) November 3, 2016@pourmecoffee @realDonaldTrump why don t u stop tweeting and go release ur tax returns instead?! #never trump #imwithher britt-angela (@bangela72) November 3, 2016@realDonaldTrump stopping you from getting in the White House is doing the people s work! Mychal Harrison (@Magic_Mych) November 3, 2016@MathiasB26 Isn t this what all popular Presidents do the final weeks of an election? Campaign Never Trump so to me he s WORKING! Mychal Harrison (@Magic_Mych) November 3, 2016@realDonaldTrump Because he doesn t want an orange fuckwit to ruin the world. Nick Names Nuts (@nicknamesnuts) November 3, 2016@ginanotjenna @realDonaldTrump crawl back n ur hole: How Obamas Rising Approval Ratings Compare W/ Recent Presidents https://t.co/wHkdSn8oGc Ron Mexico (@meowmeowbeen) November 3, 2016@jbristol11 @realDonaldTrump you do realize the Ronald Reagan campaigned for Bush don t you? It s not uncommon. Can post photos if needed Aaron Hunter (@Aaron_hunter13) November 3, 2016Yeah, enough said.Featured Image: Pete Souza/White House Photo. | 0 |
4,622 | Searching for Trump card, Democrats watch Virginia governor's race | RICHMOND, Va. (Reuters) - Speaking as a folksy physician running for Virginia governor, Democrat Ralph Northam vowed in a recent campaign ad to fight Donald Trump on cuts to education funding, environmental protections and health care access. But Northam said he will work with the Republican president when it is in the state’s interest. The balancing act puts Northam, a moderate lieutenant governor with a low-key campaign style, on the front lines of his party’s search for a strategy to exploit Trump’s unpopularity in politically divided states such as Virginia. He is running against Ed Gillespie, former chairman of the Republican National Committee. The Nov. 7 general election in the competitive southern state is seen as a bellwether for next year’s midterm elections, when voters will decide whether Republicans should continue to control the U.S. Congress and a majority of state governments. After denouncing Trump as a “narcissistic maniac” during the primary campaign, Northam has since dialed back the vitriol. His emphasis on workforce education and policy matters heeds criticism that Democrats lost the White House because voters did not hear what the party stood for. “The Northam strategy is talk Trump, but don’t just talk Trump,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington, noting that Northam seeks to broaden his appeal to uncommitted voters. Most polls show Northam narrowly ahead in a contest Democrats consider a must-win. Virginia is one of only 15 governors’ mansions still held by the party, and its current governor cannot run for re-election due to term limits. Former Democratic President Barack Obama returned to the campaign trail this week for the first time since leaving office to stump for candidates in Virginia and New Jersey, the two states with gubernatorial elections this year. Without naming Trump, he called on voters to send a message by backing candidates like Northam. A recent poll showed nearly one in three likely Virginia voters were factoring Trump into their decision in the governor’s race, according to a survey from the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University. Northam’s supporters overwhelmingly disapproved of Trump. Distain for the Republican president is why Niel Manson, a 72-year-old retired engineer living near the capital city of Richmond, became a Democrat nine months ago. Yet the former independent called Northam wise to make his campaign about more than merely reacting to Trump. “There is no benefit in getting in a discussion with Trump, because he changes his mind every 24 hours,” Manson said. The Northam campaign said it has intentionally focused on policies when talking about Trump, seeking to draw parallels to Gillespie. Northam starts another recent ad highlighting differences between the gubernatorial candidates on climate change. “Now Ed’s going right along with Donald Trump as he tries to roll back our clean air and water protections,” the Democrat says from a picnic table at a waterfront park. The strategy works to connect the president to a Republican candidate who is not always in lock step with him, said Jennifer Duffy, who analyzes gubernatorial races for the non-partisan Cook Political Report. She said campaigns gearing up for next year’s midterms will learn from Virginia whether such messaging sways independents, or motivates Democrats to turn out in greater numbers than typical for non-presidential years. “This is our first real election to see how these arguments about Trump really do impact Republican candidates,” Duffy said. Gillespie’s campaign declined to comment about Trump’s impact on the race. The president endorsed Gillespie but has not campaigned with him. Vice President Mike Pence headlined a recent rally for the candidate in southwest Virginia’s heavily Republican coal country. Democratic voter Erin Siraguse, 34, said she based her support for Northam on issues such as his efforts to address affordable housing for teachers around her home in Fairfax County in northern Virginia. She admires how Northam has handled the president’s shadow over this year’s most competitive state race. “Lieutenant Governor Northam has done a wonderful job of talking about Trump without mentioning Trump,” she said. | 1 |
4,623 | Gary Johnson Displays Stunning Foreign Policy Ignorance On ‘Morning Joe’ (VIDEO) | Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson has been seen as an alternative to Donald Trump for many Republicans and other right-leaning types who can t stomach their own party s nominee and don t want to vote for Hillary Clinton. However, that prospect likely just went right out the window for many people after a Thursday morning question that revealed Johnson s ignorance when it comes to foreign policy.Johnson appeared on MSNBC s Morning Joe, and when asked about what he would do about Aleppo, he actually asked, What is Aleppo? Veteran columnist and frequent Morning Joe panelist Mike Barnacle looked at Johnson with the rest of the panel, visibly stunned. He responded, You re kidding. Johnson said, with a blank stare, No. In case anyone here is as clueless as Gary Johnson is on this matter, Aleppo is the largest city in Syria, and the heart of the refugee crisis. It s the source of all of those heartbreaking images of children of war that have been ripping all of our hearts out. It s where the battle for Syria is being waged. It s essentially the epicenter of the war that ISIS is waging. To have a person who wishes to be President of the United States and Commander-in-Chief of our military not know these basic facts is not only breathtaking in its ignorance, but also disqualifying.In other words, just like Donald Trump, Gary Johnson is far too ignorant of world affairs to be considered for the position he seeks. Out of the viable candidates for the White House, the only person who has the knowledge of world affairs and policy issues to actually be able to effectively do the job is Hillary Clinton. Whatever one might think of her as a person, or of her policy positions, she is qualified. No one else presented to us is.Watch the exchange with Johnson below:.@mikebarnicle: What would you do, if you were elected, about Aleppo? @GovGaryJohnson: And what is Aleppo? https://t.co/ZbqO5RAEsk Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) September 8, 2016Featured image via video screen capture | 0 |
4,624 | Hurricane Irma may cut power to over 9 million people in Florida: utility | (Reuters) - Hurricane Irma threatens to knock out power to more than 4.1 million homes and businesses served by Florida Power & Light (FPL), affecting around nine million people based on the current storm track, the utility s chief executive said on Friday. Everyone in Florida will be impacted in some way by this storm, Eric Silagy said at a news conference, urging FPL customers to be prepared for a multiweek restoration process. FPL is the biggest power company in Florida serving almost half of the state s 20.6 million residents. Outages across the state will likely top 4.1 million customers since other utilities, including units of Duke Energy Corp, Southern Co and Emera Inc, will also suffer outages but have not yet estimated how many. Irma poses a significantly bigger menace to power supplies in Florida than Hurricane Harvey did in Texas because Irma is packing 150 mile-per-hour winds (240 km/h) that could down electric lines and close nuclear and other power plants. This storm is unprecedented as far as strength and size. We are preparing for the worst and will likely have to rebuild parts of our service territory, Silagy said, noting the kinds of winds expected could snap concrete poles. Irma s winds have rivaled the strongest for any hurricane in history in the Atlantic, whereas Harvey s damage came from record rainfall. Even as Houston flooded, the power stayed on for most, allowing citizens to use TV and radio to stay apprised of danger, or social media to call for help. When Harvey made landfall in Texas it made it fully inland and weakened pretty quickly. Irma, however, could retain much of its strength, said Jason Setree, a meteorologist at Commodity Weather Group. Irma has killed several people and devastated islands in the Caribbean. Current forecasts put almost the entirety of the Florida peninsula in the path of the storm, which made landfall in the Caribbean with wind speeds of 185 mph. The threat of the Category 4 storm, the second highest rung on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, is grave enough that FPL plans to shut its two nuclear power plants in the state, and officials warned that it may have to rebuild parts of its power system, which could take weeks. One of those nuclear plants, Turkey Point, is located south of Miami near the southern tip of Florida, putting it near where Irma is expected to make landfall early Sunday morning. The other nuclear plant, St. Lucie, is on a barrier island on the east coast about 120 miles (193 km) north of Miami. Most Florida residents have not experienced a major storm since 2005, when total outages peaked around 3.6 million during Hurricane Wilma. Some of those outages lasted for weeks. Setree compared the projected path of Irma to Hurricane Matthew in 2016, which knocked out power to about 1.2 million FPL customers in October. FPL, a unit of Florida energy company NextEra Energy Inc, restored service to most customers affected by Matthew in just two days. In a statement this week, FPL estimated about half of its near five million customers - particularly in the trio of populous southeast counties Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Broward - had not experienced a major hurricane since 2005. FPL said it had invested nearly $3 billion since 2006 to strengthen its grid, including placing 60 main power lines underground and installing nearly five million smart meters and other devices. Other utilities in the Sunshine State said in statements that they had also invested in intelligent, self-healing devices. Smart meters allow utilities to see outages as they occur, rather than waiting on customer calls, and utilities also use automated devices that can reenergize lines without damage that were taken offline because of contact with trees or other objects, said Jay Apt, director of the Carnegie Mellon Electricity Industry Center in Pittsburgh. Olivia Ross, a spokeswoman for CenterPoint Energy, which serves the greater Houston area, said these devices helped the utility keep the lights on for more people in the aftermath of Harvey as some issues were resolved remotely. But such devices can only do so much. Harvey s outages were limited to 312,000 customers, of which CenterPoint was responsible for about 109,000, as it quickly lost force after landfall and turned into a tropical storm. By contrast, Ross noted, Hurricane Ike in 2008 caused 2.1 million of CenterPoint s customers to lose power when it hit the Texas coast near Houston. | 1 |
4,625 | TRUMP LETS LOOSE ON CROOKED HILLARY: “FBI Is ReOpening Case Into Her Criminal And Illegal Conduct That Threatens The Security Of The United States Of America”…NH Crowd Erupts, “LOCK HER UP” [VIDEO] | Hillary Clinton s corruption is on a scale we have never seen before. We must not let her take her criminal scheme into the Oval Office. I have great respect for the fact that the FBI and the DOJ are now willing to have the courage to right the horrible mistake that they made. This was a grave miscarriage of justice that the American people fully understood, and it is everybody s hope, that it is about to be corrected. MUST WATCH!! Donald Trump in NH Announces FBI Director James Comey Re Opening Hillary Clinton Criminal Case! Crowd Goes Wild! #FridayFeeling pic.twitter.com/Q7sOjqEVLd STOCK MONSTER (@StockMonsterUSA) October 28, 2016 | 0 |
4,626 | Pakistani top court rejects bid to bar opposition leader Imran Khan | ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan s Supreme Court cleared opposition leader Imran Khan on Friday of accusations of failing to declare assets, but barred his party s secretary general from parliament. The top court dismissed a petition to disqualify the cricket hero as an MP, months after his rival, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was removed from parliament by the court on similar charges. No dishonesty or omission can be attributed to (Khan). This petition has no merits and is hereby dismissed, Chief Justice Saqib Nisar told the court. The ruling on Khan was hailed as a vindication by his opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which will face off against Sharif s ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in elections next year. Khan had led the legal drive that led to Sharif being disqualified in July over unreported income and the opening of a criminal corruption case against the former prime minister. A lawmaker from Sharif s ruling party filed a separate complaint late last year alleging Khan and PTI secretary general Jahangir Tareen owned offshore companies and had not disclosed their assets. The Supreme Court disqualified Tareen. The respondent is declared not to be an honest person. He ceased to be member of the parliament. The respondent is disqualified, Nisar said of Tareen. PTI spokesman Naeem Ul Haq said the party was disappointed with that judgment. Tareen himself was not immediately available for comment. I gave 60 documents to the Supreme Court ... Nawaz Sharif, took 300 billion rupees out of this country which he has to answer for ... and for that he produced only one document, Khan said at a press briefing after the verdict was announced. A senior PML-N leader, Miftah Ismial, told Reuters the party questioned details of the court s ruling, but accepted it as final. | 1 |
4,627 | Activists Brilliantly Troll Chickenhawk Trump Behind The White House (IMAGES) | Astute CBS reporter Rebecca Shabad couldn t possibly have been the first person to notice the giant inflatable chicken currently on display behind the White House, but she was the first person to tweet about it:BREAKING: There's an inflatable chicken with Trump's hair behind the White House pic.twitter.com/CPzyHeAixA Rebecca Shabad (@RebeccaShabad) August 9, 2017I don t know if Ms. Shabad remembers that chicken, but it looks like it s been resurrected (reinflated?) from the props used by the Tax Day marchers back in April. Danelle Morton, writing for Slate, described the inception of the Trump Chickens, which she found for sale in China a month earlier:A bit restless, I began Googling around for a symbol grotesque enough for our cause, something bloated that would block out the sky like a Macy s Thanksgiving Day balloon. I punched in TRUMP BALLOON into the search bar and discovered the Trump chicken: a huge inflatable rooster that bore an uncanny resemblance to Donald Trump.For China s Lunar New Year celebration, which kicked off the Year of the Rooster, inflatable versions of the Trump rooster could be found all over China. The Chinese, of course, aren t very happy with Trump, who taunted China on the campaign trail and flirted with Taiwan during the transition. The inflatable Trump Rooster Cock as a listing on Alibaba, China s equivalent of Amazon, calls it mocked his bluster with its swooping butterscotch pompadour and tiny hands shaped to mimic the way the president pinches his fingers Some of the inflatables were gigantic, as tall as 60 feet.I couldn t believe what I d found. In China this may be the Trump Rooster Cock, but in America it would be the Trump chicken.It was glorious:Yin Ming/Imagine ChinaYin Ming/Imagine ChinaWelcome back, Trump Rooster Cock. You re just in time to watch a little chickenhawk try to weasel his way out of the threats he s making.Read more:Featured image via Eric Thayer/Getty Images | 0 |
4,628 | Trump to seek jobs advice from firms that offshore U.S. work | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump, who has vowed to stop U.S. manufacturing from disappearing overseas, will seek job-creation advice on Thursday from at least five companies that are laying off thousands of workers as they shift production abroad. Caterpillar Inc (CAT.N), United Technologies Corp (UTX.N), Dana Inc (DAN.N), 3M Co (MMM.N) and General Electric Co (GE.N), are offshoring work to Mexico, China, India and other countries, according to a Reuters review of U.S. Labor Department records. Executives from the five companies are among a group of business leaders due to meet with Trump on Thursday to discuss how to help the president deliver on his promise to increase factory employment, according to the White House. About 2,300 U.S. workers at these five companies stand to lose their jobs within the next two years as a result of offshoring, according to the Labor Department’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Program, which provides retraining benefits to workers displaced by global trade. Reuters obtained the information through a Freedom of Information Act request. The companies confirmed the planned job cuts to Reuters. It is not clear whether the other 19 executives due to meet with Trump on Thursday are currently offshoring work, as the TAA program does not cover all workers who lose their jobs due to global trade. The lost jobs amount to a small fraction of the hundreds of thousands of U.S. workers employed by those involved in the meeting. General Electric, for example, employs 125,000 U.S. workers, financial filings show. On the campaign trail and in the White House, Trump has painted globalization as a zero-sum game that has enriched low-wage countries while leaving the United States littered with abandoned factories and underemployed workers, and he has threatened to tax companies that offshore U.S. jobs. The experience of companies on Trump’s task force, however, shows the reality is more complex in a world where they are serving customers across the globe. Several said they were creating many new U.S. factory jobs even as they move work to other countries. It’s not clear whether Trump will opt for the carrot or the stick. Trump plans to meet business leaders to hear their reasons for “why they’re going offshore,” said a White House aide who spoke on condition of anonymity. Blue-collar workers who share Trump’s skepticism of global trade say they will be watching closely to see if he will try to save their jobs. “I don’t think he’s a typical politician, so there is hope alive for middle-class families that he will do something,” said Scott Schmidt, one of 222 workers at a GE engine plant in Waukesha, Wisconsin who are due to lose their jobs later this year when the company shifts production to Canada. General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt is among those due to meet with Trump on Thursday. GE says it is closing its Waukesha plant because Congress has hobbled the U.S. Export-Import Bank’s ability to finance large export orders while most other industrialized nations still offer such financial support. The company says it laid off 225 workers last year at a Houston factory for the same reason, shifting production to France, the United Kingdom and Hungary. GE says it is also closing an Ohio factory and laying off 180 workers because consumers are buying fewer of the florescent and incandescent light bulbs they make there. What production remains will be handled by a factory in Hungary. The U.S. economy lost 6 million manufacturing jobs from 2000 to 2010, roughly one-third of its total, in part due to offshoring, but the sector has added 900,000 jobs since then, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Multinational companies say labor costs now are only one factor they consider when deciding where to manufacture. An auto maker, for example, may decide to build a particular model in the country where sales are strongest, prompting parts suppliers to set up there as well so they can turn around orders quickly. The offshoring picture is also more complex than official statistics indicate as a shuttered factory in the United States does not always mean a new factory abroad. When auto-parts maker Dana Corp closes a factory later this year in Glasgow, Kentucky that is operating at 20 percent of capacity, one of its plants in Ohio will pick up the work, along with other factories in Mexico, India and China. Dana CEO James Kamsickas is among those scheduled to meet with Trump on Thursday. The company plans to hire nearly 700 U.S. workers over the next three years as it expands factories in four U.S. states, spokesman Jeff Cole said. That is little comfort to the 223 people in Kentucky who will lose their jobs. “It seems like all these CEOs and companies have turned their backs on the American worker,” said Dana employee Tim Wells, one of those who will be laid off. The group also includes United Technologies CEO Gregory Hayes, who took heat from Trump last year for planning to move jobs from Indianapolis to Mexico. The company struck a deal with the incoming president in November to preserve roughly 700 jobs in exchange for $7 million in tax breaks. United Technologies says it still plans to lay off 786 workers at a separate Indiana plant and move production to Mexico this year. The company is also moving work from a facility in Arden Hills, Minnesota, resulting in a loss of 72 jobs. Most of that work is staying in the United States but some is moving to Poland, spokeswoman Bethany Sherman said, and some of the affected workers will be offered positions elsewhere. The company is adding more than 1,000 new jobs in the United States, Sherman said. Other participants include Caterpillar Chairman Doug Oberhelman, who oversees a company that is laying off 712 workers in the American South and Midwest and moving the work to China, Mexico, Italy, France and Germany as it weathers the largest sales slump in its history. A Caterpillar spokesman said it is simultaneously creating 1,300 new manufacturing jobs elsewhere in the United States. Also due to participate is Inge Thulin, CEO of 3M, which is eliminating 130 jobs in suburban Cincinnati and moving production to Mexico. The company says it has added more than 2,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs over the last five years. | 1 |
4,629 | Ivory Coast accepts tribunal ruling in border dispute with Ghana | ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Ivory Coast has accepted a ruling by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea that favored Ghana in a dispute over the location of the maritime boundary separating the two West African neighbors, an Ivorian government spokesman said. What s important is to preserve our good neighborly relations with Ghana, Bruno Kone said on Monday. And this judgment allows for a definitive demarcation of the maritime boundary. | 1 |
4,630 | U.S. Senate confirms Heath Tarbert to be an assistant Treasury secretary | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday to confirm Heath Tarbert to be an assistant secretary of the Treasury. Tarbert is expected to oversee the inter-agency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which assesses proposed transactions to ensure they do not harm national security. Tarbert, now at the law firm Allen & Overy LLP, takes the reins of CFIUS at a time when the inter-agency panel has balked at approving deals involving China in areas as disparate as semiconductors, insurance and aluminum. | 1 |
