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5,400 | France Just Put Trump Fans Who Hate Obama TO SHAME With This Incredible Movement | While Trump and his loyal subjects keep bleating about the mess Obama left for them to clean up, and insist that the world laughed at us for the entire eight years of his administration, a growing movement in France is proving them to be completely out of their gourds. France s presidential election is coming up in April, and these people, fed up with Marine Le Pen and her Trump-like attitudes and policies, want Obama to come be France s president.Seriously. They ve got a petition going that s asking Obama to run, and they re hoping they can get at least one million signatures on it. They ve also put up 500 posters around Paris and have an actual campaign organization going:Oui on peut (?) #obama2017 #streetsofparis pic.twitter.com/v6ptl9DSJB Romuald COUSTRE (@rcoustre) February 21, 2017Does Obama want to be president of France? Probably not, and the truth is that this is a bit of a joke. But it s not a joke on Obama or the U.S. It s a joke in that this group knows he s not going to come run for president there, and they re using this campaign to send a very serious message: We are so fed up with what Marine Le Pen is doing, and with the fact that we weren t able to find a candidate to vote for, only one to vote against. We started talking about that and it came up that Obama is free so why not hire him? In other words, they see Obama as someone who still represents hope and something to fight for in a world where we increasingly just vote and fight against things.People have actually been getting in touch with the campaign to offer ideas for how to get around the fact that Obama isn t French. Even some lawyers have contacted them with advice on how to make it possible, like making him a naturalized citizen of France. But nobody knows if Obama is even aware of this yet. If he is, and he answers, then the campaign believes there will be a huge reaction.Featured image by Scott Olson via Getty Images | 0 |
5,401 | Kenya High Court rules minor candidate should be on ballot for poll re-run | NAIROBI (Reuters) - The Kenyan election board should include Ekuru Aukot, who polled less than 1 percent in presidential elections in August, on the ballot in the event of a re-run, the High Court ruled on Wednesday. I find nothing to bar the petitioner from contesting the fresh election, said Justice John Mativo. His ruling means President Uhuru Kenyatta may still have a challenger on Oct. 26, when the re-run is scheduled, despite the withdrawal of top opposition candidate on Raila Odinga over allegations of bias. | 1 |
5,402 | Jailed Hong Kong democracy activists win last chance to appeal | HONG KONG (Reuters) - A Hong Kong court on Tuesday allowed three jailed young activists, who spearheaded pro-democracy protests that brought much of the Chinese-ruled city to a halt in 2014, a final chance to appeal against their sentences. Hong Kong s appeals court jailed Joshua Wong, 21, Alex Chow, 27, and Nathan Law, 24, in August for illegal assembly, a ruling that angered rights activists who fear creeping interference by Communist Party rulers in Beijing in the former British colony. The three are serving six, seven and eight-month jail terms, respectively but have been released on bail. The trio helped lead the largely peaceful Umbrella Movement that blocked major roads for 79 days in 2014, demanding Beijing grant Hong Kong full democracy. Hong Kong has been governed under a one country, two systems formula since its return from British to Chinese rule in 1997, allowing freedoms not enjoyed on mainland China that include an independent judiciary but not a fully democratic vote. In a short hearing on Tuesday, Hong Kong s Court of Final Appeal granted the trio leave to appeal, with the case to be heard on January 16 with the three to remain on bail until then. The next legal steps will likely be scrutinized closely, with the jailings having shaken confidence in Hong Kong s vaunted rule of law. Wong, Chow and Law were sentenced last year to community service for unlawful assembly. However, Reuters reported that Justice Secretary Rimsky Yuen had overruled other senior colleagues to re-open the case and push for a harsher sentence that eventually led to their imprisonment. I know the world is having their eyes on us to see whether the judges, our legal professionals, will restore the confidence of our jurisdiction. Or whether it will smash the confidence of the people, not only in Hong Kong but also around the world, Chow told reporters. The verdict given in the future will matter a lot and will redefine whether our constitution - the Basic Law - will value civil liberties more or control stability as claimed by the government. U.N. human rights experts urged Hong Kong to respect the rights of the trio, including the legal right to peaceful assembly under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Hong Kong is a party. [nL5N1NC5AF] We fear that if their sentences are upheld, this will have the effect of stifling the expression of dissenting opinions, the right to protest and the overall work of human rights defenders, David Kaye, U.N. special rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and Michel Forst, U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, said in a joint statement from Geneva on Monday. We call on the Hong Kong authorities to respect the independence of judicial powers and the rule of law. On Saturday, China s largely rubber-stamp parliament formally extended a law banning disrespect of the national anthem to cover Hong Kong, another example of a move that critics have said undermines the Chinese-ruled city s freedoms. | 1 |
5,403 | Trump administration seeks to muzzle U.S. agency employees | WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has moved since he took office last week to curb the flow of information from several government agencies involved in environmental issues, in actions that may have been designed to discourage dissenting views. Employees at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Interior Department, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have seen directives from the newly minted leadership seeking to limit how they communicate to the public, according to multiple sources. The moves have reinforced concerns that Trump, a climate change doubter, could seek to sideline scientific research showing that carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels contributes to global warming, as well as the career staffers at the agencies that conduct much of this research. All of the agencies affected by the actions have some input on issues related to the environment and have been involved in various efforts related to climate change, including effects on natural resources and human health. On Tuesday, a source at the EPA said that staff had been told by members of the Trump administration not to speak to reporters or publish any press releases or blog posts on social media. EPA staff have also been asked not to publicize any talks, conferences, or webinars that had been planned for the next 60 days, the staffer said, asking not to be named. Asked if the EPA had been gagged, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said on Tuesday: “I don’t know ... we’re looking into it. ... I don’t think it’s a surprise we’re going to review the policies, but I don’t have any info at this time.” The agency also was asked by the White House on Monday to temporarily halt all