4,631 | Obama calls for a halt to 'vicious' tone and violence on campaign trail | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Tuesday he was dismayed about violence and divisiveness on the U.S. presidential campaign trail and, in a reference to Republican front-runner Donald Trump, called on leaders to clean up the tone of the race. “We have heard vulgar and divisive rhetoric aimed at women and minorities, at Americans who don’t look like us or pray like us or vote like we do,” Obama said during an event on Capitol Hill. “We’ve seen misguided attempts to shut down that speech. However offensive it may be, we live in a country where free speech is one of the most important rights that we hold. In response to those attempts, we’ve seen actual violence. And we’ve heard silence from too many of our leaders.” Obama spoke as Americans in five states - Ohio, Florida, Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina - voted in the latest round of primaries to select the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates for the November election. Trump has drawn wide criticism, including from within the Republican establishment, for a campaign that has included calling Mexican immigrants rapists and proposing a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. There have been some clashes in recent days at his rallies between his supporters and protesters. Trump, a New York real estate magnate, has dismissed accusations that he has fueled the violent atmosphere. Obama said this year’s campaign cycle was not an accurate reflection of the United States. “It has to stop,” the Democratic president said, describing the atmosphere of the campaign as “vicious,” and adding that the behavior “can undermine our democracy, our society and even our economy.” Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate Majority Leader, told reporters that Trump had called him on Tuesday. “I took the opportunity to recommend to him that no matter who may be triggering these violent expressions or conflicts that we’ve seen in some of these rallies, it might be a good idea to condemn that and discourage it,” McConnell said. He declined to comment on Trump’s response. U.S. Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida and Ohio Governor John Kasich are challenging Trump for the nomination. “I suspect that all of us can recall some intemperate words that we regret. Certainly I can,” Obama said. “And while some may be more to blame than others for the current climate, all of us are responsible for reversing it.” | 1 |
4,632 | Trump criticism prompts questions over Attorney General's future | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump further stoked speculation about the fate of his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, on Wednesday by assailing him in a fresh round of tweets even as Sessions was attending meetings at the White House. On Tuesday, Trump took to Twitter to call Sessions “very weak,” prompting questions about whether Sessions, one of Trump’s earliest and most vocal supporters during his 2016 presidential campaign, would be forced out. On Wednesday, Sessions entered and left the White House without speaking to the president and with his status unchanged, while conservative lawmakers in Congress rallied around Sessions, a former senator. A source close to Sessions said he has a “spine of steel” and plans on remaining in office until he is fired or asked to resign. Trump has kept Sessions at a distance, the source said. The two rarely speak and Sessions has been kept out of meetings. Trump has said he is frustrated that Sessions recused himself from a federal investigation into possible collusion between Trump’s election campaign and Russia and said he would not have appointed him had he known he would do so. At a White House press briefing, spokeswoman Sarah Sanders did not address Sessions’ job security, but said that Trump and Sessions had not spoken this week. “You can be disappointed in someone but still want them to continue to do their job,” Sanders said. “The president wants the attorney general to focus on his duties as attorney general.” In a pair of morning tweets, Trump said Sessions should have named a replacement for Andrew McCabe, the acting director of the FBI. Trump has accused McCabe of having ties to his former presidential rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton. The FBI has defended McCabe, saying he did not have conflicts of interests. Trump has since nominated Christopher Wray to be the FBI director. Wray is waiting to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. At a news conference on Tuesday, Trump said he was “very disappointed” with Sessions. Asked whether Sessions would remain in the cabinet, Trump said, “Time will tell.” But Republicans on Capitol Hill and conservative groups have stood by the attorney general. Senator Lindsey Graham said Trump was acting weak by not following through and firing Sessions. “I would fire somebody I did not believe could serve me well rather than trying to humiliate them in public - which is a sign of weakness,” Graham tweeted on Wednesday. Earlier, Graham had praised Sessions as a “rock-solid conservative” who “believes in the rule of law.” Sessions “is working to keep our streets safe, secure our borders, and enforce our immigration laws, and protect our nation,” Senator Tom Cotton said in a statement. Sessions’ hardline stance on immigration endears him to conservatives. On Tuesday, the Justice Department said it would now withhold grant money from so-called “sanctuary cities” - communities that do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities. That move earned Sessions praise from NumbersUSA, a group that advocates limits on immigration. | 1 |
4,633 | BOOM! WATCH SEAN HANNITY Hit Back At Bogus Sexual Harassment Allegations: “I can no longer let the slander against me slide” [Video] | Thank you Sean Hannity for hitting back at the latest woman to claim harassment! Hannity released a statement and spoke out on his show last night (video below) about blogger Debbie Schlussel s attempt to charge him with sexual harassment and it s dead on!SEAN HANNITY S STATEMENT: LET ME BE CLEAR THE COMMENTS ABOUT ME ON A RADIO SHOW THIS WEEK by this individual are 100% false and a complete fabrication.This individual is a serial harasser who has been lying about me for well over a decade. The individual has a history of making provably false statements against me in an effort to slander, smear and besmirch my reputation.The individual has not just slandered me over the years but many people who this individual disagrees with.This individual desperately seeks attention by any means necessary, including making unfounded personal attacks and using indefensible and outrageous political rhetoric.My patience with this individual is over. I have retained a team of some of the finest and toughest lawyers in the country who are now in the process of laying out the legal course of action we will be taking against this individual.In this fiercely divided & vindictive political climate, I will no longer allow slander and lies about me to go unchallenged, as I see a coordinated effort afoot to now silence those with conservative views. I will fight every single lie about me by all legal means available to me as an American. THE BACKGROUND ON THIS BLOGGER FROM OUR PREVIOUS REPORT:During a discussion about sexual harassment charges against FOX News host Bill O Reilly, blogger Debbie Schlussel was asked by radio host Pat Cambell of 1170 Talk Radio if anyone at FOX News made her feel uncomfortable ? or if sexual advances were made on her? Campbell asked: What do you make of this whole thing? Schlussel responded, Well, only by Sean Hannity, not by Bill O Reilly. Campbell stopped her Whoa Wait, wait, wait! Say that again. Schussed responded: Only by Sean Hannity, not Bill O Reilly. Although listeners get the sense the whole interview was a set-up, Campbell appears shocked by this new sexual harassment allegation being made against Sean Hannity and asks again, Sean Hannity what? He hit on you, or he made you feel uncomfortable? to which Schlussel responded, Yeah. She then went on to explain her so-called experience with Hannity.After she finished her story where she claims Hannity asked her to come back to his hotel, and that she received horrible treatment from him and his executive producer after she declined his offer, She went on to claim that he never booked her on his show again and that she got a very weird feeling about it . This kind of stuff very uh all over the place at Fox News and with anything that has to do with Sean Hannity. She then went on to make an infer that Hannity s executive producer Jill Vitale quit the show because Sean Hannity wanted something from her and she wouldn t give it. Schlussel claimed that everyone should start looking into it because, it s not an above-board story. Here is Jill Vitale s response to the LIE Schlussel told radio host Pat Campbell, when she inferred the reason Vitale left Hannity s radio show had to do with Hannity s inappropriate sexual behavior:I left because I had kids! https://t.co/Ek81EVGkrH Jill Vitale (@Flirtyflipper) April 23, 2017Sean Hannity used to tease Vitale about being a liberal on his show, which makes her tweet defending Bill O Reilly very interesting:Bill O'Reilly's out. Who's next? Jill Vitale (@Flirtyflipper) April 19, 2017Vitale also advocates for O Reilly here where she tweets that NYC s top radio talk show should hire O Reilly. She doesn t exactly sound like a woman who left Sean Hannity s show because she was victim of sexual harassment:It'd be a smart decision for @77WABCradio to hire him! https://t.co/kOiG93QC7K Jill Vitale (@Flirtyflipper) April 20, 2017Schussed continued to make more accusations during her interview: And it s funny because I have a friend that s a radio host in a different city and, um that used to work for Rush Limbaugh. And whenever Sean Hannity would take about Jon Edwards and his love child, he would always call me and we would laugh about it because he could ve had a love child too, given that with some of the stuff we ve heard about him and some of the stuff I know about him. Schlussel went on to make another wild claim about Hannity, calling him a pimp for Roger Ailes and a Fixer for Bill O Reilly. Debbie Schlussel, a former Fox News guest, appeared on a local radio show on Friday and recounted an incident where Sean Hannity purportedly asked her to a hotel, and when she rebuffed his advances, she claims, she was ostracized by the network star. The story has since gone viral garnering headlines like Sean Hannity Accused of Sexually Harassing Fox News Guest in publications like The Daily Beast and The Huffington Post. Now, in an interview with LawNewz.com on Monday morning, Schlussel is denying that she was ever sexually harassed by Sean Hannity. While Schlussel stands by her description of the incident, Schlussel told us that she doesn t believe what happened between the two amounted to sexual harassment by any legal definition. I would never accuse him of that. Sexual harassment has a special meaning under the law, and I would never accuse him of that, Schlussel, an attorney herself, said. Schlussel said the interaction happened in the early 2000 s when Hannity was in Detroit taping a show. He tried to get me to go back to the hotel after the show after he and his executive producer Bill Shine treated me horribly, she said on the radio program. Schlussel later clarified that it wasn t his hotel room, but rather his hotel. She told LawNewz.com that she did go on the show following the incident, but after that was banned from Fox News. I never thought I was sexually harassed by Sean Hannity, I thought he was weird and creepy not someone I liked, Schlussel said.Following the radio interview on Friday, Hannity issued a strongly worded statement denying Schlussel s claims saying he plans to take legal action against Schlussel for possible libel. LET ME BE CLEAR THE COMMENTS ABOUT ME ON A RADIO SHOW THIS WEEK by this individual ARE 100% false and a complete fabrication, Hannity said in a statement obtained by LawNewz.com. This individual is a serial harasser who has been lying about me for well over a decade. The individual has a history of making provably false statements against me in an effort to slander, smear and besmirch my reputation. The individual has not just slandered me over the years but many people who this individual disagrees with. Schlussel responded to Hannity s legal threats, telling LawNewz.com she believed they were laughable, and that she is also contemplating countersuing him based on his statements on Sunday in which he called her a serial harasser. It s defamatory, Schussel said, Everything I said was true, and truth is an absolute bar to defamation. He on the other hand has a murky record on truth. The accuser has a history of making allegations against Hannity. Back in 2010, Schlussel, who Gawker claimed at the time was a crazy birther blogger, wrote a blog post claiming that the Freedom Alliance, a war veteran charity, which is supported by Hannity, was skimming donations, and was all a huge scam. According to a 2010 letter obtained by LawNewz.com, Thomas Kilgannon, the charity s founder and president, fired back in a note to donors: the blog posting accuses our friend Sean Hannity of personally benefiting from Freedom Alliance. This is FALSE. Freedom Alliance has never provided planes, hotels, cars, limos, or anything else to Sean. Sean gets nothing from Freedom Alliance except our gratitude for his personal generosity and for all he has done to help the troops and our organization. Hannity has reportedly donated more than a million dollars to the charity over the last several years. LawzNewz | 0 |
4,634 | CHILLING PHOTO Captures FEMALE SUICIDE BOMBER Carrying Baby Moments Before She Blows Both Of Them Up | Why would President Trump want America to enforce a travel ban on refugees from terror hotbed nations? Why wouldn t we want to import so many nice, trustworthy people with so many common values and similar customs?At first sight the picture appears to show a mother cradling her young child as she flees an Islamic State-held area of Mosul.But a closer look reveals she is holding a trigger., which she will pull seconds later.An Iraqi TV station captured the moment before a suspected female Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) suicide bomber blew herself and the baby up near Iraqi troops.She had apparently tried to detonate an explosives vest hidden under her hijab as she passed the soldiers, but it failed to go off until she had walked some distance away, a cameraman for al-Mawsleya TV said.She was killed along with her child, while two soldiers and several civilians were injured.The station had been filming the battle between Iraqi troops and Isil fighters and did not realise what they had caught on camera until they reviewed their footage later.The jihadists have used everything in their arsenal to fend off the troops in the final throes of the nine month-long offensive.Isil s use of female suicide bombers in battle, while not new, is exceedingly rare and demonstrates the group s desperation.More than 20 female suicide bombers hiding among civilians are believed to have detonated explosives in the last two weeks.One general claimed they were even using their own children as human shields. The women are fighting with their children right beside them, Lieutenant General Sami al-Aridi said. It s making us hesitant to use air strikes, to advance. If it weren t for this we could be finished in just a few hours. Preventing the attacks has proved difficult. Iraq s socially conservative culture means soldiers do not ask women to lift up their clothes to check for explosives as they do men. Telegraph UK | 0 |
4,635 | Maltese prime minister promises reward to uncover journalist killer | VALLETTA (Reuters) - Prime Minister Joseph Muscat offered on Wednesday a major reward to anyone with information about the killing of prominent journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, saying no expense would be spared in solving the crime. Caruana Galizia, who regularly lambasted Muscat in her popular blogs, was killed on Monday by a bomb, which tore apart her car as she was driving away from her home on this southern Mediterranean island. Dutch forensic experts and investigators from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are helping the local police probe the murder, which shocked Malta and drew condemnation from around Europe. We will make sure our investigators have all the resources they need and all the foreign expertise necessary to get to the bottom of this, Muscat told Reuters in his office, housed in an 18th century baroque palace. Shortly afterwards, Muscat told parliament his government would offer a substantial and unprecedented reward for information about the crime and said any informants would be given full legal protection. He gave no further details. Muscat, who easily won re-election in June after calling a snap vote in response to Caruana Galizia s charges of corruption, said he would not stand down, but acknowledged that the killing had hurt the country s reputation. This has done no good for sure. But, we want to show people that this is not us. This is not what we stand for. Forensic teams on Wednesday combed the crime scene for evidence, with body parts and fragments of the car blown across a wide area by the powerful blast. Police have yet to give any information about their findings to date. Caruana Galizia s son Matthew denounced Muscat in a fierce outburst on Tuesday, saying he had allowed a culture of impunity to take root in Malta, undermining both the judiciary and the police during his five years in office. Muscat, who earlier this year sued Caruana Galizia over her allegations of financial wrongdoing within his family, played down the son s criticism. I think I would have said worse things if I had found my mother butchered in a car explosion, so I would not take exception at what he said, he said. However, he rejected criticism that he had allowed wealthy foreigners to hold great sway over Malta, which has a population of some 400,000 and is the smallest European Union nation. His government has encouraged foreign firms to set up subsidiaries to take advantage of low tax rates, has allowed a rapid proliferation of online gaming firms and instigated a scheme to let wealthy outsiders buy Maltese passports. Our economy is heavily diversified, he said. I think our financial services sector is as transparent, solid and compliant as any other European jurisdiction. Opposition leader Adrian Delia, himself a recent target of Caruana Galizia s verbal assaults, has demanded the resignation of Muscat, accusing him of destroying the rule of law in Malta. | 1 |
4,636 | U.S. helped thwart major attack in St. Petersburg: U.S., Russia say | MOSCOW/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States provided intelligence to Russia that helped thwart a potentially deadly bomb attack in St. Petersburg, U.S. and Russian officials said on Sunday, in a rare public show of cooperation despite deep strains between the two countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin telephoned U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday to thank him for the tip-off, which the Kremlin said helped prevent a militant bomb attack on a cathedral in the Russian city, as well as other sites. The White House did not disclose details about the plot itself, but said the attack could have killed large numbers of people. Neither the Kremlin nor the White House identified the would-be attackers. The U.S. warning allowed Russian law enforcement agencies to arrest the suspects before they could carry out their plans, the White House and Kremlin said. Relations between Washington and Moscow have been damaged by disagreements over the wars in Ukraine and Syria, although Trump pledged during his election campaign to pursue better ties with Moscow. That has been complicated by U.S. allegations - denied by Russia - that the Kremlin meddled in last year s U.S. presidential election to help Trump win. Russian officials say Putin believes Trump is not to blame for the tensions. The phone call on Sunday between Trump and Putin was at least the second such call in the past week. On Thursday, Putin and Trump discussed the crisis in North Korea. The foiled attack was to have been carried out on Kazansky Cathedral, in Russia s second city of St. Petersburg, and on other locations in the city where large numbers of people gather, the Kremlin statement said. The cathedral is a popular tourist site. The White House seized on the foiled plot in St. Petersburg as a sign of what Moscow and Washington could do if they cooperate. Both leaders agreed that this serves as an example of the positive things that can occur when our countries work together, the White House said, adding Trump appreciated the call from Putin. Russian media reported last week that the Federal Security Service had detained followers of the Islamic State group who had been planning a suicide bomb attack on Kazansky Cathedral on Saturday. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not immediately respond to requests for additional details on the foiled plot. Putin said Russia would alert U.S. authorities if it received information about any attack being planned on the United States, the Kremlin said. Russia has repeatedly been the target of attacks by Islamist militant groups, including an attack in April that killed 14 people when an explosion tore through a train carriage in a metro tunnel in St. Petersburg. Russian police detained several suspects in that attack from mainly Muslim states in ex-Soviet central Asia. | 1 |
4,637 | Denuclearization of Korean Peninsula is U.S. policy: State Department | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. policy is to achieve a verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, a State Department spokesman said on Tuesday, shortly after a senior U.S. official said trying to persuade Pyongyang to give up nuclear weapons was a lost cause. The comment by State Department spokesman John Kirby at a news briefing followed remarks by the Director of U.S. National Intelligence James Clapper at a Washington think tank that the U.S. policy of trying to persuade North Korea to denuclearize “is probably a lost cause.” | 1 |
4,638 | U.S. senator says Russia can expect sanctions after cyber attacks | RIGA/TALLINN (Reuters) - Russia and its president Vladimir Putin should expect tough sanctions after cyber attacks during the presidential election won by Donald Trump, U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on Wednesday. Earlier this month, Republican and Democratic senators including Graham called for a bipartisan panel to investigate cyber attacks against the United States by foreign countries, with a focus on Russia’s alleged efforts to influence the U.S. presidential election. “There will be bipartisan sanctions coming that will hit Russia hard, particularly Putin as an individual,” Graham said in the Latvian capital. NATO members Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, all ruled by Moscow in communist times, have been alarmed by Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in 2014 and its support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. “It is now time for Russia to understand – enough is enough,” Graham said. He did not elaborate further on what the sanctions could entail. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia tried to influence the Nov. 8 election by hacking individuals and institutions, including Democratic Party bodies. Russian officials have denied accusations of interference in the election. “Here’s what you can expect in 2017 in the United States – a bipartisan effort in Congress to push back against the Russian interference in our election,” Graham said at a stop on a three-day visit to the Baltics with fellow Republican senator John McCain, seen as a bid to soothe concerns over the policy of President-elect Trump. Separately, the Estonian defence minister said the country was increasing its efforts to defend itself against cyber attacks after NATO recognised cyber attacks as an element of warfare, alongside land, sea and air. In what Estonian officials say was a wake-up call, the country was hit by cyber attacks on extensive private and government Internet sites in 2007. State websites were brought to a crawl and an online banking site was closed. Lithuania also said last week the Kremlin was responsible for cyber attacks that have hit government computers there over the past two years. Putin’s spokesman dismissed the allegations as unsubstantiated. Lithuanian intelligence services, in their annual report, say cyber attacks have moved from being mainly targeted at financial crimes to more political spying on state institutions. “We have almost finished the submission for the government to create the new cyber command and it should be up and running within two years”, Estonia’s Defence Minister Margus Tsahkna told Reuters on Wednesday. NATO leaders agreed earlier this year to deploy military forces to the Baltic states and eastern Poland for the first time and increase air and sea patrols to reassure allies on its eastern border. Estonia is due to host around 1,000 British, French and Danish troops in 2017. | 1 |