contracts and grants pending a review, according to multiple sources. The EPA awards billions of dollars worth of grants and contracts every year to support programs around environmental testing, cleanups and research. “EPA staff have been reviewing grants and contracts information with the incoming transition team,” EPA spokeswoman Julia Valentine said in a statement. “The goal is to complete the grants and contracts review by the close of business on Friday, Jan. 27.” Environmental groups reacted with outrage. New York’s attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, said in reaction to the freeze that his office “will examine all legal options to ensure the EPA meets its obligations to keep our state’s air and water safe.” U.S. Department of Agriculture employees on Monday were also informed in a memo seen by Reuters that all communications with the media should be approved by the administration, and social media posts should be reviewed by managers “to remove references to policy priorities and initiatives of the previous Administration.” The department, meanwhile, disavowed another email sent on Monday to its scientific research unit ordering the suspension of releasing “any public-facing documents,” including news releases and photos, saying it was sent without permission and should not include a ban on publication of peer-reviewed scientific papers. Officials at HHS also received a memo ordering them not to send “any correspondence” to other public officials. Instead, they must refer any requests for information to senior leaders, who are not to do anything until they have received instructions from the White House staff on its policies, according to a source who read the memo. Last week, staff at the Interior Department were told to stop posting on Twitter after an employee retweeted posts about the relatively low attendance at Trump’s inauguration, and about how the issues of climate change and civil rights had disappeared from the White House website. The department has since resumed tweeting - though some tweets have been deleted. On Tuesday, Badlands National Park, located in South Dakota and part of the Department of Interior, posted a series of Tweets about climate change: “Today, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is higher than at any time in the last 650,000 years. #climate,” one of the tweets read. By Tuesday afternoon, the tweets were gone. A National Park Service official said the tweets had been posted to the Badlands National Park account by a former employee who was not authorized to use it. “The park was not told to remove the tweets but chose to do so when they realized that their account had been compromised,” the official said. National Park Service social media managers are being encouraged to use Twitter to post public safety and park information but not content related to national policy issues, the official said. Trump has promised to promote oil drilling and mining by cutting regulation, including by targeting former President Barack Obama’s initiative to combat climate change. Trump also has suggested pulling the United States out of a global pact on climate change signed by nearly 200 countries last year. Trump’s nominees to run the EPA, Interior and the Department of Agriculture - Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, Representative Ryan Zinke of Montana and former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, respectively - are awaiting Senate confirmation. Trump has drawn heavily from the energy industry lobby and pro-drilling think tanks to build a team charged with preparing the EPA for its new leadership, according to a list of the newly introduced 10-member team seen by Reuters on Monday. An EPA spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. | 1 |
5,404 | regime change south africa targeted by western destabilization efforts global research | there may be another planet in our solar system it could be responsible for tilting the sun image credits fotomanu_flickr
earlier this year an announcement raised a tantalizing possibility a ninth planet lurking in the outer reaches of our solar system
the announcement turned the astronomy and planetary science world upside down
caltech astronomer michael brown and theoretical astrophysicist konstantin batygin found evidence for a possible earth mass planet that may be tilting longorbiting dwarf planets on their sides and shepherding them into clusters far past the orbit of neptune in highly eccentric orbits in the last several months more and more papers have been published about the possible planet and how it might prove an explanation for other strange things happening in our solar system
at a press conference held this afternoon at the aas division of planetary sciences annual meeting in pasadena ca another announcement was made about planet nines effects on the spinaxis tilt of our sun this time the paper titled solar obliquity induced by planet nine is lead by caltech graduate student elizabeth bailey with brown and batygin as coauthors | 0 |
5,405 | 'There is justice,' Steenkamps say after Pistorius sentence doubled | JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The family of murdered model Reeva Steenkamp welcomed the increased sentence of 13 years and five months handed down on Paralympian Oscar Pistorius on Friday and said it showed that justice could prevail in South Africa. This is an emotional thing for them. They just feel that their trust in the justice system has been confirmed this morning, Tania Koen, a spokeswoman for the Steenkamp family, told Reuters. | 1 |
5,406 | German anti-immigrant candidate walks out of TV debate | BERLIN (Reuters) - One of the top candidates for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in this month s election walked out of a live television debate on Tuesday night after being accused of failing to distance herself from right-wingers. The right-wing AfD has gained support by slamming Chancellor Angela Merkel s 2015 decision to open the borders to refugees and is set to enter the national parliament for the first time after the Sept. 24 election. Polls put it on 7-11 percent. Alice Weidel, 38, collected her papers and rushed out of public broadcaster ZDF s studio during a debate with Germany s six other major parties after Andreas Scheuer, a member of Merkel s conservative bloc, said she should distance herself from far-right figures in the AfD. Scheuer said Alexander Gauland, the AfD s other top candidate, was a radical right-winger . Gauland has described Bjoern Hoecke, who in January called for a 180 degree turnaround in the way Germany seeks to atone for Nazi crimes, as part of the soul of the AfD . Weidel, who styles herself as an economic expert and critic of the euro, has gradually shifted to the right since being chosen as one of the party s chancellor candidates in April. She has called for Hoecke to be expelled from the party. In a statement published shortly after her exit, Weidel accused ZDF moderator Marietta Slomka of being biased and unprofessional: Ms Slomka shouldn t act out her personal animosities in the television show, she wrote. The AfD wants to abolish the license fees that finance Germany s public broadcasters. Weidel s statement ended with the comment that Slomka s behavior was another reason to refuse to pay the license fee . It did not mention the dispute with Scheuer or a preceding fiery discussion on immigration. Some media speculated that Weidel s exit was set up, with Stern magazine s editor in chief Andreas Petzold writing on Twitter: Alice Weidel s dramatically staged exit was certainly not spontaneous. This is how the AfD cultivates its role as a victim. | 1 |
5,407 | Two rich Italian regions vote for more autonomy - prelim results | MILAN (Reuters) - Two wealthy regions of northern Italy, Lombardy and Veneto, voted overwhelmingly on Sunday for more autonomy from the central government, according to preliminary results. Millions of people in the regions, both run by the once openly secessionist Lega Nord party, voted more than 90 percent for yes . Together, Lombardy and Veneto account for a third of the Italian economy. The party wants to use the results to persuade Rome to allow the regions to keep more of their taxes at home, though the referendums are not binding on the central government. | 1 |
5,408 | Costco Raises Minimum Wage For Workers As Republicans Continue To Do Nothing | Costco cares more about the American workforce than Republicans do.A few years ago, Costco answered the call to help struggling workers by raising the wages of their own employees to $12 an hour, nearly a full $5 increase above the federal minimum wage that House and Senate Republicans refuse to raise for the rest of the American people.The results swiftly proved that rewarding your employees and increasing their morale is a good business decision that propels a company forward and turns it into a more competitive one.As other corporations like Walmart saw sales sink, the quarterly income of Costco soared ahead.And now Costco is betting on their employees again by raising their wages by another dollar per hour.Costco announced the wage hike on Thursday in a move that could affect a large number of the 117,000 employees who work for the company.The move not only appears to be Costco s way of rewarding their employees, it appears to also be an answer to Walmart s grudging decision to raise wages for their own workers earlier this year.By raising wages for their own employees, Costco is competing with Walmart to draw new applicants as well as retain current workers.But Costco, unlike Walmart, has always treated their employees with dignity and respect.According to the Huffington Post,Costco has a reputation for being one of the better low-wage employers. It pays slightly more than its competitors (even before the wage increase), closes its doors for major holidays like Thanksgiving and Independence Day and provides health benefits to most of its employees, even those who make an hourly wage.Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress continue to refuse to raise the federal minimum wage to help all American workers across the nation, which has resulted in states and cities raising wages on their own to address the struggle minimum wage workers have faced for decades.Most recently, the state of Oregon passed the highest minimum wage in the nation. In the next few years, Oregonians can expect to make up to $14.50 per hour, which is double the federal minimum wage.Now if only Republicans would stop obeying orders from their corporate masters, perhaps the rest of the American people could get the raise they need to take better care of their families without having to struggle near as much. Alas, it will probably require replacing them with Democrats to make it happen.Featured image from Wikimedia | 0 |
5,409 | Sanders Personally Calling Dem Senators, Promising Them Party Unity | As the Democratic Primary devolves into tense moments reeling from violent and threatening outbursts stemming from the Nevada Democratic Convention questions are being raised if Senator Sanders can, if he loses the nomination, rally his supporters behind Hillary Clinton.Media outlets and members within Democratic circles are worried a split party could hand Republican nominee Donald Trump the presidency on a silver platter. Sanders allies have denied that his supporters or continuing candidacy could deliver a Trump victory, but nerves have not been eased.That s why Bernie Sanders has decided to personally call Democratic Senators to reassure them that there will be party unity no matter who the nominee is.Senator Dick Durbin, considered the number two Democrat (next to Chuck Schumer), said he received a call from Sanders, promising unity:Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, came away from the conversation on Wednesday convinced that Sanders, who has all but lost the presidential nomination battle to Hillary Clinton, understands the need for party unity and will do his part to defeat presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. We talked about the demonstrations and such, Durbin said Thursday in an interview. I am convinced, as Bernie has said repeatedly, he is going to be on the team to defeat Donald Trump. I don t have any question in my mind. Also to receive a call from Sanders was Senator Barbara Boxer, who was verbally accosted at the Nevada convention and feared for her safety during and after. Sanders promised Boxer he would work to encourage a non-violent, issue oriented campaign and work to make the Democratic Party strong. In Boxer s words:He did phone me back last night and he was very distressed about it. It was a very warm conversation, and I told him, he expressed shock that his people would do it. I did tell him the vast majority of those Bernie supporters were sitting in their chairs, they were fine, But there was this group of 50-100 people, they were not young people, they were older people and he ought to check out and see, who these people are, and he said he would. In my mind when he says he does not support any type of violence, I believe him. And he s got to make sure it doesn t happen. People will follow his lead.Sanders a few days ago talked with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at the behest of Senate Democrats, a conversation that neither warmed feelings of unity nor fanned flames of division.While both sides have worried about unity, Sanders has gone on the record, multiple times, saying he would work tirelessly to defeat Donald Trump. And now he has begun to call party leaders with reassurance that his eye is on the prize a blue White House.Sanders talked to other Senators who weren t named. But these outreaches are reassuring in the face of growing, mounting tension.Featured image via Justin Sullivan/Getty Images | 0 |
5,410 | Trump APOLOGIZED To Dictator After Protesters Attacked His Guards’ Fists With Their Faces | Donald Trump has spent a lot of time cozying up to dictators during his time as what we are forced to call President, but he just did something that should have every single American outraged: he apologized to Turkish dictator Recep Tayyip Erdo an over an incident earlier this year in which his bodyguards brutally attacked American protesters.Eleven Americans were injured (including a police officer) and nine were hospitalized when Erdo an s security forces charged a group of peaceful protesters outside the Turkish ambassador s residence. We are communicating our concern to the Turkish government in the strongest possible terms, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said at the time.Apparently, that translates to: I m sorry Daddy, please don t be mad at me. Can I still have a pony? Erdo an told PBS NewsHour on Tuesday that Donald Trump called about a week ago about this issue. And Trump certainly took a stand against Americans: He said that he was sorry and that he was going to follow up on this issue when we come to the United States within the framework for an official visit. The White House, which regularly lies in press conferences