4,639 | MORE WINNING! After 14 Year Ban, China Welcomes Back US Beef To Their Multibillion-Dollar Market | You re gonna be so proud of your country. We re gonna win so much. We re gonna win at every level. We re gonna win so much, you may even get tired of winning. You may even get so tired of winning, and you ll say, Please, please it s too much winning! We can t take it anymore. Mr. President, it s too much! Candidate Donald Trump, May, 2016President Trump tweeted about an exciting new opportunity for US cattle farmers, as China lifts 14 year ban on American beef imports: After 14 years, U.S. beef hits Chinese market. Trade deal an exciting opportunity for agriculture. During his Senate hearing to be confirmed as ambassador to China, then-Gov. Terry Branstad said he would prefer to serve Iowa beef not cuts from Australia at the U.S. Embassy there.He won t get that wish yet, but the prime rib he slices into Friday when joined in Beijing by U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Chinese government officials to ceremonially mark the return of U.S. beef to China after a 14-year ban will be from closer to home Nebraska.The meat shipped last week by a South Omaha meatpacker was reported to be the first shipment of U.S. beef to China since 2003 after officials sealed a long-sought trade deal this month. This is a big deal. It s definitely very positive news, said Lee Schulz, an Iowa State University Extension livestock economist.But Schulz cautioned overcoming the political hurdles that had prevented U.S. beef exports to China over fears associated with mad cow disease are only the first step. It will be some time before American beef becomes it s what s for dinner for nearly 1.4 billion Chinese.He described the Chinese market for U.S. beef as in its infancy in terms of its impact on Iowa and U.S. producers and processors.The market today is very different from 2003, according to Chris Freland, executive director of the Iowa Beef Industry Council. Still, what she saw while visiting China earlier this year makes her believe U.S. beef producers have an exciting opportunity to move into the Chinese market. There are a lot of people there and a rising middle class who can add beef to their diet, she said.China is projected to become the largest beef market in the world and a major destination for U.S. beef products, according to American Farm Bureau Federation economist Katelyn McCullock. Adding to the market potential is China s changing taste, McCullock said.In 2003, much of the market there was offal tongues, kidneys and livers, for example. Today, there has been demand for higher-value muscle cuts or steak.Before China closed the door on U.S. beef, it imported $70 million worth of beef annually, with the United States supplying 80 percent of that. Today, China imports about $2.6 billion worth of beef every year. Last year, Chinese beef imports totaled 601,000 tons and demand is expected to increase ninefold in four years. So if we can even have a portion of that coming back for Iowa producers, that s a celebration for producer profitability, Freland said.For entire story: The Gazette | 0 |
4,640 | Colombia and ELN rebels begin first-ever ceasefire | BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia and the Marxist ELN rebels began a ceasefire on Sunday aimed at generating goodwill during complicated talks to end a half-century war that has killed hundreds of thousands. The truce, the first with the National Liberation Army (ELN), will run through Jan. 9 and may be extended if it is respected. This is a very important step, a step that I hope will be the first in a process that will also lead the ELN to hand in their weapons, President Juan Manuel Santos said ahead of the armistice. The ELN is in talks in Ecuador to end its part in the conflict. Since negotiations began in February, the ELN has continued to take hostages for ransom and in recent weeks stepped up bomb attacks on oil companies. Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas warned that, although Colombia s military would avoid confrontations with the ELN during the ceasefire, it would go after the group if it engaged in criminal activities such as illegal mining and drug trafficking. We ll respect the ceasefire in the sense that we won t confront the ELN, looking for contact and combat. We hope they do the same, Villegas told Reuters in a recent interview. Our mission to pursue crime will be maintained throughout the nation without exception. Despite the ceasefire, the road to a definitive peace accord will be long and complex. The ELN is considered hard-line in its ideology and was not known for compromise during past attempts at peace. Inspired by the Cuban revolution and the Liberation Theology beliefs of the Catholic priests who founded it in 1964, the 2,000-strong ELN has sought an end to the war before, holding talks in Cuba and Venezuela between 2002 and 2007. Both attempts collapsed with little progress. The ELN is considered a terrorist group by the United States and European Union for engaging in kidnapping, assassinations, drug trafficking, attacks on economic infrastructure and extortion of oil and mining multi-nationals. During the ceasefire, the insurgent group has pledged to suspend hostage taking, attacks on roads and oil installations, the use of landmines and the recruitment of minors. In turn, the government agreed to improve protection for community leaders and conditions for about 450 jailed rebels. Santos s government signed a peace deal with the larger Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2016 after negotiations in Havana, Cuba that lasted four years. | 1 |
4,641 | Clinton thanks staff, supporters behind historic bid for U.S. presidency | NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton walked onto the ballroom stage Wednesday morning to do what many had considered unthinkable: thank her campaign staff after failing in her bid to become the first woman elected U.S. president, instead of the anticipated victory speech under a symbolic glass ceiling. Hundreds of staffers and supporters gathered at the New Yorker Hotel in midtown Manhattan to hear Clinton speak publicly for the first time after her bruising loss to New York real estate magnate Donald Trump in the early hours of the morning. Many wore the same clothes as the night before, having stayed up all night after leaving the glass-ceilinged Jacob J. Javits Convention Center, where Clinton’s final rally never materialized. Campaign Chairman John Podesta told the distraught crowd just after 2 a.m. to go home and expect to ultimately “bring this home.” Shortly after, news broke that Clinton had telephoned Trump to concede. As staffers and supporters filed into the ballroom, there were tears, hugs, and disbelief that Clinton, a former secretary of state, U.S senator and first lady, had again failed to shatter what she called the “highest and hardest glass ceiling” after her first attempt at the presidency in 2008, when she lost in her bid for the Democratic nomination. This time, Clinton won the Democratic primary race, becoming the first women to secure a major party’s nomination in her race against U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. But in the final contest for the White House, she lost to Trump, the unorthodox Republican nominee. “We have seen that our nation is more deeply divided than we thought, but I still believe in America and I always will, and if you do then we must accept this result and then look to the future,” Clinton said, with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, daughter Chelsea Clinton and Chelsea’s husband, Marc Mezvinsky, at her side. Also on the stage were Clinton’s vice presidential pick, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, and his wife, Anne Holton. Clinton wore a black suit with purple lapels - the color created by combining blue and red, the colors that symbolize the two major U.S. political parties - and not the suffragette white that many expected Tuesday night. Bill Clinton wore a matching tie. Clinton urged her backers to seek unity in the wake of defeat. “Donald Trump is going to be our president, we owe him an open mind and the chance to lead,” she said. Likely facing her last opportunity for a presidential run, Clinton, 69, acknowledged the bitter sting of an election defeat in which initial results show she won the popular vote but came up short in the Electoral College vote that ultimately decides the race. Clinton had been leading Trump in public opinion polls for months, and in the final week of her campaign, her staff celebrated a drawn-out campaign marked with vitriol at star-studded rallies with performers such as Jon Bon Jovi, Jay Z and Beyonce. But as election returns came in, Trump pulled off major upsets in key states including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida that Clinton’s campaign expected to win. Aides appeared visibly shaken as Tuesday night turned into Wednesday morning. “Hate trumps love, I guess,” a supporter in the ballroom on Wednesday said, flipping the phrase Clinton had used to close her rallies. Clinton thanked her supporters - women and young people in particular - and urged them to never give up. “I’ve had successes, and I’ve had setbacks, sometimes really painful ones. Many of you are at the beginning of your professional, public, political careers. You will have successes and setbacks too. This setback hurts, but please never stop believing that fighting for what is right is worth it,” she said. | 1 |
4,642 | “RANDOM” PHOTO-OP WITH HILLARY…Not So Random…Count Your Blessings America! | Was this just another staged photo-op? We think so..It would appear that this is also a staged photo-op just like the random photo while on a walk in the woods Brittany Valente shared a photo on Instagram that she took with Hillary: The media wants you to believe this was another random Hillary sighting. But as Jack Posobiec pointed out Brittany Valente is a marketing director for a PR firm.And, she s met Hillary Clinton before:What s up with the no make-up thing? She looks like hell!And these signs on Hillary s lawn are just random too Via: Gateway Pundit | 0 |
4,643 | (VIDEO) MILITARY VETS TOLD NOT TO ACT ‘POMPOUS’ TO AVOID ANGERING ISIS ‘LONE WOLVES’ WHILE LIBERAL PUNDITS CALL RADICAL ISLAM A ‘MADE UP IDEA’ | So is radical islam a made up idea? Are all horrors committed in the name of radical Islam just a figment of our imagination? Our own military would disagree with the liberal premiss and would go further in warning our military vets against acting pompous for fear of an attack from a VERY REAL threat and NOT a made up idea . You can t have it both ways and ignore the enemy but then raise an alarm against the possibility of an attack by them. So which is it? I stand with reality and truth. I stand with our military against the VERY REAL enemy that is Islam. The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which everybody has decided not to see. Ayn RandMILITARY VETS TOLD NOT TO ACT POMPOUS Over the weekend, military bases across the United States were placed on higher alert for domestic terror attacks, in response to a surge in threatening chatter from ISIS and its sympathizers. It is the highest level of security since the tenth anniversary of September 11, notes Fox 13 News in Tampa Bay, home of MacDill Air Force Base. No specific threat has been announced, but the alert comes after an FBI warning that there are hundreds of known, active ISIS supporters in the United States. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson warned that lone wolf terrorists, such as the jihadis who attacked the Mohammed Art Exhibit in Garland, Texas, could strike at any moment. He described this as a new and challenging security environment, but added, we are not discouraging Americans from doing the things they do on a daily basis. That disclaimer might not be entirely accurate, judging by what Fox 13 has been hearing from the military community in Tampa. Military personnel, veterans and their families at military bases like MacDill are being advised to be careful what they post online and talk about in public, says the report.Retired Col. E.J. Otero is quoted as saying the 440,000 veterans in the Tampa Bay area have heard through one way or another from the commanders at MacDill to pay attention, keep a low profile, don t be so pompous about being in the military, because those guy are looking for possible targets. Read more: Breitbart News | 0 |
4,644 | Reeking Of Desperation, Trump Sends Out ‘Poll’ Asking His Followers To Prove They Love Him | Facing corruption scandals, nepotism scandals, Russian interference in the election scandals, and a healthcare bill that appears to be so awful even Republicans won t touch it, Trump did what comes natural to him beg his supporters for love.In a poll that has already become the laughingstock of the internet, Trump sent email subscribers a single question meant to prove the American people stand behind our great movement : Do you stand with President Trump?The answers were hilariously loaded. Poll takers could pick just one of two options:Apparently Trump didn t want people answering the wrong way in a non-scientific poll meant to boost his ego. Leaving nothing to chance, he made the no answer an insane screed against Democrats and the media.Actual email sent out by Trump Headquarters pic.twitter.com/8c3qwbNoUb Molly Crabapple (@mollycrabapple) March 23, 2017Notably, there are already existing polls which are meant to gauge whether the American people support the president or not. They are conducted by legitimate polling organizations. The latest ones show that at this point in his term Trump is perhaps the least popular president of all time.President Donald Trump s job approval rating has dropped to 37%, while 58% of Americans disapprove of his performance so far as president, new Gallup figures show.Naturally, the poll ends with a plea for money. Trump, who won the election five months ago still thinks he s campaigning.Trump ends the poll by begging for money (which you should give him to spite the lyin media) pic.twitter.com/XN02PBecQX Molly Crabapple (@mollycrabapple) March 23, 2017As Trump s popularity continues to plummet, the president appears to be slipping further into his own paranoid fantasies. On Twitter, he s stopped even trying to find legitimate sources for his claims. Now he exclusively tweets out links to disreputable right-wing conspiracy sites. During a TIME magazine interview, Trump ranted about how he is always right and never wrong.The whole thing is getting a disturbing Hitler s final days in the bunker vibe to it. Which may explain why this poll bears a striking resemblance to an infamous Nazi election ballot. They too left very little to chance.@mollycrabapple A tried and trusted methodology . https://t.co/hDzL3ei6b7 pic.twitter.com/Q3agCcyQQz Murf (@murf) March 23, 2017But perhaps the most disturbing part of Trump s latest deepdive into paranoid delusions is how commonplace it has become. As Twitter user @nycsouthpaw observed, stunts like this poll have a sickening authoritarian streak that is being shrugged off.this authoritarian garbage was sent out on behalf of the president of the united states and tbh we barely even raise our eyebrows anymore https://t.co/KIbqM2Pdti southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) March 23, 2017We ve become accustomed to this lunacy.Featured image via Michael Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images | 0 |
4,645 | Facebook, Twitter support Apple on encryption dispute with FBI | SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc (FB.O) and Twitter Inc (TWTR.N), two of Silicon Valley’s most powerful companies, on Thursday backed Apple Inc’s (AAPL.O) refusal to help the FBI break into an iPhone used by a shooter in the San Bernardino attack, saying that complying would set a dangerous precedent for privacy. It took two days, but the companies’ entry solidifies a small but powerful band of tech giants supporting Apple in its quest to buck government demands that it says would irreparably damage security and erode consumer trust. Among the first to come to Apple’s defense was its chief rival. Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai of Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google tweeted in support of Apple on Wednesday. But other companies are staying mum. Yahoo Inc YHOO.O and Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) have yet to weigh in on the case. In characteristic fashion, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey used the service itself to lend support to Apple CEO Tim Cook, tweeting "We stand with @tim_cook and Apple (and thank him for his leadership)." (bit.ly/1RbfI5j) In a statement, Facebook said, “We will continue to fight aggressively against requirements for companies to weaken the security of their systems.” The case has intensified the rift between tech companies and law enforcement over the limits of encryption. And law enforcement groups have been vocal about their support for the Justice Department. Although some firms have remained silent, the industry is firmly on Apple’s side, said Aaron Levie, CEO of cloud-based storage provider Box Inc (BOX.N). “Companies choose to use their political capital when it is really important or relevant to them,” Levie said. “If individually pressed you would see the same message from essentially any Internet or hardware or enterprise software CEO or company, and that’s because the fundamental security model of our technology would break if you were to comply with this kind of order.” Levie said he unequivocally supports Cook’s stance. “The whole grounds on which Apple is standing on are just super important,” he said. At the center of the case is an iPhone used by Rizwan Farook, who along with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people and wounded 22 in a shooting rampage in San Bernardino, California. The young married couple sympathized with Islamic State militants, and government investigators want the data on the phone to learn more about their activities the day of the shooting and their contacts with either accomplices or Islamic State. Apple’s Cook had said the court’s demand threatened the security of Apple’s customers and had “implications far beyond the legal case at hand.” | 1 |
4,646 | Secret CIA Report Shows Russia Hacked Both Parties, ONLY Released Dem Data To Help Trump (VIDEO) | Friday morning, after public outcry and unprecedented bipartisan urging from Congress, President Obama ordered an official review into election-related hacking over what involvement Russia had in influencing the presidential election in November.In the span of just about 24 hours, the CIA succeeded in confirming that the allegations of Russian interference with the presidential election are indeed fact. Russia is guilty of election-related hacking, and Trump is scared out of his tiny little mind right now because as The Washington Post reports, Russia not only hacked the election, but they did so with the specific intent to help Trump win and didn t release information on Republicans they likely obtained. It is the assessment of the intelligence community that Russia s goal here was to favor one candidate over the other, to help Trump get elected, said a senior U.S. official briefed on an intelligence presentation made to U.S. senators. That s the consensus view. Of course, like he always does, Trump calls foul and dismisses the CIA s findings: These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, the statement begins. The election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest Electoral College victories in history, it continues (wrongly, I might add). It s now time to move on and Make America Great Again!' It sounds like what Trump meant to say was, It s now time to move on and Make America Russia Again!' Watch Rachel Maddow break this down:So far, there are no crazy Twitter responses from Trump, but we will keep you updated.Featured Image via Getty Images/Scott Olson | 0 |
4,647 | BREAKING: LOYAL TRUMP SUPPORTER Offered Attorney General Cabinet Position…Here’s Why This Is A Great Choice | Sen. Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, Donald Trump s friendly but fierce Alabama ally, has a message for Republicans still queasy about their party s nominee: Tide s about to roll over you. Sessions, a 69-year-old former state attorney general who famously donned the Make America Great Again trucker s cap at a massive rally in Mobile last August, thinks Trump is more a movement than a man. And this sprightly son of country preachers and teachers is on a mission to evangelize maybe-Trumpers like House Speaker Paul Ryan on the Gospel According to Donald with a sermon on self-preservation. My advice is to listen and accept the will of the American people, the Republican voters the Republican Party is the Republican voters, he added a pointed reference to Ryan s suggestion that he, and not the presumptive party nominee, represents authentic conservative values. Give me a break! A lot of our drift within our party has gotten away from the will of the voters. I think the leaders in all parties tend to adjust to reality. They just have to or they won t remain in office. Already many are sensing it. Via: PoliticoFOX News reported:Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, who jumped aboard the Donald Trump train long before the real estate mogul sewed up the Republican nomination, has been offered the post of attorney general, Fox News has confirmed.Sessions, 69, who advised Trump on immigration during the bruising campaign, was U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Alabama from 1981 to 1993 before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996. He was re-elected to a fourth term in 2014.Sessions was famously photographed in a Make America Great Again baseball cap at an August, 2015 Trump rally, and formally endorsed Trump on Feb. 28, 2016. His longtime spokesman, Stephen Miller, later joined the Trump campaign as a senior adviser.Read more: FOX News | 0 |
4,648 | VETS FURIOUS After Liberals Make Sick Comparison To Their Hurt Feelings Over Trump Win And Mental Disorder Responsible For Massive Number Of Vet Suicides [Video] | The nationwide depression among democrats, specifically Hillary supporters, has not declined much since the initial election day devastation occurred.They have now come up with a name for their plight, they re calling it Post-Election Stress Disorder. The title is a nod toward the condition that many returning veterans experience, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.PTSD is a serious disorder, it is believed to be responsible for suicides in a large number of active duty military and veterans. Every day, 22 veterans take their own lives. That s a suicide every 65 minutes. As shocking as the number is, it may actually be higher.*Some veterans are taking exception, with good reason, to liberals even insinuating that their disappointment over Hillary Clinton losing an election comes close to what is experienced on the battlefield.'Post-Election Stress Disorder': Vets take issue with new term for upset liberals https://t.co/IHrPi2CGCC pic.twitter.com/vlMe9lUqnZ Fox News (@FoxNews) February 21, 2017(Source: Fox Insider) | 0 |