and releases, denies that an apology was made.Last month, a grand jury indicted 19 defendants (including 15 of Erdo an s security guards) for the brutal attack on protesters. The Hill reports:The defendants, 16 of whom were charged in June on criminal complaints, were indicted on a charge of conspiracy to commit a crime of violence. Many of the 19 were also indicted on additional charges including assault with a dangerous weapon and aggravated assault.The charges stem from Turkish President Recep Erdogan s visit to Washington in May to meet President Trump. Guards for Erdogan attacked protesters near the embassy in a brawl that was caught on video.The Turkish Embassy defended the guards at the time, saying they were acting in self-defense and claiming the protesters were aligned with a terrorist group from Turkey.But Washington s police chief said the attack was unprovoked.Two defendants have been arrested, but the rest are currently at large.Was Erdo an lying? Maybe but at this point, he is more trustworthy than our serial liar-in-chief who regularly shows his disdain for the majority of the people he is supposed to lead.Donald Trump is disgusting, as is anyone who works for him willingly and anyone who voted for him.Featured image via screengrab | 0 |
5,411 | Arkansas Republicans Pass Bill Giving Rapists The Power To Stop Victims From Getting An Abortion | A vicious new law in Arkansas proves that Republicans are on the side of rapists.Two months ago, Republicans fast-tracked a brand new anti-abortion bill through the legislature and Governor Asa Hutchinson signed it last week.Arkansas Act 45 bans the most common and safest abortion procedure available to women known as dilation and evacuation, which is used for abortions performed during the second trimester. That means Arkansas Republicans are openly defying the framework set up by the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade which says states can t interfere with a woman s right to choose until the fetus becomes viable. 50 percent viability rate is achieved at 24 to 25 weeks. But the new law would ban safe abortions after 14 weeks and creates a burden for women because it forces them to choose less safe options to end their pregnancies.Doctors who perform the abortion procedure would be charged with a felony that carries a $10,000 fine or six years in prison.But the bill also has a terrifying clause that rapists are going to love.The bill gives rapists the power to deny their victims an abortion if they sue the abortion provider.According to The Daily Beast,A clause in the Arkansas law allows a woman s spouse, parent or guardian, or health care provider to sue an abortion provider for civil damages or injunctive relief that could stop the abortion. And because Act 45 does not provide any exceptions for cases of rape or incest, the clause could allow the fetus s father to sue an abortion provider even in cases of spousal rape or incest.Some lawmakers, like Democratic state Senator Will Bond, had a problem with the bill because the way it is drafted seems to allow any family member of the pregnant woman to file a lawsuit to stop the abortion and could actually end up severely disabling women who are forced to choose a riskier abortion procedure. There is an injunctive relief section in the bill that, in my reading of it, would seem to allow litigation among family members. If one spouse sought injunctive relief to prevent a certain procedure, or possibly other family members have the possibility for injunctive relief, that was a concern of mine. There is an exception for women s health in the bill, but it required irreparable harm [to the point of] permanent disability of a woman. The way it was drafted, I had concerns that the women s health exception is way too narrow, and there s no exception for rape and incest. The fact that rapists have a new tool to use to torture their victims is totally unacceptable and demonstrates that Republicans are totally anti-woman.Of course, these kinds of bills have been blocked in other states, so it s likely this one will be blocked from going into effect as well. But women cannot rely on the courts to protects their rights. They need to vote and kick Republicans out of office if they truly want to guarantee that government will not try to dictate what decisions they make about their own bodies.Featured image via Woman Survival | 0 |
5,412 | Mexico ruling party hopeful 14 points adrift in presidential poll | MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The newly unveiled presidential contender of Mexico s ruling party, Jose Antonio Meade, lags his main rival, leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, by some 14 percentage points, an opinion poll showed on Thursday. The voter survey, by daily newspaper Reforma, showed Meade, who resigned as finance minister on Nov. 27 to seek the nomination of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), polling 17 percent support against Lopez Obrador s 31 percent. Mexico elects a new president in July 2018, and though the PRI will not formally choose its candidate until Feb. 18, the party is already swinging behind Meade, even though he is not a member. The credibility of the PRI, which has dominated Mexican politics for most of the past century, has been seriously undermined by graft, gang violence and accusations of electoral fraud. Meade has, however, avoided corruption scandals in office, and part of his appeal rests on his status as an outsider. Meade also held ministerial posts in the 2006-2012 administration of the center-right National Action Party (PAN), and the PRI hopes his pedigree will enable him to pick up votes from rival parties. The poll, conducted Nov. 23-27, surveyed 1,200 Mexicans and had a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points, Reforma said. The dates suggest it was carried out largely before Meade announced his intention to succeed President Enrique Pena Nieto, who is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election. The poll put Meade two points behind a third possible contender, Ricardo Anaya, head of the PAN, assuming the latter runs in a cross-party alliance with the center-left Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), as the two parties have proposed. The PAN has been beset by infighting since it lost power and has yet to agree on a candidate with the PRD. Some inside the PAN have already indicated they could support Meade. In a scenario in which Anaya ran for the PAN alone, he and Meade each drew 16 percent of the vote, with Lopez Obrador out in front at 32 percent, the poll showed. Meade said on Tuesday he was good with numbers and expressed certainty he would win the presidency, but some of the figures in the Reforma poll underlined the challenge he faces. Seven out of ten voters said they did not know Meade, and negative opinions of him were five percentage points higher than positive ones. Only 13 percent of voters did not know Lopez Obrador and the balance of opinion was neutral. | 1 |
5,413 | SENATOR WANTS ANSWERS ON MISSING TSA BADGES AFTER TSA TRIES TO BLOCK INVESTIGATION | This is a big deal and should be investigated. How did the TSA badges go missing? Senator Thune is right in pushing on this but who knows if they even have an answer for him Senator John Thune fired off a blistering letter to TSA officials demanding answers regarding missing, lost or stolen SIDA (Secured Identification Display Area) badges that can be used by employees to gain access to secure areas at airports. Clearly there are an awful lot of things falling through the cracks and there s just no room for an error when it comes to this issue. We need answers. They re not providing them. Thune, who chairs the Transportation Committee, said previous answers from the agency had actually raised more questions than answers. The concern follows reports that more than 270 badges went missing at the San Diego International Airport in the last two years and more than 1,400 badges missing from Atlanta s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.Many of the missing badges were not reported for weeks or months in hopes they would be turned it meaning they were not quickly deactivated. The information comes following an investigation by a an NBC affiliate in Dallas, TX. They also found reports of missing crew and pilot uniforms.When Atlanta reported the information to the TSA they said they never should have given out the information in the first place, but we ask, doesn t the public have a right to know?Read more: FOX News | 0 |
5,414 | Report: Facebook’s Zuckerberg Gave FBI’s Mueller Info for Russia Investigation | The information below is almost like a satire piece from The Onion. It s so funny that anyone could claim that ads are believed to have swayed the election.How about the fact that Clinton was a horrible candidate? How about the fact that the American people are 100% FED Up! with phony career politicians. The report from Facebook was turned over to special counsel Robert Mueller. What a joke! THIS PROVES ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!A WHOPPING $100,000 ON ADS:Facebook has turned over all information about ads likely purchased by Russian operatives to special counsel Robert Mueller, according to a report.A source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday that the social media giant had sent the former FBI director data including copies of the ads and the identity of the buyers. That report followed news that an internal Facebook investigation found it is agents of the Kremlin may have spent $100,000 on ads with divisive messages between June 2015 and May 2017.A Facebook blog post published on Wednesday said the operation involved 3,000 separate ads over a two-year period and was likely to have been run out of Russia. In addition, Facebook found 470 affiliated fake accounts and pages.PRESIDENT TRUMP IS CORRECT IT S A WITCH HUNT :Mueller is investigating Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election and whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin. The investigation has dogged and frustrated President Donald Trump, who has called it a witch hunt and a hoax. According to Facebook, about $50,000 of the funds about 2,200 ads were potentially related to affecting U.S. politics. The majority of the ads did not reference the presidential election, voting or a specific candidate. However, the ads focused on divisive social and political messages about hot-button topics including LGBT rights, race, immigration and gun rights. Facebook has shared its findings with U.S. authorities.WHAAAAT? EVIDENCE OF WHAT EXACTLY?Facebook said in April that it found evidence some groups used its platform to sway the outcome of the election.It did not specify targets or who was behind the attack, but said its own findings did not contradict a U.S. Director of National Intelligence report in January about Russian efforts to influence the election.Via: CNBC | 0 |
5,415 | wikileaks bombshells on hillary you need to know | posted by eddie while the skyhigh potency may scare some away crystalline provides a surprisingly clean focused and inspired high theres a new kid on the block her name is crystalline and shes from the hash family crystalline hash is the latest craze in the hash community and everyone wants a taste the demand is so high that thca crystalline is going for a gram in southern california dispensaries testing in at an astonishing thc crystalline is officially the strongest hash on the market other concentrates such as ice hash rosin and bho range from thc macro image of thc crystalline photo courtesy of allie beckett cannabis concentrates are known for their variety of textures and forms from shatter to wax to crumble theres something for everyone to enjoy what many extract lovers dont realize is that these various textures develop from the solvent used to make the concentrate and the methods of purging the solvent out of the final product however when thc is reduced to its purest state it crystallizes creating crystal rocks which look very different than any other marijuana concentrate on the market crystalline turns many people off just because of its looks the internet is filled with scornful reviews of its methlike appearance and this criticism is entirely valid but dont judge a book by its cover because cannabis crystalline is the purest form of thc and provides sufficient relief for many patients suffering from debilitating and fatal illnesses and hey its not thcs fault that its a compound with a crystal structure guild extracts a southern california extraction company is the current leader of crystalline production their crystallizing process is kept under lock and key but they claim the ability to make thca crystalline out of any starting material ranging from hydrocarbon extract co extract and ice water concentrate one thing guild extracts has made clear is that they are not using a solvent to create this hash rather they are extracting pure thc from their starting materials you may be wondering what exactly is thca crystalline well before thc is combusted lit on fire or vaporized it sits in its raw acidic form also known as thca thca by itself is completely inactive meaning if it is ingested it will not get you high but it does have an extraordinary amount of medicinal benefits when thca is activated through heat in a process called decarboxylation the acidic carbon atom the a in thca is removed leaving behind the psychoactive thc that so many of us know and love macro image of thc crystalline produced by atom labs photo courtesy of allie beckett now remember this pure thc does not contain terpenes the magical compounds that give cannabis strains their distinctive aroma and flavor profiles while contributing to their therapeutic effects to make up for the lack of flavor guild extracts has become famous for the dip n dab dipping the crystalline concentrate into terpenes extracted from strains like goji og tangie and sherbert while the skyhigh potency may scare some away crystalline provides a surprisingly clean focused and inspired high plus health nuts can rest easy knowing that thca crystalline is completely free of any chemical inputs think butane source | 1 |
5,416 | Vice President-elect Pence says 'new hope dawns' for Cuba | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President-elect Mike Pence said on Saturday that “new hope dawns” for Cuba after the death of Fidel Castro. “The tyrant Castro is dead. New hope dawns. We will stand with the oppressed Cuban people for a free and democratic Cuba. Viva Cuba Libre!” Pence said on Twitter. | 1 |
5,417 | fbi director james comey schooled by former doj spokesman for abusing his power | while campaigning for hillary clinton in florida alicia machado described in detail the abuse inflicted on her by donald trump at the miss universe pageant
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cbs news cbsnews november
machado said i was scared of him he made fun of me and i didnt know how to respond he told me i was ugly i was massive he called me names he called me miss piggy miss housekeeping miss eating machinefor years afterward i was sick fighting back eating disorders