4,649 | Anchor Accidentally Announces Hillary Clinton’s Death On Air – Conspiracy Nuts Go WILD | Sunday night, an ABC News affiliate in New York began their show with a startling breaking news announcement from weekend anchor Joe Torres: Hillary Clinton was dead. We begin with the breaking news about Hillary Clinton s death They were talking about her health, and dove right on into her leaving a 9/11 memorial on Sunday after feeling light-headed. Then her campaign released the news that she was battling pneumonia, and then this happened. That has since been edited out, but remains up on YouTube for now. Watch the original report below:WABC 7 clarified the mistake later on. They told TVSpy that Torres had misspoken and meant to say health, which anyone with more than two brain cells, who watched the whole report, would have figured out: During a live introduction to a story about the health of Hillary Clinton, Joe Torres inadvertently said death when he meant to say health.' a station spokesperson said. It was clear from the context of the story, the reporters information and graphics on the screen that Secretary Clinton was alive and recovering.' Both the original story and the edit have tripped the conspiracy loons sensors anyway, though, because why let reason get in the way of a good Hillary conspiracy? So now they re going nuts. Some are convinced that ABC edited that out to cover up the fact that she did actually die, and that the campaign is using a body double to cover it up: A video clip of WABC-TV Channel 7 Eyewitness News in New York City opened last night with Anchorman Joe Torre saying more on Hillary Clinton s Death. The opening line, however, seems edited-OUT of the video archive!Did Hillary die after leaving the 9-11 Ceremony in New York . . . and the information is being concealed? A whole slew of irregularities have cropped-up indicating that may actually be the case!BODY DOUBLE?A short time later, a person ALLEGED to be Hillary, is seen leaving the East 26th Street home of Chelsea Clinton, but there are problems with this person. The conspiracy baloney never ends with this crowd, does it? Here s another that s just certain she really died: Now it looks like the story has gotten even worse. Based on rogue reports, it is now our understanding that Hillary Rodham Clinton may in fact be dead.Yes, you read that correct. After airing on ABC news in New York for merely seconds, it was pulled from the air.This isn t a random report. Don t believe it? We didn t believe it at first either, until we saw an additional report of the same exact occurrence: At this point, we don t have all the news.All we know for sure is that Hillary Clinton may have actually died at a local hospital in New York City. It doesn t help that David Shuster tweeted that DNC operatives were informing him that the committee would hold an emergency meeting to discuss Hillary s replacement. That tweet was later deleted and replaced with one saying that they were considering a meeting to discuss replacing her.Furthermore, all the heretofore-unknown doctors across the Internet who are coming out of the woodwork to loudly proclaim that her pneumonia means she s at death s door don t seem to know some basic facts: 1) Pneumonia is fluid in the lungs, and 2), there are eleventy billion things that can cause it. Some are serious, some are very serious, some are not-so serious.Donna Brazile, the interim DNC chair, said that they re looking forward to Hillary s speedy recovery and return to the campaign trail, essentially destroying Shuster s tweets and the stories of those who piled on to that. It also destroys the absurd notion that she actually died, but hey, conspiracy nuts will think what they want. Despite what the Hillary-haters are hoping, she is alive and well and recovering. She s not at death s door, and she s certainly not dead.Featured image via screen capture from embedded video | 0 |
4,650 | Venezuela talks to resume in January after government, opposition fail to reach deal | CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela s government and opposition leaders will hold a new round of talks in January after failing on Friday to reach an agreement to ease a deep political and economic crisis in the troubled OPEC country. Expectations have been low for the talks being held in the Dominican Republic. Some critics have described them as a stalling tactic by the ruling Socialist Party which is struggling to control a worsening economic crisis. We will meet again on January 11 for a meeting with the Venezuelan opposition, said Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez, leader of the government delegation, in a brief statement released by state television. Opposition leaders are demanding that President Nicolas Maduro accept humanitarian assistance from abroad to ease the crisis, which has left millions of people unable to eat properly due to triple-digit inflation and chronic product shortages. They also want the release of several hundred jailed opposition activists. Government leaders want the opposition to help seek the elimination of sanctions by Washington, which have been levied this year by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump on accusations that Maduro is undermining democracy. An initial round of talks two weeks ago in the Dominican Republic also ended without a agreement. We want an agreement that can be fulfilled, said opposition legislator Luis Florido. Because we have not concluded discussion of all the issues, we need another meeting so that there can be a permanent agreement. | 1 |
4,651 | LIBERTARIAN PRESIDENTIAL Candidate GARY JOHNSON Embraces Every Manufactured Liberal Crisis: Black Lives Matter…Global Warming…Colonization On Mars [VIDEO] | Wow! Moonbeam Johnson addresses three issues he feels are very pressing! It s very scary to think 5-7% of Americans say they d vote for him if the election was held today Johnson claims things have never been better in America: We get along with each other better that ever. LOL!Sunday on ABC s This Week, Libertarian presidential candidate and former governor of New Mexico Gary Johnson called for space colonization as an answer for global warming by saying, the fact that we do have to inhabit other planets. I mean the future of the human race is of is space exploration. Partial transcript as follows:STEPHANOPOULOS: Let me ask you one final question, you ve said you re for free markets and you re against government regulation. And this and this week, a a comment circulated that you made in 2011, where you said we have to think about climate change as a long-term issue. And here s what you said.(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)JOHNSON: I think that we should. And the long-term view is, is that in billions of years, the sun is going to actually grow and encompass the Earth, right? So global warming is in our in our future. -Via Breitbart(END VIDEO CLIP)https://youtu.be/GcwFk7rqGQo | 0 |
4,652 | U.S. House will reject total elimination of state and local tax deductions: Brady | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the House of Representatives’ tax-writing committee said on Sunday he would not accept elimination of a federal deduction for state and local taxes, opposing a proposal from Senate Republicans that would hike taxes for some middle class Americans. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady said he guaranteed the deduction would not be entirely scrapped in a final tax bill that emerges from dueling plans already unveiled by Republicans in the House and the Senate. Asked on “Fox News Sunday” if House Republicans would reject a bid by Senate Republicans to do away with the deduction entirely, Brady said: “That’s what I’m saying.” The deduction for state and local taxes, known as SALT, has been one of the most hotly contested issues as Republicans seek to achieve a significant overhaul of the U.S. tax code and hand President Donald Trump his first major legislative victory. It is a chief concern for a group of House Republicans who face re-election battles next year in high-tax, typically Democratic-leaning states such as California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Other sticking points include a proposal by the Senate to delay implementation of a cut in the corporate tax rate and a House plan to eliminate the estate tax on inheritances. Republicans control both the House and the Senate. Lawmakers will debate their respective plans this week before heading home for the Thanksgiving Day holiday. Republicans hope to resolve their differences in time to reach their goal of enacting the legislation by the end of the year. The Senate tax blueprint introduced on Thursday would repeal the SALT deduction entirely. The House bill would repeal it only for state and local income and sales taxes, but preserve it for property tax up to $10,000 a year. Brady said there were many similarities in the rival tax proposals. “I know that everyone’s stressing the differences - there are some - but there’s far more common ground,” he said. Both the House and Senate plans would add $1.5 trillion over 10 years to the budget deficit and national debt, an increase that has worried some fiscally conservative Republicans. Both plans also call for deep tax cuts for high-earners and businesses and would reshape how the United States taxes multinational corporations. They are both widely seen as a boon for business. Congressional Democrats have criticized the Republican plans as lopsided, favoring wealthy Americans and corporate interests. “Both the House and the Senate bills would raise taxes on millions of middle-class families, particularly in the suburbs, while providing a huge giveaway to corporations and the wealthy,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said. “Republicans should go back to the drawing board and fully restore the SALT deduction,” he said in a statement. Some analyses show that some Americans would see a tax increase under both plans. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin acknowledged that on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, although he said most middle-class families would be better off. “For most people - and, again, it may not be 100 percent, but by far the majority - both the House and Senate version provide middle-income tax relief,” he said. White House economic adviser Gary Cohn said both plans adhere to Trump’s two main objectives in overhauling the tax code: a tax cut for middle-income Americans and a deep reduction in the corporate tax rate to make U.S. businesses competitive. “That’s how we’re going to grow the economy. That’s how we’re going to pay for the tax bill,” Cohn said on Fox’s “Sunday Morning Futures.” A report by Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation estimated earlier this month that the House bill could raise taxes on as many as 38 million people who earn between $20,000 and $40,000 per year, beginning in 2023. Republican Representative Peter King has fiercely opposed the elimination of the SALT deduction, saying many in his home state of New York earning $300,000 a year were hardworking, two-income families facing a very high cost of living. “They’re not hedge fund people,” King said on “Sunday Morning Futures.” “These are hardworking people and they’re going to get screwed by this bill.” | 1 |
4,653 | BREAKING: NYC PROTEST GETS UGLY: Anti-American Protesters BATTLE WITH COPS [Video] | NYPD assaulting protestors, violent arrests happening on 50th st approachin 9th ave #NYPDKKK pic.twitter.com/cy4xsfT7Q9 Millions March NYC (@MillionsMarch) April 15, 2016 A LONE TRUMP SUPPORTER IS PUSHED THROUGH THE CROWD BY THE POLICE:Lone racist Trump supporter running away #HATEFREENYC #ShutDownTrump4Akai pic.twitter.com/4RuL9e7sZJ Millions March NYC (@MillionsMarch) April 14, 2016 PROTESTER CHANTS: EVERYTHING FOR EVERYONE Protestors storming back entrance of Grand Hyatt NY #ShutDownTrump4Akai #HateFreeNYC pic.twitter.com/EfPu1p9hvs Millions March NYC (@MillionsMarch) April 14, 2016 THE NY STATE GOP GALA IS IN NYC TONIGHT and the paid protesters are out in force. We ll be reporting on anything important but here are a few pictures of the cast of characters at the protest:All you need to see to let you know that the Trump protests are NOT grassroots is the picture below but the last picture is a shocker (why would a Ted Cruz supporter hang with these protesters?): ILLEGAL ALIENS who say it s racist and hateful to want to have borders go figure Obama s Purple Army SEIU is marching with the socialists:A Ted Cruz supporter joins the communists and anarchists to protest Trump: | 0 |
4,654 | GET OFF OUR CAMPUS! How Universities Plan To “Weed Out” Conservative Professors…Only Hire Liberal Educators | United States universities are obsessed with hiring politically correct professors through mandatory diversity statements, according to an explosive report released in March by the Oregon Association of Scholars (OAS) and reported by The College Fix.Coming from one of the nation s most liberal states, the scholars can argue that they know first-hand what they are writing about.Their report focuses on how universities and colleges use diversity statements and their insistence that professors agree with them, as the means by which post-secondary institutions weed out non left-wing scholars and hire liberals.These diversity statements are integral to liberal ideology the OAS argues, arguing that it is the doctrine of group victimization and their subsequent claims for group-based entitlements that mark diversity statements as partisan litmus tests to ensure ideological purity of faculty.The association notes that it is now routine for universities to provide a diversity statement template that is like a checklist for progressive causes. These templates insist that professors will wholeheartedly agree to keep the white students from dominating all classroom discussions, and reflect a commitment to queer visibility, while advising students against the temptation to thoughtlessly reproduce the standard white and Western model of legitimate knowledge. More than 20 colleges enforce a requirement that faculty demonstrate their commitment to the ideals of diversity, equity, and inclusion, the OAS found. However, they say this is only the tip of the political correctness iceberg as many post-secondary institutions do not directly enforce the diversity requirement but administer it through coercion and that many institutions demand adherence to diversity statements for entrance to Ph.D. programs or when applying for a university job.The University of Oregon used a diversity statement scheme like this when it ordered that a faculty member s teaching must reflect the diversity of the field, including the racial, ethnic, and gender diversity of its scholars and practitioners. The university also demands that professors exercise good faith in incorporating issues of equity, implicit bias, and cultural understanding in new faculty searches. For entire story Daily Caller | 0 |
4,655 | IS HILLARY GOING DOWN IN FLAMES? Latest Poll Shows Her Losing Big Time Credibility With Her Most Important Voters | The good news is the Clinton Crime Syndicate is finally starting to come apart at the seams. The bad news is socialist Bernie Sanders is gaining steam, Joe (the clown) Biden and Fauxcahantas (Elizabeth Warren) are patiently waiting in the wings Hillary Clinton s popularity is plunging among white women, a slice of Americans she desperately needs to win over if she is to become president.A poll released Tuesday by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News found that just 34 per cent of Caucasian females have a positive view of the former secretary of state. That figure has dropped 10 points in the last month.Her unfavorable number among the same group climbed by ten points. Now 53 per cent of white women in the U.S. simply don t like her. Even in America s suburbs, Clinton is under water by five points, with more of those voters seeing her negatively than positively.A similar dynamic is dogging her among college-educated white women, just 43 per cent of whom have a positive view of Clinton compared to 47 per cent who view her unfavorably. A month ago she was in positive territory with that group, by a 51-38 margin.Barack Obama won the White House on the strength of a massive groundswell of black voters something that won t likely repeat itself in 2016.Clinton still posts strong numbers among blacks, but those statistics, too, are slipping.Sixty-six per cent of them told pollsters that they view her favorably, compared with 15 per cent who disagreed. But a month ago the same question brought an 81-3 runaway love-fest.Black voters overwhelmingly choose Democratic candidates, but large numbers of them might not be motivated to vote at all if the party doesn t field a nominee whom they find appealing. Clinton s case for claiming the Oval Office is being hurt by growing scandals related to Clinton s private email server, her role in burying bad news about the Benghazi terror attack just weeks before the last presidential election, and foreign donations to her family foundation.Many Democrats have long hoped Hillary Clinton might expand Barack Obama s electoral coalition by drawing in more white women voters. There is no way you can say she s in the same position this month compared to last month, said Bill McInturff, a Republican pollster who co-directs the WSJ/NBC News survey. She s been dented and she s in a weaker position. The poll sampled opinions from 1,000 adults last week. It also found that self-described independent voters, those with no party affiliation who make up the crucial and uncommitted middle of the electorate, are solidly against Clinton on the favorable/unfavorable question, by a 27-52 margin.Even with her baggage and dwindling support among a few key demographic groups, Clinton remains the Democratic Party s odds-on favorite to be its presidential nominee.Her closest competitor, self-described socialist senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, trails her by a 59-25 margin when Democrats. But that number might also be soft: In June her 34-point spread over the raw-emotion populist Sanders was 60.Via: Daily Mail | 0 |
4,656 | OH BOY! TARGET CUSTOMERS RESPOND TO THE NEW GENDER NEUTRAL TOY LABELING | Oh boy! Target customers are hot under the collar on this pc move to give toys gender neutrality. Angry customers are ditching Target and have been very vocal about their displeasure on social media: @thehill so now being PC is more important than helping customers. No more Target shopping for me Target is bringing Americans one step closer to a gender-neutral society. The department store chain announced what it called something exciting Friday. After some customers complained about certain toys being designated as appropriate for girls, it is doing away with signs denoting gender classifications. Over the past year, guests have raised important questions about a handful of signs in our stores that offer product suggestions based on gender, according to Target s online publication, A Bullseye View. Toys no longer will be labeled according to sex and displayed on either pink or blue shelving. Gender-neutral signage also will appear in the children s bedding section. The only place gender labels will remain is in the children s clothing department.The gender-labeling brouhaha began last June when Target customer and Ohio mother Abi Bechtel snapped a photo of Target signage indicating Building Sets and Girls Building Sets and tweeted it to the chain along with a stern message. It stood out to me as a good example of the way our culture tends to view boys and men as the default, normal option, and girls and women as the specialized option, Bechtel told CNN.Maybe that particular sign was a bit ridiculous, but it certainly didn t require eliminating all gender classifications to correct it.Oddly, Target said that we use signs and displays specially designed to help guests get through the store efficiently, and signs that sort by brand, age or gender help them get ideas and find things faster. So, the answer is to remove signs that help customers get through the store efficiently ?Read more: BIZ PAC REVIEW | 0 |
4,657 | Factbox: Contenders, picks for key jobs in Trump's administration | (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced two additional nominees for his Cabinet on Wednesday, and his transition team said he is holding meetings as he prepares to make high-level appointments. Below are people mentioned as contenders for senior roles as the Trump works to form his administration before taking office on Jan. 20, according to Reuters sources and media reports. See the end of list for posts already filled. * Mitt Romney, 2012 Republican presidential nominee and former Massachusetts governor * Rudy Giuliani, Republican former mayor of New York City * David Petraeus, retired U.S. general and former CIA director who pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information he gave to his mistress * Bob Corker, Republican U.S. senator from Tennessee and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee * James Mattis, retired Marine Corps general * David Petraeus, retired U.S. general and former CIA director who pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information he gave to his mistress * Tom Cotton, Republican U.S. senator from Arkansas * Jon Kyl, former Republican U.S. senator from Arizona * Duncan Hunter, Republican U.S. representative from California and early Trump supporter, member of the House Armed Services Committee * Jim Talent, former Republican U.S. senator from Missouri who was on the Senate Armed Services Committee * Rick Perry, former Republican Texas governor * Stephen Hadley, former national security adviser under President George W. Bush * Michael McCaul, Republican U.S. representative from Texas and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee * General John Kelly, retired Marine Corps general and former commander of U.S. Southern Command * David Clarke, Milwaukee County sheriff and vocal Trump supporter * Joe Arpaio, outgoing Maricopa County, Arizona, sheriff who campaigned for Trump * Kris Kobach, Kansas secretary of state * Frances Townsend, homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to Republican former President George W. Bush * Jeff Holmstead, energy lawyer, former EPA official during George W. Bush administration * Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon Investors * Leslie Rutledge, Republican Arkansas attorney general * Carol Comer, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management * Scott Pruitt, Republican Oklahoma attorney general * Harold Hamm, Oklahoma oil and gas mogul, chief executive of Continental Resources Inc * Kevin Cramer, Republican U.S. representative from North Dakota * Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon Investors * Larry Nichols, co-founder of Devon Energy Corp * James Connaughton, chief executive of Nautilus Data Technologies and a former environmental adviser to President George W. Bush * Rick Perry, former Republican Texas governor * Sarah Palin, former Alaska governor, 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee * Jan Brewer, Republican former Arizona governor * Forrest Lucas, founder of oil products company Lucas Oil * Harold Hamm, Oklahoma oil and gas mogul, chief executive of Continental Resources Inc * Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon Investors * Mary Fallin, Republican Oklahoma governor * Ray Washburne, chief executive of investment company Charter Holdings * Cathy McMorris Rodgers, U.S. representative from Washington state and House Republican Conference chair * U.S. Navy Admiral Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency * Ronald Burgess, retired U.S. Army lieutenant general and former Defense Intelligence Agency chief * Robert Cardillo, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency * Pete Hoekstra, Republican former U.S. representative from Michigan * Rudy Giuliani, Republican former mayor of New York City * Dan DiMicco, former chief executive of steel producer Nucor Corp * Andrew Puzder, chief executive officer of CKE Restaurants * Victoria Lipnic, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission member and former Labor Department official during the George W. Bush administration * Dr. Ben Carson, former 2016 Republican presidential candidate and retired neurosurgeon * Goldman Sachs Group Inc President Gary Cohn * Sarah Palin, 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate and former Alaska governor The Trump transition team confirmed he would choose from a list of 21 names he drew up during his campaign, including Republican U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah and William Pryor, a federal judge with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. * Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus * Steve Bannon, former head of the conservative website Breitbart News * Jeff Sessions, Republican U.S. senator from Alabama and senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee (subject to Senate confirmation) * Republican U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo from Kansas (subject to Senate confirmation) * Michael Flynn, retired Army lieutenant general and former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency * Nikki Haley, Republican South Carolina governor (subject to Senate confirmation) * Betsy DeVos, Republican donor and former chair of the Michigan Republican Party * Tom Price, Republican U.S. representative from Georgia, orthopedic surgeon * Elaine Chao, former labor secretary and deputy transportation secretary under Republican Presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush, respectively. Chao is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell * Steven Mnuchin, former Goldman Sachs Group Inc executive and Trump’s campaign finance chairman * Wilbur Ross, billionaire investor, chairman of Invesco Ltd subsidiary WL Ross & Co | 1 |
4,658 | donald trump sexcuse pour toutes les minorités quil na pas eu le temps dattaquer pendant la campagne le gorafi | even republican politicians and former politicians are telling trump to knock off such talk but as usual trumps shrewdness and defiance of standard political decorum in which the opposition party merely rolls over and surrenders in the face of democratic pressure is winning the daynone other than billionaire investor and longtime democratic supporter george soros has said that the fix is literally in for the election in favor of clinton no matter how much of the popular vote and from which battleground states trump capturesas reported by top right news and other outlets during a recent interview with bloomberg news soros a democrat megadonor openly admitted that trump will win the popular vote in a landslidehowever he said that none of that would matter because a president hillary clinton is already a done dealin the interview which is now going viral soros says with certainty that trump will take the popular vote despite what the polls say now which are completely rigged to oversample democrats but not the electoral college which will go to clintonwhen the reporter asks if that is already a done deal that clinton will be our next president no matter what soros says yes and nods his headis soros just making a prediction out of overconfidence or does he truly know something most of us dont knowin a recent column natural news founder and editor mike adams the health ranger says that soros and democrats have bribed electoral college representatives in a bid to fix the election outcome in favor of clinton in truth that would be the only way it could be done short of massive voter fraud through electronic balloting as some reports have already claimed adams further pointed out that soros was one of the main money men behind the black lives matter movement which is being blamed for generating hatred and mistrust of police officers all around the country some of which has led to the deaths of several officers alreadysoros also funds leftwing websites and groups that locate pay and deploy volunteer agitators at trump rallies to start fights and engage in physical violence against trump supporters acts that the establishment media then blames on trump but arent electors legally obligated to cast a ballot for the presidential candidate who won the majority vote in that electors district no theyre not ninenine percent of electors have done what theyre supposed to do throughout our history but this is no ordinary election per archivesgov there is no constitutional provision or federal law requiring electors to vote according to the results of the popular vote rather these pledges fall into two categories state law and those who are bound by promises made to respective political partiesin the past the us supreme court has ruled that the constitution doesnt require electors to be completely free to cast ballots as they please and therefore respective political parties may extract pledges from electors to vote for the parties nominees archivesgov notes some state laws hold that faithless electors could be subjected to fines or disqualification for casting an invalid ballot and could then be replaced by a substitute electorthe supreme court has not specifically ruled on the question of whether pledges and penalties for failure to vote as pledged may be enforced under the constitution no elector has ever been prosecuted for failing to vote as pledged said archivesgovthe site notes that throughout our history percent of electors have voted as required but this is no ordinary time and its no ordinary election and democrats and the establishment media have already proven that they will do anything to stop a trump presidency plus establishment republicans dont want trump either so you can bet they wouldnt balk at or challenge the buying off of electors sources | 0 |
4,659 | Ex-pharma exec Azar is top choice to run U.S. health agency: sources | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Alex Azar, a former pharmaceutical company executive, is U.S. President Donald Trump’s top pick to run the Department of Health and Human Services, two sources with knowledge of the confidential process said on condition of anonymity on Wednesday. Azar served at Eli Lilly for a decade, including five years as president of its U.S. Lilly USA, LLC unit. The White House declined to comment. Tom Price resigned as HHS secretary in September after about seven months in the post, after facing sharp criticism for his use of taxpayer-funded private travel. Before his stint at Eli Lilly, Azar served as general counsel and deputy secretary for HHS under President George W. Bush. The new HHS secretary will be tasked with implementing Trump administration efforts to unwind Obamacare, a top campaign promise of his, and overseeing the drug industry, which Trump has said is “getting away with murder” by charging high prices for prescription medications. Azar has served on the board of directors of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, a drug industry lobby, for several years, and his nomination would raise questions about the administration’s seriousness about lowering drug prices. Other names that have been floated to replace Price include Seema Verma, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Scott Gottlieb, the Food and Drug Administration commissioner. Republicans control both chambers of Congress and the White House but have repeatedly failed to repeal and replace Obama’s Affordable Care Act, prompting Trump to take steps on his own to dismantle the program. The Trump administration followed through on a threat to cut off billions of dollars of subsidy payments to insurers, shortened the Obamacare open enrollment period, slashed advertising for the program by 90 percent and cut funding to groups that help people sign up for health insurance. In October Trump also signed an executive order that would weaken Obamacare by making it easier for Americans to buy bare-bones health insurance plans. The administration is already planning changes for 2019. Last month, it proposed a rule giving states more flexibility over the benefits that must be covered by insurance. Under Obamacare, all insurers have to cover a set of 10 benefits, such as maternity and newborn care and prescription drugs. | 1 |
4,660 | ‘MIRACLE’ CONNECTION For Parents Of College Student Killed By Terrorists In France And Heroic Strangers | Two days before the Berlin killings resurrected the darkest period in his life, Conrad Leslie says an unexpected message from a stranger on Facebook gave him and his wife a comfort unlike anything they had experienced since their son, a UC Berkeley student, died in the Nice, France, terror attack in July.The message, Leslie said, put to rest a recurring nightmare the couple had: a vision of their son s body on the promenade, alone for hours. In fact, a woman and her daughter had surrounded Nicholas Leslie s body with candles and prayed for him throughout the night, Leslie learned. Instead of running in fear, they asked the police if they could stay, said Leslie of Del Mar (San Diego County). It was a cold night, and they stayed with his body. It was like a Christmas story for us a miracle almost. The Facebook message came from a French woman whose mother vacations in Nice every year. She said her mother ran into two women also a mother and daughter who told the story of finding a young man s body along the promenade and staying with him until first responders came.The woman who learned the story read an article in Le Monde that quoted Leslie as saying no one was with his son. But based on the description of the young man s body and the location of where he died as reported in the newspaper, she connected the dots and told her daughter, who speaks English, to track Leslie down at once.After they connected on Facebook, Leslie says he is now trying to track down the mother and daughter who stayed with his son s body. I just know they exist, and we re going to find them, he said.Nicholas Leslie (pictured above), 20, was in France for a study-abroad program through UC Berkeley, where he studied business and environmental sciences. In the summer program, students were encouraged to develop their startup ideas. His was to create a way to measure lactic acid generation in athletes in real time.On the night of July 14, Nicholas Leslie and his friends were strolling down the Promenade des Anglais along the Mediterranean. The group had planned to watch the Bastille Day fireworks and get to bed early for a trip the next morning to Barcelona, Spain.Leslie said his son, with a long striding gait, was about 10 feet in front of his friends, who dived down to the beach when a man driving a cargo truck intentionally ran over dozens of people, killing 86. One friend swore he saw Nick run away. Later we found out it was probably PTSD, Leslie said. But that helped us get the strength to go to Nice to look for him. The uncertainty and pain were recalled in vivid detail Monday when a similar truck attack in a bustling Christmas market in central Berlin killed 12 people and injured dozens. A huge manhunt continued Thursday as German officials worked to track down the attacker. It just brings back the moment for us as parents. We felt the desperation, the pain, Leslie said. It s a new world we live in, and it s terrible. Leslie, an engineer and mostly lapsed Catholic, said the writings on death by the 18th century scientist Emanuel Swedenborg helped him cope. Although he s bothered when people tell him that his son s death was God s will or that Nicholas Leslie is in a better place, Leslie said he takes comfort in Swedenborg s idea that two angels carried his son to heaven, embodied by the mother and daughter who prayed over him.THE FAMILY OF NICHOLAS CREATED A SCHOLARSHIP IN HIS NAME: Nicolos Leslie Memorial Fundraiser Read more: sfchronicle | 0 |
4,661 | YOU’VE BEEN “TRUMPED”: Trump’s Response To Prez Candidate Bobby Jindal’s Attack On Him Is Epic [VIDEO] | You know what they say about playing with fire Here are Jindal s comments about Trump:Here is Trump s epic response to Jindal s comments:// <![CDATA[ (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_GB/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); // ]]>Bobby Jindal did not make the debate stage and therefore I have never met him. I only respond to people that register more than 1% in the polls. I never thought he had a chance and I ve been proven right.Posted by Donald J. Trump on Thursday, 10 September 2015 | 0 |
4,662 | Elections over, Brazil tackles unpopular spending reforms | BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian President Michel Temer’s government introduced to Congress on Tuesday a landmark constitutional amendment to cap public spending, seeking to press ahead with unpopular reforms in the wake of last weekend’s municipal elections. Temer’s new center-right government hopes the proposal, which would limit growth in spending to the rate of inflation for up to 20 years, will clear a Congressional committee this week and be put to a vote in the lower house by next week. The amendment is designed to curb a budget deficit equivalent to 10 percent of gross domestic product last year. Hopes for its passage have made Brazilian assets among the best performing in the world this year despite an economy submerged in a two-year recession. In a concession to ease its passage, the government announced on Monday that a cap on health and education expenditure would not go into effect until 2018, rather than next year. Leftist opponents have demanded more time to debate a measure they say violates the spirit of Brazil’s 1988 constitution, which made generous provisions for social spending. They plan to seek a court injunction to block the amendment. Backers warn that Latin America’s largest nation, which is wrestling with a sprawling corruption scandal, could follow Greece’s path to financial meltdown if spending is not controlled. Temer said on Monday that public debt, which ended last year at a level equivalent to two-thirds of economic output, would reach 100 percent of GDP by 2024 without the measure. “If this change is not adopted, fiscal collapse and the insolvency of public accounts are inevitable,” lawmaker Darcisio Perondi said in his report to the committee studying the measure. “Brazil could repeat the tragedy of Greece.” Perondi said the previous government of Dilma Rousseff, who was removed from office in August for breaking budget laws, left an onerous legacy of overdrawn accounts, and he called on the lawmakers who impeached her to back the cap. The conclusion of municipal elections in most cities across Brazil last weekend allows Temer’s ruling Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) and its coalition allies a freer hand to back the measure. A small number of cities face a second-round runoff this month. But resistance from Rousseff’s Workers Party and its allies, as well as division within Temer’s own coalition, point to a difficult path for a proposal that requires two approvals in each chamber of Congress by a three-fifths majority. “We will seek an injunction because this violates the Constitution and the right of five future governments to decide their economic policies,” said opposition leader Jandira Feghali of the Communist Party of Brazil. Temer, 75, who was sworn in to serve the remainder of Rousseff’s term through 2018, had vowed to put Brazil back on its tracks and investors like his promises of fiscal discipline. But a poll published on Tuesday showed Temer has failed to convince Brazilians that his government is any better than Rousseff’s. The survey by pollster Ibope showed that Temer’s approval ratings remain low and some 68 percent of Brazilians do not trust him. The lower House is also expected to vote on Tuesday on a bill that changes the rules for the exploration of Brazil’s vast offshore oil reserves in the costly subsalt layer, aimed at boosting private investment in the oil industry. The proposal removes the obligation for scandal-plagued, debt-ridden state oil company Petrobras to be the only operator of these oil fields and have a minimum 30 percent stake in their development. | 1 |
4,663 | Erdogan spokesman calls for Syrian no-fly zone without delay | ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman said on Friday it was necessary to enforce a no-fly zone and create safe zones in Syria without delay, calling U.S. missile strikes against a Syrian air base a positive response to “war crimes”. “The destruction of Sharyat airbase marks an important step to ensure that chemical and conventional attacks against the civilian population do not go unpunished,” spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said in a written statement. | 1 |
4,664 | How Much Impact Will Superdelegates Have In The Democratic Primary? | Superdelegates can, and very likely will, have an impact on the democratic primary process. But how much influence remains to be seen.As Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight writes here, superdelegates are democratic insiders who hold voting power apart from that of ordinary delegates.Silver explains: Superdelegates were created in part to give Democratic party elites the opportunity to put their finger on the scale and prevent nominations like those of George McGovern in 1972 or Jimmy Carter in 1976, which displeased party insiders. While Silver agrees with many progressive voters, who say that the superdelegate system is profoundly unfair, he also notes that the amount of influence superdelegates have on the outcome of a primary race depends largely on how close the race is.There are approximately 712 superdelegates. These delegates equal about one-sixth of the 4,763 delegates who will determine the outcome of the primary. In order to win the party s nomination, a candidate needs to secure at least 2,382 delegates.According to Silver: Superdelegates are mathematically relevant when a candidate has 41.2 percent to 58.8 percent of elected delegates. Below that range, a candidate couldn t win a first-ballot majority even with the votes of every superdelegate; above that range, the superdelegates help wouldn t be necessary to clinch the nomination. To clarify, the following chart was published on FiveThirtyEight, on February 12.The chart shows the percentage of superdelegate votes a candidate would need to win the primary, in correlation to the percentage of regular delegates, which are awarded based on the outcomes of state primary elections.Image credit: screen capture Nate Silver fivethirtyeight.comAs the chart illustrates, the closer the race is, the more impact the superdelegates have on the outcome.Currently Hillary Clinton holds a tremendous lead over Bernie Sanders among pledged superdelegates. Clinton has the support of 362 superdelegates, while Sanders has only captured the support of eight superdelegates thus far.But Silver also points out that superdelegates are free to change their vote at any time during the race, and notes that they often do just that. Unlike elected delegates, superdelegates are unbound to any candidate even on the first ballot. They can switch whenever they like, and some of them probably will switch to Sanders if he extends his winning streak into more diverse states and eventually appears to have more of a mandate than Clinton among Democratic voters. Additionally, Silver states that it s highly unlikely superdelegates would back a candidate who had lost the popular vote by any significant margin, since doing so would likely alienate over half the party s base.So while at the moment it may appear that party insiders are attempting to override the popular vote, it s not likely that the superdelegates will ignore or deny the will of the voters, should they favor Sanders by a significant margin.Silver points to 2008 as an example of how fast things can change. Clinton had a large superdelegate lead over then-senator Barack Obama early on during the 2008 democratic primary, as well. But as the election wore on, several dozen superdelegates changed their original vote from Clinton to Obama. At the same time, uncommitted superdelegates came out in support of his candidacy.So while superdelegates definitely have the power to influence the outcome of an election, especially in the case of very close race, it s important to keep in mind that voters also have the power to influence the decisions of the superdelegates.View a state-by-state list of democratic superdelegates here. Image credit: Hillary Clinton photo, Marc Nozell via Wikimedia Commons; Bernie Sanders photo, Gage Skidmore, via Flckr.com | 0 |
4,665 | Puerto Rico PREPA's declines offer for fresh debt deal deadline | SAN JUAN/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Chances of Puerto Rico’s power utility PREPA reaching a deal with creditors to restructure its $8 billion debt were cast in uncertainty on Friday as one deadline passed and the utility baulked at the new terms offered for a new one. Puerto Rican lawmakers’ failure to vote by Friday on legislation needed to make the restructuring deal work prompted a group of bondholders to offer to extend the deadline until Feb. 12, but PREPA rejected the changed terms. “We are disappointed that the ... group did not grant our requested extension,” Lisa Donahue, PREPA’s chief restructuring officer, said in a statement. “PREPA remains willing to continue discussions with the Ad Hoc Group and other stakeholders.” As the Friday deadline passed, the bondholder group issued a statement describing PREPA’s refusal as “extremely disappointing and perplexing”. Pressure is mounting to secure a deal at PREPA, as the U.S. Supreme Court is slated to hear an appeal later this year in a case that could allow Puerto Rico to push PREPA into bankruptcy, an outcome creditors dread. Reaching a deal to restructure PREPA’s debt is seen as key to fixing the debt-ridden U.S. territory’s finances. Needing to restructure debts totaling $70 billion, the island’s leaders want U.S. Congress to allow it access to U.S. bankruptcy law or some form of court-sanctioned debt restructuring process. PREPA said in December that it had reached a deal with 70 percent of all creditors, under which the bondholders agreed to accept 15 percent cuts to repayments in exchange for new bonds with higher ratings. For that to work, Puerto Rico needs to pass legislation enabling PREPA to create a new charge on customer invoices specifically to pay the debt, so that the new bonds could earn the higher ratings that creditors expect. As part of their proposed extension, bondholders were also offering to provide $115 million of additional capital. However, PREPA said the bondholders changed the terms of that offer, conditioning it on regulatory approval by Puerto Rico’s energy commission for the imposition of the additional charges to customers. Without a restructuring deal in place, the matter could devolve into litigation. | 1 |
4,666 | China's CIC head says Trump to be careful in considering tariffs when in office | MELBOURNE (Reuters) - The CEO of China’s sovereign wealth fund said on Thursday he expects U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to be very careful in considering whether to increase tariffs in line with his election promises because it would not be in U.S. interests. China Investment Corporation chairman and CEO Ding Xuedong said Republican Trump had used a number of “slogans” during the hard-fought campaign against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton that were purely for the purpose of getting elected. “Some of the slogans will be put into effect, for example, he’s going to cut taxes and increase spending and he’s going to increase investment in infrastructure and in this way to stimulate the American economy. I believe that’s possible,” Ding told the Boao Forum for Asia in Melbourne. “But if he’s going to increase tariffs ... and begin a trade war, then I believe it is against the globalization trend and I believe that Mr Trump will be very careful in considering whether to put these measures in place,” he said. Trump’s focus once he has taken office would turn to global trade and on increasing benefits to the United States from global trade, Ding said, and that he may find that raising tariffs would not work to that end. “They may not be effective .. or (of) benefit to the U.S.,” he said. Throughout the election campaign, Trump threatened China and Mexico with punitive tariffs that some economists have warned could spark a trade war that could potentially roll back decades of liberalization. He also threatened to redraw trade deals, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would be a blow to Japan’s export-dependent economy. | 1 |
4,667 | WILL SEXTING By Anthony Weiner Finally Bring Down Hillary Clinton? | WASHINGTON Federal law enforcement officials said Friday that the new emails uncovered in the closed investigation into Hillary Clinton s use of a private email server were discovered after the F.B.I. seized electronic devices belonging to Huma Abedin, a top aide to Mrs. Clinton, and her husband, Anthony Weiner.The bureau told Congress on Friday that it had uncovered new emails related to the Clinton case one federal official said they numbered in the thousands potentially reigniting an issue that has weighed on the presidential campaign and offering a lifeline to Donald J. Trump less than two weeks before the election.In a letter to Congress, the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, said that emails had surfaced in an unrelated case, and that they appear to be pertinent to the investigation. Mr. Comey said the F.B.I. was taking steps to determine whether they contain classified information, as well as to assess their importance to our investigation. He said he did not know how long it would take to review the emails, or whether the new information was significant.Donald Trump seized on the F.B.I. action on Friday at a rally in New Hampshire. To cheers of lock her up from his supporters, Mr. Trump said: Hillary Clinton s corruption is on a scale we have never seen before. We must not let her take her criminal scheme into the Oval Office. After deriding the F.B.I. for weeks as inept and corrupt, Mr. Trump went on to praise the law enforcement agency. I have great respect for the fact that the F.B.I. and the D.O.J. are now willing to have the courage to right the horrible mistake that they made, Mr. Trump said. This was a grave miscarriage of justice that the American people fully understand. It is everybody s hope that it is about to be corrected. Read more: NYT | 0 |
4,668 | SUNDAY SCREENING: ‘Air America: The CIA’s Secret Airline’ (2000) | Our weekly documentary film, curated by our editorial team at 21WIRE. EDITORS NOTE: At times, this film might sanitise the CIA infamous operation in Southeast Asia, just short of glorifying it, but the detail and over view of this piece of history is extremely education especially when you consider how similar operations are doing the exact same operation in Turkey, Pakistan and Yemen. From its origins with the legendary Flying Tigers of WWII to the final days of the Vietnam War, the covert program of Air America is one of the most clandestine operations in CIA history. Watch: SEE MORE SUNDAY SCREENINGS HERE | 0 |