machado added its clear its really clear that he does not respect women he just judges us on our looks
it is smart to take every opportunity to remind voters that as a human being donald trump has consistently behaved in public like trash he is a man who hates women and treats more than half of the population like objects
having machado introduce clinton in florida was also savvy politics trump has never demonstrated the personal restraint needed not to take the bait machados comments should cause trump to blow up again and throw his dire campaign even further off message
hillary clinton is setting trump with a masterful trap no one has been better at feeding negative trump news cycles than the candidate himself trump cant resist defending himself and hillary clinton is setting the republican nominee up to open his mouth and wallow in his own sexist mud | 1 |
5,418 | elections us les premières estimations donnent un candidat en avance sur lautre le gorafi | biological dentistry solving disease symptoms holistically
thursday october by jonathan landsman tags biological dentistry mercury amalgam griffin cole naturalnews when it comes to repairing cavities amalgam or silver fillings have been the method of choice for most conventionallytrained dentists accounting for to percent of all fillings the problem is amalgam fillings contain mercury one of the most toxic substances on the planet of course the american dental association ada continues to insist mercury fillings are safe even as biological dentistry warns the public about its link to neurological problems cardiovascular disease and birth defectsfortunately nontoxic alternatives such as those utilized by dr griffin cole a leading expert in biological dentistry do exist discover the healing benefits of biological dentistry and how to reverse disease symptoms naturally on the next naturalnews talk hour jonathan and griffin cole dds nmd will explore the link between poor oral health and chronic disease find out how mercurybased fillings root canal treated teeth cavitations plus much more can threaten your health to hear this free show visit httpwwwnaturalhealthcomfreeshows and enter your email address for show details plus some great gifts biological dentistry offers a solution to outdated and dangerous dental procedures dr cole points out that the dangers are mercury are so acute that certain products such as thermometers and mercurochrome have been completely redesigned to rid them of the heavy metal yet dentists across the nation continue to use mercury fillings for their patients on a daily basis although the ada insists combining mercury with other metals in the fillings renders it harmless dr cole maintains that this is not true mercury heats up on contact with warm foods and beverages in the mouth releasing vapors which are then inhaled by the lungsan increasing number of dentists bill themselves as mercuryfree and mercurysafe although both oppose the use of mercury they are not interchangeable while mercuryfree dentists choose not to use mercurycontaining amalgams under any circumstances mercurysafe dentists go a step farther they are trained to remove existing mercury amalgams by using a specialized protocol advised by the international academy of oral medicine and toxicologythis mercury removal protocol is designed to protect patients staff and the environment involves the use of specialized tools as well as precautions to ensure that mercury doesnt end up in wastewaterjoin us for the next naturalnews talk hour and discover what you need to know before your next visit to the dentist to hear this free show visit httpwwwnaturalhealthcomfreeshows and enter your email address for show details plus some great gifts safe chemicalfree ozone destroys diseaseproducing bacteria and inflammation nontoxic composites arent the only advancement in biological and holistic dentistry ozone therapy is gaining ground as a natural chemicalfree way of attacking infections gum disease and other healththreatening dental problemsgum disease also called periodontal disease affects a shocking percent of all americans many experts say that number is much higher it not only affects the stability of teeth but can lead to a chronic inflammatory state that depletes the bodys store of antioxidants and increases the risk of diabetes and heart problems in fact scientists have found that the bacteria responsible for gum disease streptococcus sanguis can move through the bloodstream to the heart causing inflammation and setting the stage for heart disease and strokeby the way antibiotics have little effect cole reports as bacteria have shown they are able to mutate and quickly become resistantin addition traditionallyperformed root canals create their share of infections as well according to dr cole conventional root canals fail because the dentinal tubules cant be effectively cleaned causing ongoing infection beneath the surface even after tooth has been restored and looks intactjoin us for a great show about how dr cole uses ozone therapy to kill infections plus many other ways to properly take care of your oral health to avoid disease this weeks guest griffin cole dds nmd a leading expert in biological dentistry and natural medicine find out how biological dentistry can help you eliminate disease symptoms naturally sun oct griffin cole dds nmd earned his dental degree from the university of texas health science center san antonio dental school and has been practicing dentistry for over years dr cole is a member of the american dental association the academy of general dentistry the texas academy of cosmetic dentistry the integrative biologic dental medicine specialty ibdm and the international academy of oral medicine and toxicology where dr cole earned his fellowship and has served as president of this esteemed organizationin addition dr cole has naturopathic medical doctor board certification along with a degree in integrative biologic dental medicine as the leader in mercurysafe dentistry dr cole participates in continuing education on a regular basis and is well aware of new and improved technology and dental advancements which help him to provide his patients with the best uptodate techniques available to hear this free show visit httpwwwnaturalhealthcomfreeshows and enter your email address for show details plus some great gifts | 0 |
5,419 | CONDOLEEZZA RICE BRILLIANTLY Shuts Down “The View” Dingbats Over Trump-Russia Collusion [VIDEO] | On more than one occasion, Condoleezza Rice was able correct the record by pointing out the hypocrisy of these ladies in such a way that they didn t even know it. It started with Trump-hater and ABC senior legal analyst Sunny Hostin asking about General Flynn s alleged discussions with Russia weeks before Trump s inauguration asking, As someone who has had that position as national security advisor, would you have felt comfortable having those discussions, is that inappropriate? Rice went on to explain how you will have conversations with foreigners, but the thing you shouldn t do is discuss policy. She then went on to say that, There s only one president and that as a matter of principle, you can talk to anybody in that period, but you should never suggest that you might be making changes in policy and maybe they should just wait until there s a change in administration. Was Rice referring to the time Obama was caught on a hot mic telling Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, This is my last election, after