4,669 | Venezuela crisis enters dangerous phase as Maduro foes go militant | CARACAS (Reuters) - In a curious convergence of events on the same day last week, four Venezuelan provincial courts issued identical rulings, state governors quickly hit Twitter to celebrate, then the election board emailed a short but bombshell statement. Opposition hopes for a referendum to recall President Nicolas Maduro were dashed, on grounds of fraud in an initial signature drive. The vote was off. For many in the opposition, that settled a years-old debate about the nature of Venezuela’s socialist government, uniting them in conviction they are now fighting a dictatorship. Their new militancy heightens the risk of unrest as the South American OPEC member of 30 million people grapples with a dangerous economic and political crisis. “Can anyone in the world now really doubt that Venezuela is living in tyranny?” said housewife Mabel Pinate, 62, dressed in white among thousands of protesters who took to the streets against Maduro on Wednesday. “We are sick of this. It’s time to toughen up and do what we must to save Venezuela,” added Pinate, whose husband was fired from state oil company PDVSA by Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chavez and whose two children have gone abroad. After pinning its hopes on a referendum this year - which could have triggered a presidential election and put them in power after 17 years of leftist rule - the enraged opposition Democratic Unity coalition has taken its gloves off. It is holding a symbolic political trial of Maduro in the legislature, organizing daily street protests, and shunning talks with the government that had been announced by the Vatican for this weekend. Recalling tactics that led to a short-lived coup against Chavez in 2002 and a shutdown of the oil industry, the coalition has also called for a general strike on Friday and a march to the Miraflores presidential palace next week. “We’ve reached the limit,” said Henrique Capriles, a usually moderate opposition leader, calling the government “Satan.” “Does the opposition have anything to negotiate with the government? Nothing. Why does the government want dialogue? Because the water has risen to its neck,” he said. Some hardliners, most notably veteran activist Maria Corina Machado and jailed protest leader Leopoldo Lopez’ wife Lilian Tintori, are calling for Gandhi-style civil disobedience. The government is vowing an iron fist. It says well-known troublemakers, who were behind the 2002 putsch, are again seeking a coup against an elected government, with the help of the United States and compliant foreign media. “I fear nobody and nothing!” Maduro told red-shirted supporters at one of his daily rallies and TV appearances this week. The ruling Socialist Party’s No. 2, Diosdado Cabello said any companies heeding the strike call would be seized by workers and the military. “We’re not going to allow craziness.” Long proud of its democratic credentials after winning numerous elections under Chavez, the ruling Socialist Party says it is the opposition flouting Venezuela’s democracy given that independent institutions shot down the referendum. Officials also argue that the very existence of protests and virulent public criticism of Maduro prove democracy is alive and well in Venezuela. Maduro insists the referendum decision was made by independent judges and electoral officials based on technical criteria, and denies the Socialist Party had any sway over the result. But critics say both the judiciary and electoral council have long been in the government’s pocket. The Supreme Court has repeatedly shot down legislation passed by the opposition-dominated Congress while interpreting the constitution to favor the executive branch and limit the reach of lawmakers. And the elections council has steadily shifted the requirements for requesting the recall vote. Maduro would have faced probable defeat and removal from power if the referendum had gone ahead. His challenge now is to contain street protests and respond to deep anger among all Venezuelans at the dreadful state of the economy. Food shortages, long shopping lines and runaway prices have eroded the ruling “Chavismo” movement’s popularity among the poor and seen Maduro’s ratings slide to just over 20 percent. But as unhappy as they are, disaffected former “Chavistas” are not yet ready to throw their lot in en masse with coalition leaders they still view with suspicion. “They are all from privileged families. How can they represent me?” said Orlando Diaz, 47, a mechanic and father of four from a slum in western Caracas who has seen work dry up and income tumble during a nearly three-year recession. “Do I hate Maduro? Yes. He has betrayed the comandante (Chavez), he is a fool. Will I join these people in their crying and marching? No way. Frankly, I don’t know where to turn. I don’t see a future, I just have to find bread for my family today and tomorrow. That’s all I think about.” The opposition’s challenge is how to incorporate people like Diaz and his neighbors from the gritty hillside Antimano “barrio”, into their street push. On Wednesday, they drew hundreds of thousands nationwide, but students and traditional supporters remained at the vanguard. Scores of people on both sides were killed during anti-Maduro protests in 2014 and there was new violence on Wednesday, with dozens of injuries and arrests. A policemen was shot dead in an incident the government blamed on demonstrators. “A recall referendum in 2016 would have meant the automatic exit from power of ‘Chavismo’,” said local pollster Luis Vicente Leon. “Eschewing democratic codes and values, the government preferred to assume ... the risk of a popular reaction.” The next presidential election is due at the end of 2018 and most Venezuelans assume another candidate will emerge from within “Chavismo” instead of Maduro. But given the events of recent days, opposition supporters are beginning to wonder if that election will even take place. | 1 |
4,670 | irans carpet exports to us at mn | politics former british prime minister tony blair says uk voters have to build the capability to mobilize and to organize against brexit
former british prime minister tony blair says britain should keep its options open on whether or not to leave the european union until after brexit talks with the bloc are completed
during an interview on friday with bbc radio s today program blair described the eu referendum as a catastrophe and said uk voters should be given the option of a second eu referendum
britain should not withdraw from the eu until it becomes clearer how brexit would impact uks economic social and cultural future blair said
the bizarre thing about this referendum is that we took a decision but we still dont know the precise terms he said theres got to be some way either through parliament or through an election possibly through another referendum that people express their view
the former premier who was in office from until said it should be possible for the public to switch their verdict if it becomes clear the alternative negotiated by prime minister theresa may is going to be worse
blairs argument contrasts sharply with that of may who has repeatedly said that brexit means brexit and that shell respect the referendum result blair had argued that britain should stay in the eu before the referendum
economic growth in the uk is expected to slow significantly next year due to uncertainty over of the brexit vote
experts have warned that leaving the eu will severely hurt londons position as a financial hub unless the uk decides to keep its access to the single eu market by loosening its stance on immigration
if the uk loses its access to the eus single market the resulting increase in the costs of doing business and exporting to the eu would hurt britains competitive position in europe loading | 1 |
4,671 | Myanmar government says case against Reuters journalists can proceed | YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar s civilian President Htin Kyaw, a close ally of government leader Aung San Suu Kyi, has authorized the police to proceed with a case against two detained Reuters reporters accused of violating the country s colonial-era Official Secrets Act, a senior government spokesman said. Journalists Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 27, were arrested last Tuesday evening after they were invited to dine with police officers on the outskirts of Myanmar s largest city, Yangon. The Ministry of Home Affairs has already submitted the case to the Office of the President, Zaw Htay, spokesman for Aung San Suu Kyi, said by phone late on Sunday. He added that the president s office had given approval for the case to go ahead. Zaw Htay could not be reached on Monday to clarify whether Htin Kyaw or Suu Kyi had been personally involved in the decision, or if other officials had signed off on the president s behalf. Suu Kyi, head of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), is barred from the presidency under a constitution written by the military. But she effectively runs the country in the role of state counselor . Approval from the president s office is needed before court proceedings can begin in a case brought under the Official Secrets Act. Section 13 of the Act states: No Court shall take cognizance of any offense under this Act unless upon complaint made by order of, or under authority from, the President of the Union. A number of governments, including the United States, Canada and Britain, and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, as well as Reuters Editor-in-Chief Stephen J. Adler and a host of journalists and human rights groups have criticized the arrests as an attack on press freedom and called on Myanmar to release the two men. Zaw Htay said the journalists legal rights were being respected. Your reporters are protected by the rule of the law, he said. All I can say is the government can guarantee the rule of law. But two senior figures in the NLD on Monday joined the criticism of how the two men are being treated. Nyan Win, a member of the NLD s central executive committee and one of Suu Kyi s defense lawyers during her years of house arrest under junta rule, said it was unfair that the families of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were not allowed to contact them or be told where they are being held. He said the police were being very secretive and called for openness , although said the NLD was unable to do anything about the issue as it was not being kept informed. Although an NLD-led civilian government took office in April last year the police and home ministry, which are driving the case, remain under the control of the military. Win Htein, another senior figure in the NLD, who was also critical of the journalists detention, suggested they had probably been set up by the police. In my opinion this is a trap, he said. They met with two policemen and then they were arrested somewhere else with the documents. Police Lieutenant Colonel Myint Htwe, of the Yangon Police Division, had no comment when asked about the criticism of the men s detention. Asked on Mizzima Television what he would do for the detained journalists, Information Minister Pe Myint said: When I know all the facts of the current case, I will work to do what I can. Pe Myint is a former editor of the People s Age in Yangon and was Wa Lone s boss when the journalist worked at the paper in his first job as a reporter. The two journalists had worked on Reuters coverage of a crisis that has seen an estimated 655,000 Rohingya Muslims flee from a fierce military crackdown on militants in western Rakhine state. The Ministry of Information said last week that they had illegally acquired information with the intention to share it with foreign media , and released a photo of the pair in handcuffs. It said they were being investigated under the 1923 Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years. The ministry said at the same time that two policemen, Police Captain Moe Yan Naing and Police Sergeant Khin Maung Lin, had also been arrested under the same act. No details have been released on whether a case against them is also proceeding. The authorities have not allowed the journalists any contact with their families, a lawyer or Reuters since their arrest. The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) called on the authorities to immediately disclose the whereabouts of the pair. All detainees must be allowed prompt access to a lawyer and to family members, said Frederick Rawski, the ICJ s Asia-Pacific Regional Director, in a statement on Monday. Authorities are bound to respect these rights in line with Myanmar law and the State s international law obligations. Police told Wa Lone s wife on Thursday that the reporters were taken from Htaunt Kyant police station in north Yangon to an undisclosed location by an investigation team shortly after their arrest. They added the reporters would be brought back to the station in two to three days at most . It is now six days since they were detained and there has been no further update on their whereabouts. Lieutenant Colonel Myint Htwe and a second senior officer, Lieutenant Colonel Min Han of the Criminal Investigation Department, said on Monday they did not know where the journalists were being held. You don t need to worry for their safety, said Lt Col Myint Htwe. The investigative team will proceed according to the law. | 1 |
4,672 | German court rules 'bookkeeper of Auschwitz' fit to go to jail | BERLIN (Reuters) - A German court ruled on Wednesday that a 96-year-old German known as the bookkeeper of Auschwitz was fit to go to prison, rejecting his plea for the sentence to be suspended. Oskar Groening, who is physically frail, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2015 for his role in the murder of 300,000 people at the Nazi death camp Auschwitz. However, he had not started serving his sentence due to a legal argument about his health. Prosecutors said in August that a medical examination showed Groening was fit to start serving his prison sentence, though Groening s lawyer disputed that. On Wednesday a court in the northern German town of Celle said: The higher regional court thinks, based on expert opinion, that the convicted man is able to serve his term despite his advanced age. It said enforcing Groening s sentence would not breach his fundamental rights and added that special needs related to his age could be catered for in prison. In a 2015 court battle seen as one of the last major Holocaust trials, prosecutors said although Groening did not kill anyone himself while working at Auschwitz, in Nazi-occupied Poland, he helped support the regime responsible for mass murder by sorting bank notes seized from trainloads of arriving Jews. Groening, who admitted he was morally guilty, said he was an enthusiastic Nazi when he was sent to work at Auschwitz in 1942, at the age of 21. Some 6 million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust carried out under Adolf Hitler. | 1 |
4,673 | MSNBC ANCHOR: Anti-Sanctuary City Law “Sounds Almost Like An Apartheid-Era Law” [Video] | Joy Reid is unbelievable when she claims the Texas anti-sanctuary city law Sounds Almost Like an Apartheid-era Law So now enforcing the law is just like South African apartheid???The ACLU lawyer even agrees with Reid about the law These lefty political hacks are undermining the rule of law in America:ABBOTT SIGNS BILL ON SANCTUARY CITIES: Texas Governor Abbott just signed a ban on so-called sanctuary cities COMMON SENSE IS BACK!Chances of this not being challenged in court are slim. It s pretty sad when your governor can t even enforce laws already on the books. Pitiful!Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday signed a law targeting so-called sanctuary cities that allows police to ask about a person s immigration status and threatens sheriffs with jail if they don t cooperate with federal authorities.He signed the bill on Facebook today:Governor Abbott stated before signing the bill: Let s be clear about something. We all support legal immigration. It helped to build America and Texas. Legal immigration is different from harboring people who have committed dangerous crimes. This law cracks down on policies like the Travis County sheriff who declared she would not detain known criminals accused of violent crimes. Those policies are sanctuary city policies and won t be tolerated in Texas. Abbott, a Republican in his first term, took the unusual step of signing the bill on Facebook with no advanced public notice. He said Texas residents expect lawmakers to keep us safe and said similar laws have already been tested in federal court, where opponents have already been hinting the bill will be immediately challenged. Texas has now banned sanctuary cities in the Lone Star State, Abbott said.We couldn t be happier about this!The bill cleared a final hurdle this week in the Republican-controlled Legislature over objections from Democrats and immigrant rights supporters who ve packed the Texas Capitol. They call it a show-me-your-papers measure that will be used to discriminate against Latinos.Every major police chief in Texas opposed the bill. Republicans say it is needed to ensure local jails honor requests from federal officials to keep dangerous offenders behind bars.The Texas bill allows police to inquire about the immigration status of anyone they detain, a situation that can range from arrest for a crime to being stopped for a traffic violation.This is HUGE!Attorney General Jeff Sessions also put sanctuary cities on notice. The President and Sessions are putting the American people first when it comes to criminal illegal aliens:Read more: news9 | 0 |
4,674 | Iranians rally against Trump's Jerusalem move, burn U.S. flags: TV | ANKARA (Reuters) - Hundreds of Iranians took part in rallies across the country on Friday to condemn U.S. President Donald Trump s decision this week to recognize Jerusalem as Israel s capital, state TV reported. Leaders of Iran, where opposition to Israel and support for the Palestinian cause has been central to foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic revolution, have denounced Trump s move, including his plan to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. State TV aired footage of marchers chanting Death to America and Death to Israel , holding up Palestinian flags and banners saying: Quds belongs to Muslims , using the Arabic name for the city. In several cities protesters burned effigies of Trump, Iranian media reported. Iran regards Palestine as comprising all of the holy land, including the Jewish state, which it does not recognize. It has repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel and backs several Islamic militant groups in their fight against Israel. Describing the United States and Israel as oppressors, Iran s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that Trump s decision was a sign of incompetence and failure. Opposition to Trump s move has united Iran s hardline and pragmatist factions, with both pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani and commanders of the hardline Revolutionary Guards urging Iranians to join nationwide Day of Rage rallies. Some protesters burned pictures of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while chanting Death to the Devil . Rouhani rejected Trump s decision as wrong, illegitimate, provocative and very dangerous . Senior cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami told worshippers at Friday prayers at Tehran University that Muslims around the world should unite against Israel, state TV reported. We will not leave Palestinians alone, worshippers chanted at Friday prayers in Tehran, TV reported. Iran s army chief Major General Mohammad Bagheri said Trump s decision on Jerusalem was unwise and could fuel tension in the crisis-hit Middle East, Iran s state news agency IRNA reported. | 1 |
4,675 | Ben Carson Praises Time Trump Compared Him To Child Molester: ‘You Have To Admit’ It Worked (VIDEO) | The only thing sadder than losing a Republican presidential race to a reality tv show host is then having to grovel at the feet of said reality tv show host and beg for scraps. And in 2016 there is no sadder sad sack than Ben Carson. The one time presidential front runner has spent the past few weeks shamelessly stumping for a guy who once couldn t wait to spread vicious rumors about him. And all for the off-chance that Trump won t forget about him once he becomes emperor president.But wait, what about Chris Christie? Surely, the New Jersey Governor who has had to grin and bear it while Trump mocks him to his face while standing next to him at political rallies has had it worse! Sadly, not. Because as low as Christie s self-esteem gets and it s gotten very low there is something singularly depressing about the position Carson is in. After all, when you find yourself defending Donald Trump s comparison of you to a child molester, you ve dug a hole for yourself so deep that you re on your way to China.Alas, here s Carson doing just that.In an interview with Yahoo News, Carson was reminded of the time that Trump, in an egotistical rage, decided to link Carson to that of a child molester. But not before labeling Carson a pathological liar first. When he says he s pathological and he says that in the book, I don t say that and again, I m not saying anything, I m not saying anything other than pathological is a very serious disease. And he said he s pathological, somebody said he has pathological disease. That s a big problem because you don t cure that as an example: child molesting. You don t cure these people. You don t cure a child molester. There s no cure for it. Pathological, there s no cure for that. Was Trump calling Carson a child molester? Of course not! He was merely saying Carson s pathology was of the same level as that of one. To which Carson responded on Wednesday: You have to admit to a degree [Trump comparing me to a child molester] did work. Adding: A lot of people believed him. Well said, Mr. Carson. Clearly you are a man of such integrity that you won t even defend yourself when a dumpster fire with a hair piece accuses you of being of the same mental health as a child predator. Gifted hands. No spine.Carson s endorsement of Trump has always seemed particularly vile because he had previously spent his entire campaign focused almost entirely on pretending to care about the angry rhetoric in the race. Repeatedly, he called for candidates to tone down the mudslinging (to no effect.) His I quit speech explicitly lamented the toxic state of the race. Here s how he described his ideal candidate:Carson stated that in choosing the next person to lead America, you d need someone who has demonstrated significant accomplishment whose ideas and policies are clear, and whose character would be revealed by how they treat others and their family. We d also need to see what they have done for America. And then he picked the exact opposite, Donald J. Trump.Featured image via Yahoo News | 0 |
4,676 | WATCH: Morning Joe Hosts Urge Republicans To Abandon Trump After FBI Director Comey’s Testimony | If Republicans listen to this sage advice, Donald Trump would be a lame duck president before completing his first 100 days.In stunning testimony to Congress on Monday, FBI Director James Comey confirmed that Donald Trump lied when he accused President Obama of wiretapping him.For more than two weeks, Trump has been desperately trying to make his accusations against President Obama stick, but has repeatedly failed to provide evidence to support his claims.That culminated in Comey s testimony under oath in which it was revealed that Trump is full of shit and he is being investigated for colluding with Russia during the 2016 Election.Apparently, the investigation has been ongoing for months, which means Trump s Russia scandal just got a whole lot worse, especially for Republicans who continue to defend him.Comey s testimony was aired on national television and was seen by millions of Americans.At a time when Trump s poll numbers are in the toilet, one would think that Republicans would abandon his sinking ship before they drown with him. But so far, Republicans are stubbornly standing by him because they don t want to lose their rubber stamp in the White House.Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, however, are urging Republicans to run away from Trump or face serious consequences in 2018 when the midterm elections roll around and give Americans their first chance to tell Trump and his Republican allies to go f*ck themselves. Republicans have to understand right now, if this continues, and this is awfully early to say this, but if this continues, at least in the House, and there were a lot of Senate seats, they are going to be shocked on Election Night if they don t take care of themselves, Scarborough predicted. If the Republican Party doesn t start taking care of itself and stop making fools of themselves for a guy who is going to keep tweeting lies and nonsense they can t chase that around, Scarborough continued. They can t defend the indefensible. Here s the video via YouTube: If Republicans continue to pretend that Trump is not a threat to our nation there will be hell to pay. Millions of Trump voters are experiencing buyer s remorse right now and millions of voters who sat out in 2016 are itching to make up for that mistake in 2018 and 2020. But regardless of what Republicans in the House and Senate do, they should be ousted from office anyway. They had a chance to prevent Trump from ever becoming president and put their greed and lust for power above the security and well-being of the nation. They betrayed the United States by turning a blind eye to Trump s associations with Russia and Vladimir Putin and they continue to betray our country now. Republicans should abandon Trump to save their souls, not their jobs.Featured image screenshot | 0 |
4,677 | MUSLIM WOMAN ARRESTED FOR SPITTING ON HER FELLOW WHITE WALMART SHOPPERS BUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IS MORE UPSETTING | This woman s having trouble entering the Walmart so people go to help her SHE SPITS ON THEM! Her reasoning for this disgusting behavior is that Americans are pushing us around . She s arrested BUT what happens next is what s so disturbing.A Saudi Arabian national faces hate crimes charges after allegedly spitting on several people at a Florida Walmart.Nuha Mohammed Al-Doaifi was arrested in Palm Bay after police responded to a 911 call, Florida Today reported Tuesday.The 21-year-old, who was with her 2-year-old son at the time, allegedly admitted to authorities she spat on several people because Americans are pushing us around. The incident began, police said, when a woman approached Al-Doaifi when she appeared to be having difficulty entering the Walmart. All I was trying to do was tell her she was coming in through the out door, Terry Rakowski told Florida Today. She was just ramming (her cart) into the door. The 39-year-old then claims the woman spat in her face. She just spit all over me, she said.Al-Doaifi then allegedly did the same thing to several others inside the Walmart. Her actions were directed at random people based on their ethnicity, and that s according to her own statement, said a spokeswoman for the Palm Bay Police Department.BUT THIS IS WHAT S EVEN MORE DISTURBING:Don t bother trying to hit the link to the original source Florida Today . As soon as this story started to appear at other websites they yanked the story, scrubbed it completely. You can t even find the original report by searching for this woman s name, all you get is a 404 page not found. It s like it never happened and she doesn t exist.Apparently, hate crimes is a one way street, especially when committed by a Muslim against white folks.You have to wonder why she s even here if she hates white Americans so much. The next question is whether the Obama regime will deport her back to the big sandbox from whence she came.I m gonna say, probably not.VIA: BLUR BRAIN | 0 |
4,678 | Comedian Takes Subway Riding With Fake Books To HILARIOUS New Level; DESTROYS Trump (VIDEO) | For a while now, comedian Scott Rogowsky has been traveling on the New York City subway with books that have fake book covers. The titles are hilarious, and the reaction from travelers on the subway are priceless.Now, Rogowsky seems to be bringing his schtick to a new hilarious level. In a new video, he focuses entirely on Donald Trump, his family, Mike Pence, and some of Trump s top surrogates.Some of the titles included are:All the titles have clearly a satirical take on actual things said either by Trump or surrounding events.It s so important now, more than ever, that we are able to keep our sense of humor in the face of what seems to be absolutely horrifying.Kudos to Rogowsky for making such brilliant fun of what otherwise has been horrific to witness.Watch the hilarious video of Rogowsky s subway ride here:Featured image via video screen capture | 0 |
4,679 | White House asks Supreme Court to allow full travel ban | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to allow President Donald Trump’s latest travel ban to take full effect after an appeals court in California ruled last week that only parts of it could be enacted. A three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Nov. 13 partially granted a Trump administration request to block at least temporarily a judge’s ruling that had put the new ban on hold. It ruled the government could bar entry of people from six Muslim-majority countries with no connections to the United States. Trump’s ban was announced on Sept. 24 and replaced two previous versions that had been impeded by federal courts. The administration’s appeal to the top U.S. court argued that the latest travel ban differed from the previous orders “both in process and in substance” and that the differences showed it “is based on national-security and foreign-affairs objectives, not religious animus.” It also argued that even if the 9th Circuit ruled to uphold the partial ban, the Supreme Court was likely to overturn that decision as it had “the last time courts barred the President from enforcing entry restrictions on certain foreign nationals in the interest of national security.” Last week’s appeals court ruling meant the ban would only apply to people from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia and Chad who did not have connections to the United States. Those connections are defined as family relationships and “formal, documented” relationships with U.S.-based entities such as universities and resettlement agencies. Those with family relationships that would allow entry include grandparents, grandchildren, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins of people in the United States. The state of Hawaii, which sued to block the restrictions, argued that federal immigration law did not give Trump the authority to impose them on six of those countries. The lawsuit did not challenge restrictions toward people from the two other countries listed in Trump’s ban, North Korea and Venezuela. U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson in Honolulu ruled last month that Hawaii was likely to succeed with its argument. Trump issued his first travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority countries in January, just a week after he took office, and then issued a revised one after the first was blocked by the courts. The second one expired in September after a long court fight and was replaced with another revised version. Trump has said the travel ban is needed to protect the United States from attacks by Islamist militants. As a candidate, Trump promised “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” Critics of the travel ban in its various iterations call it a “Muslim ban” that violates the U.S. Constitution by discriminating on the basis of religion. The 9th Circuit is due to hear oral arguments in the case on Dec. 6. In a parallel case from Maryland, a judge also ruled against the Trump administration and partially blocked the ban from going into effect. An appeal in the Maryland case is being heard on Dec. 8 by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia. The Maryland case was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents several advocacy groups, including the International Refugee Assistance Project. | 1 |
4,680 | FBI backs CIA assessment on Russian motives in U.S. hacking: official | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI backs the CIA’s view that Russia intervened to help Donald Trump win the U.S. presidential election, two senior government officials told Reuters on Friday. The FBI, CIA and the Office of Director of National Intelligence now all agree that Russia was behind computer hacks into U.S. political institutions during the election, officials have said. The FBI had originally declined to endorse the CIA’s conclusion that Russia intervened specifically to help Trump. The Washington Post earlier on Friday reported that CIA Director John Brennan has circulated a memo seen by U.S. officials and said there was “strong consensus among us on the scope, nature, and intent of Russian interference in our presidential election.” The FBI had no immediate comment. | 1 |
4,681 | German police arrest suspect over alleged supermarket extortion attempts | BERLIN (Reuters) - German police said on Saturday they had arrested a suspect in the case of an alleged extortionist who attempted to force supermarkets into coughing up tens of millions of euros by slipping a potentially lethal poison into baby food. Police in the south-western lakeside city of Konstanz said they would ask a judge to approve an extension of custody for the 55-year-old German man arrested by police special forces late on Friday, after concluding he was a prime suspect. The suspicions have solidified, they said in a statement. In mid-September, a suspect was recorded on security cameras placing quantities of poison in products for sale in some southern German supermarkets. He told the police via email that he done so, and threatened to do it nationwide and elsewhere in Europe unless given money. Police said they had found some baby food spiked with ethylene glycol, a colorless, odorless liquid used in the manufacture of antifreeze, which can be deadly if consumed. Police added that, despite the arrest, the public should remain vigilant for signs of tampering when buying food. | 1 |
4,682 | Weaker than ever, May faces test in UK parliament over Brexit plans | LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May s blueprint for Britain s exit from the European Union faces a crucial test starting on Tuesday, when lawmakers try to win concessions from a weakened leader on the government s legislation to sever ties. It is yet another battle for May after scandals and gaffes that have brought questions about her leadership into the open. As many as 40 of her lawmakers would support a no-confidence motion against her, according to the Sunday Times newspaper. But many sources in her governing Conservative Party say now is not the time to force her out because despite backing Britain remaining in the EU, even if reluctantly, they think she is still the best option to deliver Brexit. That makes the debates over EU withdrawal bill all the more important as a test of her ability to steer through legislation she says is crucial to give companies confidence that the rules will not change when Britain leaves in March 2019. With the power balanced in favor of lawmakers rather than the government after the Conservatives lost their majority in a June election, many - even within the party - will use the debate over coming weeks to put the pressure on. We have no intention of parliament being a bystander, we are a key participant in this process, said Hilary Benn, a lawmaker from the opposition Labour Party who is chair of the Brexit parliamentary committee. In the end we are going to have to vote on the final deal, and the outcome of the election and the balance of votes in the House of Commons now really does bring that home, he told the Institute for Government thinktank earlier this month. The public debate in parliament on Tuesday is the first of eight to discuss the bill before it goes on to other legislative stages. The schedule will be determined by the House of Commons over the course of the debates. Lawmakers have proposed 186 pages of amendments to the bill, which largely copy and paste EU rules and regulations into British law but also, critics say, hand the government wide-ranging powers and cut parliament out of some Brexit planning. The bill is separate from negotiations going on in Brussels, but the EU will want to see how many and which amendments are passed and will regard the showdown as a test of May s strength at home. May is under pressure to make progress with the EU at a summit in December after growing European frustration over Britain s refusal to say how much it thinks it should pay to leave. The amendments include one to stop the government from adopting the so-called Henry VIII powers, named after the 16th century monarch who ruled by proclamation, which allow the government to amend laws being transposed from EU law. Other amendments address criticism that parliament will not get a meaningful vote on the deal eventually agreed with the EU, and press the government to enshrine in law the EU protections Britons now enjoy such as workers rights and environmental protections. May s government has taken some of the fire out of the proposed challenges by signaling it is willing to bend on the Henry VIII powers, and on Monday, her Brexit minister David Davis said parliament would be offered a new vote on the final Brexit deal. The first debate will cover the part of the bill that repeals the 1972 European Communities Act on the retention, conversion and interpretation of existing EU laws, and EU rights. Getting parliamentary scrutiny is a winner. The government will change position because it doesn t want a defeat, said one Conservative lawmaker, speaking on condition of anonymity. But other issues, such as the push for a vote in parliament on the EU deal which could force the government back to the negotiating table, or even possibly overturn Brexit, present huge challenges. The debate comes at a new low point for May since she was made prime minister after Britain voted for Brexit last June. She has lost two ministers in a week, and her foreign minister, Boris Johnson, is under pressure from the opposition to resign over comments about a jailed aid worker in Iran, a case further complicated at the weekend by Gove, his ally. On Monday, Keir Starmer, the Brexit spokesman for the Labour Party, launched a new bid to derail the withdrawal legislation, saying May s policy to end the jurisdiction of the EU court - the European Court of Justice - was incompatible with her own policy for a smooth transition after Brexit. Over recent weeks, it has become increasingly clear that you alone do not have the authority to deliver a transitional deal with Europe and to take the necessary steps to protect jobs and the economy, he wrote in an open letter to May. | 1 |
4,683 | DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Fines Sheriff For Excluding Illegals When Hiring | From Wikipedia:The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965: The Hart Celler Act abolished the quota system based on national origins that had been American immigration policy since the 1920s. The new law maintained the per-country limits, but it also created preference visa categories that focused on immigrants skills and family relationships with citizens or U.S. residents. The bill set numerical restrictions on visas at 170,000 per year, with a per-country-of-origin quota. However, immediate relatives of U.S. citizens and special immigrants had no restrictions.The Denver Sheriff Department will accept a penalty from the Department of Justice after a federal probe found it wrongly made U.S. citizenship a job requirement during a recent hiring spree.The sheriff s department the biggest sheriff s office in Colorado will pay a $10,000 fine after it required applications for deputy sheriff jobs to be U.S. citizens when hiring from the beginning of 2015 through March 2016. The department went on a hiring spree of 200 deputies as part of its ongoing reform.The department will also have to go through old applications to find applicants who were eliminated because of their citizenship status and reconsider them for future jobs.The Justice Department made the announcement on Monday, saying the sheriff s department violated the Immigration and Nationality Act without having an exemption.Read more: WE | 0 |
4,684 | U.S. military says airstrikes kill five al Qaeda militants in Yemen | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Friday it carried out airstrikes on Nov. 20 in Yemen s al Bayda province that killed five militants from al Qaeda s affiliate there, including Mujahid al-Adani, whom it described as one of the group s leaders. Al-Adani maintained a significant influence within AQAP as well as close ties to other AQAP senior leaders, the U.S. military s Central Command said in a statement, using an acronym for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. | 1 |
4,685 | Iran aircraft deals hang by thread as Trump targets Tehran | PARIS (Reuters) - President Donald Trump s hawkish new approach towards Tehran, coupled with banking worries and domestic political turbulence in both countries, are causing growing uncertainty over Iran s $36 billion deal to buy airliners from Boeing, Airbus and ATR. IranAir s decision to buy a total of 200 aircraft from the two giants and Franco-Italian turboprop maker ATR marked the zenith of a 2015 pact between Tehran and world powers to renew trade in exchange for placing curbs on Iran s nuclear activity. IranAir says its $16.5 billion deal with Boeing is the biggest with a U.S. company since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Such high stakes make the deals a prominent target for critics of detente in both Washington and Tehran, and experts say that could further frighten off European banks and others whose reluctance to provide finance is already a major obstacle. Trump struck a blow against the nuclear agreement with Iran on Friday choosing not to certify that Tehran is complying with the deal and warning he might ultimately terminate it. His Iran strategy angered Tehran and put Washington at odds with other signatories of the accord - Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and the European Union - some of which have benefited economically from renewed trade with Iran. While Trump did not pull the United States out of the agreement, he gave the U.S. Congress 60 days to decide whether to reimpose economic sanctions on Tehran that were lifted under the pact. Even without such sanctions, the fate of the aircraft deals depends on U.S. administration approval. Several people involved in the airliner deals fear they have become too big to cancel but too sensitive to implement fully beyond a limited number of jets for which Iran has the funds to pay for in cash without foreign loans. I don t see who would be willing to provide financing for Iran with such a negative groundswell in the United States, said consultant and former aviation banker Bertrand Grabowski. That raises immediate concerns for Boeing as it prepares to start building 15 long-range, twin-engined 777-300ER jets, originally due for delivery to Iran from next April. The fate of those aircraft - part of a total order for 80 jets - is seen affecting jobs as Boeing tries to put a floor under declining production of one of its most profitable models. For the 777s it seems increasingly difficult now, a Western banker said. Unexpected hurdles have arisen on the Iranian side too. Financial sources say Boeing has already had to push Iran back in the queue for jets because it has yet to receive a deposit. For now, Boeing can manage by juggling deliveries with other airlines. But a complete breakdown of the IranAir order could put new pressure on 777 production. U.S. exports are not the only ones at stake. Although the European Union backs the nuclear deal, the export of any Western aircraft to Iran depends on permits from the U.S. administration because of the number of U.S. parts. That means Airbus could get caught in the crossfire between Boeing and Congressional critics who want the whole deal axed, something likely to deepen tensions over Iran with Europe. Iran has so far imported nine aircraft: three from Airbus and six from turboprop maker ATR. Losing the rest of Iran s business would hit Airbus s order book hard because it took the risk of booking all 100 Iranian plane sales last December to help beat Boeing in their annual order race. Boeing has not yet formally posted its orders. Because the Airbus and Boeing deals are so interconnected, with approvals passing through Washington, all eyes are now on how Trump s administration will treat the high-profile plane deals while kicking the broader nuclear issue to Congress. Iran s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday any negative move would be considered a violation of the 2015 nuclear pact between Tehran and world powers. Industry sources say Washington has so far issued licenses for aircraft sales to Iran until the end of the decade, after which they must be renewed. Based on estimated delivery plans, that effectively opens the door to the 15 Boeing 777s and 30-40 Airbus jets, they said. Airbus and Boeing declined to comment on delivery schedules. One source said a possible outcome was that the status quo would remain in place regarding licenses already issued, because of the political and legal consequences of revoking them, but that it would become harder to extend or obtain new ones. If so, the fate of the second part of the IranAir deals could be pushed beyond the next U.S. election in 2020, even if the nuclear pact survives scrutiny in Congress until then. And other airlines, like Aseman Airlines which has ordered 30 Boeing jets and may want to buy turboprops, face an uncertain wait for U.S. approval. A Boeing spokesman said Boeing and IranAir continue to work on implementing the contract. Airbus declined to comment. In Tehran, the aircraft deals remain center-stage as Iranian hard-liners seek to exploit the latest dispute with Washington to weaken domestic rivals who are open to the West. For Iran it is important that the deal remains intact... the failure of the (plane) deals will be a major blow for us, said a senior Iranian official. Their collapse will have a domino effect on other deals and potential foreign investors. | 1 |
4,686 | Wal-Mart reopens most Gulf region stores after Harvey | (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Monday it has reopened most stores in the Gulf region that were shut due to Hurricane Harvey. The company said five stores along the coast where the hurricane made landfall remain shut. Texas has been trying to recover from a storm that dumped some 50 inches (125 cm) of rain on the low-lying Gulf coastal region after coming ashore on Aug. 25, killing about 50 people. | 1 |
4,687 | Erdogan adviser sees recovery in Turkey ties with Germany, EU | ANKARA (Reuters) - Ankara s relations with NATO ally Germany, hit by a deepening row, are expected to improve alongside a general upturn in ties with the EU early next year, boosting Turkish export and tourism prospects, an adviser to President Tayyip Erdogan told Reuters. I expect more calm with Germany after the Sept. 24 (German) election. I expect tensions to ease, Cemil Ertem, Erdogan s chief economic adviser, said in an interview on Tuesday. Turkish-German ties have come under pressure since Erdogan launched a crackdown after a failed coup last year. Germany has criticized mass arrests, refused to extradite people Turkey says were involved in the putsch and demanded the release of around a dozen German citizens arrested in recent months. Turkey s relations with the European Union will be rapidly repaired from the first quarter of 2018. I think Turkey s exports to the EU will increase further, Ertem said. The improvement in EU relations would also lead to a very good year for tourism in 2018, he said. The number of European tourists visiting Turkey has declined due to security concerns over the last couple of years. The economy would grow around 5.5-6 percent this year and around 5-7 percent next year, he said. Ertem dismissed concern about the level of the lira currency after another presidential adviser, Bulent Gedikli, said a stronger lira put exports at risk and called for the central bank to take action. Given that we implement a floating rate regime, it is wrong to say that the exchange rate is low or dangerous. The market can make a very rapid correction, he said, adding he was fine with the lira level set by the market. Ertem said the central bank was maintaining tight monetary policy and its use of an interest rate corridor enabled it to rapidly adjust the average cost of funding, rather than just depend on changes to the policy rate. In this sense we should leave behind debate about whether the central bank will cut rates or not, he said. Everyone wants low interest rates, the real sector, banks, the TCMB and the political side, he said, but added it was a matter for the central bank to deal with the market reality . He said Turkey would continue to make use of its Credit Guarantee Fund and may seek to focus its allocation on high-tech and intermediate goods producers. In March the government raised the size of the fund, which guarantees loans to small and medium-sized enterprises, more than tenfold to 250 billion lira ($70 billion). The government will also take measures to ease inflationist pressures caused by the immediate goods imports and may provide serious support to Turkish producers of such goods, he said. | 1 |