the election, I ll have more flexibility ?While explaining how we should be handling Vladimir Putin s potential meddling in our elections, Rice reminded the panel that when Hillary was Secretary of State she questioned the legitimacy of Putin s election in 2012 and now he s saying, I m going to question the legitimacy of your election . Rice s answer wasn t quite what The View hacks had hoped for, and like a dog on a bone, The View host Sunny Hostin continued, But Madame Secretary, if he [Putin] indeed did engage in these kinds of tactics in the election, then the very legitimacy of our election is at issue isn t it? Rice snapped back, No. Rice then went on to say, I trust the people who voted in Wisconsin and Texas and Alabama and California to have voted on the basis of who they thought was best gonna represent their interests. So I m not gonna question the legitimacy of their vote because Vladimir Putin tried to interfere in the elections. That s just a step that I m don t think we should take. Let s trust our fellow citizens to have been smart enough to vote for the people they ought to be voting for. ZING! WATCH:And for the final blow, fake conservative host Jedidiah Bilah (who, let s face it, is really just collecting a paycheck because she s a token conservative who s too weak to stand up for anything) has the opportunity to defend conservatism in some way with one of the most brilliant female conservatives sitting on their panel and she used the opportunity to trash President Trump over his handling of N. Korea. | 0 |
5,420 | Ammon Bundy’s Lunatic Militia Men Facing More Charges From The Feds | The saga surrounding the idiots who decided to invade and occupy a federal building on a wildlife preserve in Oregon continues. Though the occupation itself is over, the legal troubles for this group of right-wing loons are just beginning. It has been reported that Bundy and his band of nutbags have been indicted on yet more federal charges.These latest indictments state that they will be facing charges because they had weapons in federal facilities, as well as with vandalism and theft of property belonging to the government. The original federal charges drop the hammer on the group 26 people charged in all for conspiracy to disrupt the duties of federal agents. Also, their infamous stealing of a government truck for a grocery store trip is included in these latest indictments. There are also charges of using weapons during violent criminal activity.Another blow came to the group when the death of LaVoy Finicum was ruled justified and necessary. Further, another occupier, Sean Anderson and an unnamed accomplice are charged with destruction of sacred artifacts belonging to a local Native American tribe.The fact that any of this happened at all is nothing short of absolutely disgraceful. This nonsense about being able to take over federal land whenever they please is treason. Hopefully, the charges being handed down are serious enough for all of these lunatics to do some very hard time in a federal lock-up.They went into this thinking that they could cause another Waco-type situation, but luckily there was only one death, despite all of those weapons and lunatic gun nuts hellbent on dying for this ridiculously misguided cause. There is no cause here. That land belongs to the federal government, and these people are just lawless fools who are a danger to themselves and the rest of society.Lock them up and throw away the key.Featured image via screen capture from WMUR/Addicting Info archives | 0 |
5,421 | no title | jimstoneis
october
do not forgive the msm
the msm turned on hillary the fbi turned on hillary want to know why because in florida where they flipped a huge number of votes trump still had percent of the vote nationwide they did not have the vote scam machines everywhere and when that got averaged in trump took percent of the votes nationwide even with the stolen votes subtracted from the average the fbi fox cnn everyone else knew the gig was up and is now only moving to say sorry so they dont go to jail
well ive got news for you they are still the same lying despicable malfunctioning trash scum they always were they showed their worth and we would be idiots to forgive them no matter how badly they burn hillary
cnn is despicable trash we all witnessed it never forgive them because they have proven their worth already no matter what they do they cant recover from what they have done they are garbage a disease bleachworthy filth and i hope trump erases them ditto for all of the rest of the msm including the huffington post snopes abccbsfoxyounameit all of them are the lowest of filth that is now heading for the darkness of the nearest sewer to get away from the coming bulldozer
the fbi is a trash agency along with the rest of american intelligence which only works to serve the enemy for as long as it thinks its head will not be cut off all of the fbi must be disbanded and everyone in the fbi should be blackballed and never allowed to work again with the top echelons jailed for life for treason they lied about and they knew it and have proven they serve one purpose to protect evil ditto for the cia the nsa the dhs the tsa and all the rest of the trash all of it needs to go there is not one fragment of it that should be salvaged
so they are all running like rats for cover they know they blew it they know they are going to be bagged for heinous crimes against america now they are putting on the biggest fakest show the world will ever witness as if they cared they never did care and i hope to god trump has a memory longer than the average jarhead and bags every last one of them when he has his day they had better run for the gates and ditch the country just like they said they would if he got elected because if not they are heading straight to the gates of justice
i would like to thank everyone in the altmedia who made this happen and i would also like to say that i said it all along as it was and never backed off hillary never had more than percent national support this is something i said repeatedly that trump was always percent supported and i never wavered and never once posted bullshit like oh lets rejoice trump is at percent that was always a trap a scam to justify stealing the election and i called it as it was
our job is not over
the rot is there it is deeply rooted with fungus roots running all the way through the country one bottle of bleach is not going to do more than spotclean the surface we won this battle and it is not time to sit down the altmedia cannot rest until cnn and all of the rest of the msm is either bankrupted or jailed the altmedia cannot rest for as long as google is allowed to wage war on websites like this one by refusing to allow it ads if this website were allowed ads it would easily selffund with plus per month and would probably have more than per month denial of ads just because someone disagrees and has a monopoly established via full control of various ad firms is a flagrant violation of antitrust laws and has to be stopped dead cold
the altmedia cannot stop until every last criminal in the fbi is jailed by the fbi i am sick of the bait tactics and false flag psyops fronted by that agency heads have got to roll piles of them especially since it has been proven that it was the fbi itself that did the first world trade center bombing with the full intent to bring one of the towers down thats the type of agency that has got to be shuttered or we are all toast trump or not yeah i know you at the fbi are reading this go to hell