4,688 | BREAKING: DEATH FOR WELFARE LEECH AND BOSTON JIHADIST… Jury Gives Muslim Terrorist First Class Ticket To Hell… | No mercy for welfare leech and America hater, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev This is nothing to celebrate. This is justice, said first-responder Michael Ward. He wanted to go to hell and he s going to get there early. A jury s ruling today to sentence marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death is justice and a warning Boston will not tolerate terrorism, survivors and police said after the verdict. This is nothing to celebrate. This is justice, said first-responder Michael Ward. He wanted to go to hell and he s going to get there early. The verdict against Tsarnaev, who ll turn 22 in July, was announced by U.S. District Court Judge George A. O Toole Jr. s courtroom clerk Paul Lyness. Tsarnaev showed no emotion as the verdict was read.Marathon bombing survivor Adrianne Haslet-Davis, who lost a third of her left leg in the bombing, told the Herald she s happy with the verdict. My heart goes out to everyone in the survivor community and to the victims families, she added. It s still a lot to process right now. Only three of the 12 jurors bought into the defense argument that Tsarnaev was influenced by his older brother Tamerlan. The jurors unanimously agreed that Tsarnaev showed no remorse for the marathon attack and its aftermath that killed four young people, maimed 17 and injured hundreds.The jurors unanimously voted to put him to death for the week of terror. You re not going to blow up our marathon. You re not going to blow up our city, said Boston police Commissioner William Evans. We will not tolerate terrorism. Tsarnaev will be formally sentenced by O Toole this summer after survivors and loved ones of the victims have the opportunity to present impact statements.Tsarnaev will also be afforded the chance to speak. He chose not to take the stand in his own defense during the trial a factor jurors were not allowed to consider or even discuss amongst themselves, per O Toole s orders.Tsarnaev is expected to remain incarcerated locally until after the sentencing, when he will be delivered to the USP Terre Haute prison in Indiana, where he will be the youngest person on federal death row.U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch said today in a statement that Tsarnaev coldly and callously perpetrated a terrorist attack in Boston. We know all too well that no verdict can heal the souls of those who lost loved ones, nor the minds and bodies of those who suffered life-changing injuries from this cowardly attack, Lynch said. But the ultimate penalty is a fitting punishment for this horrific crime and we hope that the completion of this prosecution will bring some measure of closure to the victims and their families. We thank the jurors for their service, the people of Boston for their vigilance, resilience and support and the law enforcement community in Boston and throughout the country for their important work. The seven women and five men, who reached their verdict after 14 hours of deliberations, convicted the former University of Massachusetts Dartmouth sophomore on April 8 of a 30-count indictment that included the April 15, 2013, bombing murders of marathon spectators Martin Richard, 8, of Dorchester, Lingzi Lu, 23, a Boston University graduate statistics student from China, and restaurant manager Krystle Marie Campbell, 29, a Medford native.Tsarnaev was also held responsible for the shooting death of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier, 27, three days after the marathon massacre, when the FBI went public with photos of Tsarnaev and his late older brother Tamerlan, 26, as their terror suspects.Via: Bostonherald.com | 0 |
4,689 | LORETTA LYNCH’S “Behavior” in 2016 Election To Be Investigated By Judiciary Committee [Video] | It s about time the Senate Judiciary Committee opened a probe into former Attorney General Loretta Lynch s efforts to shape the FBI s investigation into the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton! The committee s chairman announced the bipartisan probe on Friday:The committee sent a letter to Lynch asking her to tell in detail everything about her involvement in the FBI s investigation. They want to know whether she ever assured Clinton confidantes that the probe wouldn t push too deeply into the matter. This could get really good if they can get Lynch to squeal.THIS IS A BIPARTISAN EFFORT:SENATOR FEINSTEIN CALLED FOR AN INVESTIGATION IN EARLY JUNE: How shocking is it that liberal Senator Diane Feinstein is calling for a closer look at the possible collusion between Lynch and Comey:Dianne Feinstein calls on Congress to investigate whether Loretta Lynch pressured Comey to cover for Hillary Clinton s campaign.#ComeyGate pic.twitter.com/AMwQoQsMe0 Josh Caplan (@joshdcaplan) June 11, 2017 Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) said Sunday that Congress should investigate whether former Attorney General Loretta Lynch pressured former FBI Director James Comey to cover for Hillary Clinton s presidential campaign. I think we need to know more about that, Feinstein told host Brianna Keilar on CNN s State of the Union. And there s only way to know about it, and that s to have the Judiciary Committee take a look at that, Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said.Comey testified last Thursday that he felt queasy after Lynch asked him to characterize his probe into Clinton s emails as a matter, rather than an investigation. He told the Senate Intelligence Committee that such a request would match the wording of Clinton s campaign.Feinstein, who is a member of the Senate Intelligence panel, said she would ve also felt queasy. I would have a queasy feeling, too, though, to be candid with you, the longtime Senate Democrat said.She added that an investigation separate from the ongoing probe into Russian interference in the election is needed. Read more: The Hill Former FBI Director Jim Comey said publicly that Ms. Lynch tried to change the way the investigation into Mrs. Clinton s emails was described. He also hinted at other behavior which I cannot talk about yet . He was concerned about Lynch s ability to do her job without impartiality. Mr. Comey said that was one reason why he took it upon himself to buck Justice Department tradition and reveal his findings about Mrs. Clinton last year.If anyone had really looked into Lynch s background, they would know she s a big political hack. We were shocked that she was confirmed by the Senate. We felt like she was Eric Holder in a dress. Well, it turned out that we were correct in our assumptions.Read more: WT | 0 |
4,690 | EPA head seeks to avoid settlements with green groups | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a directive to his agency on Monday seeking to end the practice of settling lawsuits with environmental groups behind closed doors, saying the groups have had too much influence on regulation. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who sued the agency he now runs more than a dozen times in his former job as attorney general of oil producing Oklahoma, has long railed against the so-called practice of “sue and settle.” The EPA under former President Barack Obama quietly settled lawsuits from environmental groups with little input from regulated entities, such as power plants, and state governments, he argues. The directive seeks to make EPA more transparent about lawsuits by reaching out to states and industry that could be affected by settlements, forbidding the practice of entering into settlements that exceed the authority of courts, and excluding attorney’s fees and litigation costs when settling with groups. Most lawsuits by green groups on the agency seek to push the agency to speed up regulation on issues such as climate and air and water pollution, studies have shown. “The days of regulation through litigation are over,” Pruitt said. “We will no longer go behind closed doors and use consent decrees and settlement agreements to resolve lawsuits filed against the agency.” Pruitt’s order was supported by conservative groups. Daren Bakst, a research fellow in agricultural policy at the Heritage Foundation think tank, said sue and settle has led to “egregious antics” that have “effectively handed over the setting of agency priorities to environmental pressure groups,” and has led to rushed rulemaking by the agency. But Pat Parenteau, an environmental law professor at the Vermont Law School, said Pruitt’s directive would be “counterproductive” and costly because in the end courts could fine the agency if it does not meet compliance dates for issuing regulations. “He can fight it if he wants as long as he wants, and spend as much money as he wants,” Parenteau said. “But in the end if you’ve missed a statutory deadline, you are going to be ordered (by a court) to comply and then you are going to be ordered to pay fees.” | 1 |
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4,692 | Aiming to sidestep Apple dispute, Obama makes case for access to device data | AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday made a passionate case for mobile devices to be built in a way that would allow the government to gain access to personal data if needed to prevent a terrorist attack or enforce tax laws. Speaking at the South by Southwest festival in Texas, the president said he could not comment on the legal case in which the Federal Bureau of Investigation is trying to force Apple Inc. to allow access to an iPhone linked to San Bernardino, California, shooter Rizwan Farook. But he made clear that despite his commitment to Americans’ privacy and civil liberties, a balance was needed to allow some government intrusion if necessary. “If technologically it is possible to make an impenetrable device or system where the encryption is so strong that there is no key, there’s no door at all, then how do we apprehend the child pornographer, how do we solve or disrupt a terrorist plot?” he said. “What mechanisms do we have available to even do simple things like tax enforcement because if in fact you can’t crack that at all, government can’t get in, then everybody is walking around with a Swiss bank account in their pocket.” Last month, the FBI obtained a court order requiring Apple to write new software and take other measures to disable passcode protection and allow access to Farook’s iPhone. Apple, which declined to comment on Obama’s remarks on Friday, has not complied. It said the government request would create a “back door” to phones that could be abused by criminals and governments, and that Congress has not given the Justice Department authority to make such a demand. Obama’s comments were his most expansive on the subject since the dispute. He acknowledged skepticism about the government in the wake of the revelations about U.S. surveillance programs by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. But he pressed his point that a compromise that respected civil liberties and protected security had to be found. That solution would likely be a system with strong encryption and a secure “key” that is accessible to the “smallest number of people possible” for issues that were agreed to be important. “Setting aside the specific case between the FBI and Apple ... we’re going to have to make some decisions about how do we balance these respective risks,” Obama said. “My conclusion so far is you cannot take an absolutist view.” Adding to his argument, the president listed airport security and stops for drunk drivers as examples of measures that were intrusive but accepted. He also warned against “fetishizing” phones. “This notion that somehow our data is different and can be walled off from those other tradeoffs we make I believe is incorrect,” he said. Top White House officials have lobbied the industry aggressively to work with the government on the issue, which was brought to a head by the California shootings. The FBI says Farook and his wife were inspired by Islamist militants when they shot and killed 14 people on Dec. 2 at a holiday party in California. The couple later died in a shootout with police. | 1 |
4,693 | France’s President Confirms He Intentionally Humiliated Trump With That Handshake (VIDEO) | It was the cringe-inducing handshake seen and mocked around the world. Trump sat down with the new president of France, reached out his hand, and this was the result.What made the situation that much more awkward for Trump is that he has a well-known, albeit bizarre, habit of trying to humiliate others with his handshakes. Repeatedly, he has gone into a handshake with a foreign leader only to yank their arms and pull them in. He s a 70-year-old who cannot do a simple handshake without making everyone uncomfortable.Macron was reportedly warned ahead of time that Trump s handshakes were designed to be as awkward as possible. A Washington Post writer described the moment Macron s adviser was tipped off that an embarrassing incident was coming: Did you warn him about Trump s handshakes? my philanthropist friend asked. A look of surprise popped on Araud s face as he inquired what exactly did that mean. Both of us told him about Trump s affinity for the alpha male, grab-and-pull power pump that always seemed to reduce the other person to a rag doll. Forewarned, Araud said he would alert Macron.So Macron came prepared. And the result was that the tables were completely turned on Trump.That was, according to Macron s own admission, by design. In a follow-up interview, Macron said he grasped onto Trump s hand with an iron grip with the intention of showing Trump he wasn t about to be made a fool of. My handshake with him, it wasn t innocent. He added: One must show that you won t make small concessions, even symbolic ones, but also not over-publicise things, either. Macron s office confirmed the veracity of the president s comments in Le Journal du Dimanche.He described the handshake seen round the world as a moment of truth for Trump. The Republican president had come to bully his European allies instead they, to a person, stood up to him. The handshake was a symbol of that defiance.Macron might turn into the go-to guy for how to subvert Trump s outsized ego. In a later moment of pure trolling, he subtly put Trump in his place with this brutal greeting. Bruxelles, unis avec nos alli s de @NATO. pic.twitter.com/7nyaoI8hki Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 25, 2017Vive la France!Featured image via YouTube | 0 |
4,694 | Flap in Congress over gender identity sinks spending bill | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The rancorous political debate over sexual identity unexpectedly prompted the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to reject an energy and water spending bill on Thursday after Democrats attached an amendment to protect the rights of transgender people. The legislation, which would provide funds for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Energy in the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1, failed on a 112-305 vote, with 130 Republicans and 175 Democrats opposing the legislation. The outcome was such a surprise that the House Appropriations Committee initially announced the bill had passed and was forced to retract the statement. Democrats blamed Republicans for opposing a Democratic amendment to bar federal contractors from government work if they discriminate against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Democrats failed to attach the same measure to a separate House spending bill last week. “In turning against a far-reaching funding bill simply because it affirms protections for LGBT Americans, Republicans have once again lain bare the depths of their bigotry,” House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. But Republicans accused Democrats of working to sabotage the House appropriations process by voting 6-175 against the bill after they had succeeded in amending it. House Speaker Paul Ryan said his own decision not to keep legislation under tight control had created conditions for “more amendments from both sides of the aisle ... and, yes, more unpredictability.” “That’s what happened here today. It’s unfortunate, because this is a very good bill,” Ryan said. He vowed to continue pushing the energy and water bill, along with other appropriations measures. Democrats said they opposed two Republican amendments. One would prevent Washington from witholding federal funds from North Carolina over its law on LGBT bathroom use. The other would have stopped the Democrats’ LGBT amendment from affecting religious workplace exemptions. The White House had already threatened to veto the legislation over other provisions that Democrats said would undermine the Clean Water Act. | 1 |
4,695 | Al Qaeda warns Myanmar of 'punishment' over Rohingya | YANGON (Reuters) - Al Qaeda militants have called for support for Myanmar s Rohingya Muslims, who are facing a security crackdown that has sent about 400,000 of them fleeing to Bangladesh, warning that Myanmar would face punishment for its crimes . The exodus of Muslim refugees from Buddhist-majority Myanmar was sparked by a fierce security force response to a series of Rohingya militant attacks on police and army posts in the country s west on Aug. 25. The Islamist group behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the Untied States issued a statement urging Muslims around the world to support their fellow Muslims in Myanmar with aid, weapons and military support . The savage treatment meted out to our Muslim brothers ... shall not pass without punishment, al Qaeda said in a statement, according to the SITE monitoring group. The government of Myanmar shall be made to taste what our Muslim brothers have tasted. Myanmar says its security forces are engaged in a legitimate campaign against terrorists , whom it blames for attacks on the police and army, and on civilians. The government has warned of bomb attacks in cities, and al Qaeda s call to arms is likely to compound those concerns. We call upon all mujahid brothers in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and the Philippines to set out for Burma to help their Muslim brothers, and to make the necessary preparations training and the like - to resist this oppression, the group said. | 1 |
4,696 | Hillary Calls In Live To CNN To Pummel Trump On Veteran Donations (VIDEO) | When listening to Donald Trump one really can t believe anything he actually says without tangible proof. Let s just say he s not the most honest fellow, and he s a guy who really likes to talk himself up, regardless of facts.One of the biggest falsifications of actual events that Trump has gotten caught doing is with his supposed donations to Veteran groups. Then when called out on these pretty blatant falsehoods by reporters, he verbally assaults them because he doesn t like people calling him out on his lies.Noticing these lies and misrepresentations of actualities is Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. Just imagine if it were her greatly exaggerating claims of raising money for Veterans and donations made by herself to organizations. She would get eaten alive by the press and it would likely be a major game-changer.Clinton called in live to CNN regarding Trump, and said: Well, I think the problem here is the difference between what Donald Trump says and what Donald Trump does. He s bragged for months about raising six million dollars for veterans and donating a million dollars himself. But it took a reporter to shame him into actually making his contribution and getting the money to Veterans. So, look, I m glad he finally did, but I don t know that he should get much credit for that. And she s absolutely correct, and it s likely very true that if Trump hadn t been called out then those donations probably still would not have been made.Donald Trump loves Donald Trump more than anyone else on this planet, and like everyone else, when someone goes after the one you love you may get brutally defensive, as we ve witnessed with the media scrutinization of Trump s supposed donations. And if he can t handle the scutinization from the press, how the hell is he going to handle being leader of the free world?Listen here: Hillary Clinton: Donald Trump was shamed into actually making his contribution to veterans https://t.co/6OZtrfIwim https://t.co/YBtMm3adVE CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) May 31, 2016Featured image via video screen capture | 0 |
4,697 | U.S. Chamber of Commerce backs Republican healthcare bill | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said in a letter to lawmakers on Tuesday that it supported the Republican healthcare bill that could come up for a vote in the House of Representatives as early as Thursday. The chamber said it would consider how lawmakers vote on the bill in its annual “How They Voted Scorecard,” which could put pressure on members of Congress to support the legislation. | 1 |
4,698 | New Jersey's Christie mulls run to lead Republican Party: report | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, an early supporter of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, is considering a run to lead the Republican National Committee, Politico reported on Thursday. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report, and representatives for Christie did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Christie, whose term as governor ends in January 2018, had been leading Trump’s transition team until U.S. Vice President-elect Mike Pence recently took over earlier this month. Current RNC Chairman Reince Priebus has been tapped to serve as Trump’s chief of staff when he starts his White House term Jan. 20, 2017. Christie had launched a presidential bid alongside Trump in a pool of 17 candidates that eventually saw Trump, a New York businessman who had never held political office, win the nomination as well as the Nov. 8 presidential election over Democrat Hillary Clinton. Christie had been a rising political star before the so-called “Bridgegate” scandal involving his former top aides that left his reputation in tatters. Pence took over from Christie, who at one time had been considered a possible candidate to serve as Trump’s attorney general, a post that instead went to U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama. Trump’s team has said Christie would remain as vice chair of the transition effort. Earlier this month, Christie’s two former aides were convicted for shutting down access lanes to the George Washington Bridge in 2013, creating a days-long traffic jam. The scheme was intended to punish the town’s mayor, a Democrat, for declining to endorse Christie’s reelection campaign. | 1 |
4,699 | TWO ILLEGAL ALIENS TO BECOME FIRST APPOINTED CITY COMMISSIONERS: Hope To Create More Opportunities For Illegals | Is there really any point to go through the work and expense to become an American citizen anymore?Huntington Park may become the first city in California to appoint two undocumented immigrants as commissioners on city advisory boards, a lawmaker confirms.City Councilman Jhonny Pineda has picked Francisco Medina to join the health and education commission and Julian Zatarain for the parks and recreation commission.The 32-year-old lawmaker told CBSLA online producer Deborah Meron that he promised voters while running for office that he would create more opportunities for undocumented residents. Huntington Park is a city of opportunity and a city of hope for all individuals regardless of socioeconomic status, race, creed, or in this case, citizenship, the councilman said in a statement. Both these gentlemen have accomplished a great deal for the city. For that, on behalf of the city council, mayor, and our city, I want to say thank you to them both and I am confident they will do an excellent job on their commission posts. Pineda says he cleared the appointments with the city attorney, who confirmed there s nothing that requires a commissioner to be a registered voter, a documented citizen or even a resident, which technically means someone here without legal residency can serve.Appointees first pass a LifeScan background check.Medina and Zatarain would not be paid for the volunteer positions and would not have a direct hand in constructing policy but would help advise the council on legislation. Other commissioners receive a $75 monthly stipend on months when they hold meetings.Coming the same year that California allowed residents to apply for a driver s license, regardless of immigration status, this move is the latest in an effort to recognize an increasingly sizable demographic in the state.Pineda says at 13 years old he emigrated alone to the United States. He established legal residency and told Meron he feels blessed to have been able to come here and work. He s served as a district representative on the California State Senate and legislative assistant for the U.S. House of Representatives. He currently is president of the California Latino Leadership Institute, an organization designed for young professionals interested in leadership development and serving their community.A graduate from Cal State Dominguez Hills with a bachelor s degree in sociology and Chicano studies, Medina interned for then-Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, who now serves on the Los Angeles City Council, Pineda says. Medina also organizes immigration forums aimed a helping working-class communities.Pineda says the decision will be announced at the City Council meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday and will become official after being processed by the council.Via: CBS Los Angeles | 0 |
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