our job will not be over until the cia is cleaned out our job is not over until the american bar association is disbanded as the criminal bloodsucking hive it is our job is not over until the top executives at the medical companies that produced the tainted autisminflicting vaccines hang with stretched necks our job will not be over until every last liberal arts and womens studies department of all universities have their staffs jailed for treason they gutted the home front in a manner which was horrific beyond belief our job is not over until all of americas great libraries are fully restored after being totally wiped out by the jews and all scientific journals and works once again become fully free and public domain our job will not be over until the childsnatching cps is shut down and their feed for their slave trade is cut off our job will not be over until american corporations begin to fight for america and bring our jobs and american quality back
the list of what the altmedia needs to accomplish now that it appears the first huge battle has been won is practically endless but i believe the altmedia is up to the task and will succeed as long as one thing is cemented in stone
julian assange is obviously dead
consider these facts and then figure the odds of him being alive
wikileaks dns server was suddenly pointed elsewhere thats right that night in the wee hours of the morning after pamela was there to poison him police in an armored vehicle showed up at the embassy and that night the dns server pointed to a different ip address for wikileaks and google updated everything instantly so the transfer was completely seamless from the real wikileaks server to the fake wikileaks server that was at a completely different ip address
mr assanges subsequent tweets were noticeably more hostile and attacked his most loyal supporters i reported this repeatedly
mr assanges tweets regularly misspelled the names of some of his closest friends whom he has known for decades gavin mcfadyen became mcfayden for example mcfadyen the director of wikileaks was found dead three days after assange started having mystery problems this is something i made a huge issue of here
streams of disinformation were spewed
themes supported by mr assange for years were then knocked down or discredited by his subsequent tweets and communications very bad timing with that everyone with a brain noticed this and it lit up the forums and blogs
body double rumors have been circulated and documented
new strange hitherto unknown moderators of wikileaks have suddenly been installed
his deadman switch was activated before the armored vehicle even showed up at the embassy which means assange probably manually triggered it after he figured out he was poisoned much of his stored data and secret website pins were to be released in the event of his untimely death i released both deadman switches here one encrypted and one unencrypted
all of this happened right after pamela anderson showed up with a lunch that was no doubt poisoned and the media talked all about how assange was pale and not feeling well when she left and that he said the food pamela brought him was torture good for a laugh in the inside circles to have this go out on the msm no doubt
my take assange was poisoned and then removed from the embassy in an armored vehicle this was clearly visible in a live feed someone set up that night because something was amiss and i saw that and stayed up the entire night for it that is why i so strongly stated that he cant possibly still be at the embassy perhaps he got medical care to save him and is now being waterboarded
if the new wikileak releases are real they are not coming from the wikileaks server only a redirect to a different server in the name of wikileaks the ip address change proves it and we can only hope it is white hats doing it it seems so but one can only guess
related
did google kill julian assange | 0 |
5,422 | Eric Trump Just Said Something Monumentally Stupid And Twitter Is ROASTING Him For It | It s no secret that team Trump is all in a tizzy over Jill Stein s recount attempts in multiple states, but Eric Trump may have just entered a whole new level of idiocy with what he just said and posted on Twitter.He tweeted a link to a Forbes article entitled, The Cost Of Stein/Clinton s Wisconsin Vote Recount Could Have Saved At Least 5,000 Children s Lives, which says nothing about the legitimacy of the recount at all, and is simply a fun clickbait fallacy for the right wing to circlejerk around. And he tweeted it with the caption, The Sad Truth: The Cost Of Stein/Clinton s #Wisconsin Vote Recount Could Have Saved At Least 5,000 Children s Lives. Here s the tweet in question: The Sad Truth: The Cost Of Stein/Clinton s #Wisconsin Vote Recount Could Have Saved At Least 5,000 Children s Lives https://t.co/sMNQJDfppt Eric Trump (@EricTrump) December 4, 2016In case you are struck speechless, much as I was, don t worry; Twitter has us covered. Below are some fantastic and all-too-true responses: @EricTrump @Forbes says the guy that literally sits on golden chairs in a house made of gold Truthbomb (@KramerTruthbomb) December 4, 2016 @EricTrump So could the 24-karat gold-plated seatbelt buckles on your dad s plane. But, Democracy. Nick Bilton (@nickbilton) December 4, 2016 @EricTrump you know what else helps saving people s lives? paying taxes Special Kebab (@SoTiredzzz) December 4, 2016 @EricTrump Are You Fucking Kidding Me?!? Pot, Meet Kettle. Hypocrite! #NotMyPresident #Resist #AuditTheVote https://t.co/scn7VE5tFC ? #NotMYPresident! (@HelloMittyKitty) December 4, 2016 @HelloMittyKitty @Hc2016Now @EricTrump You have that kind of cash. Don t see you saving 5k lives.Killing big game is better,right? BeTheChange (@SeekingNotLost) December 4, 2016 @EricTrump How many lives could be saved with the money required to protect your family in NY? https://t.co/Q6udu2QWzo A Good Stoic (@AGoodStoic) December 4, 2016 @EricTrump How much is your daddy s bullshit idea to move Mommy 3 and half-brother Barron into the WH gonna cost, Junior Mister Burns? James Schlarmann (@JamboSchlarmbo) December 4, 2016 @EricTrump @Forbes think how many children s lives could be saved with the taxes your dad doesn t pay Truthbomb (@KramerTruthbomb) December 4, 2016 @EricTrump @Forbes think of how many endangered animals you would save if you d quit poaching them. Truthbomb (@KramerTruthbomb) December 4, 2016 @EricTrump your foundation could have too but paintings of your dad were more important. #fraud margo (@omimargo) December 4, 2016 @EricTrump Let s see you dad s tax returns to see how charitable he is. HRC+2.59M (1.9%) PV (@szorowitz) December 4, 2016 @EricTrump Oh please share with us your wisdom on the ways of giving. Perhaps a glance at your taxes to show all your charitible donations? The Saddest American (@martinichaser15) December 4, 2016All great points!Featured image via Spencer Platt/Getty Images | 0 |
5,423 | DO YOU SEE A PATTERN WITH THE NAMES HERE? HUGE FOOD STAMP BUST! 14 Arrested For $16 Million In Food Stamp Fraud[Video] | Check out the names below and you ll see that so many times foreigners come to America to scam the food stamp system. We have reported on numerous scams involving immigrants and food stamps. Believe us they come from all over the world to take your money! Here are just a few examples of foreign-run convenience stores caught in food stamp fraud millions and millions stolen and probably sent overseas: IMMIGRANT Ghanaian Woman Pleads Guilty To $3.6 Million in Food Stamp Fraud Media Ignores Her Immigrant Status22 LATINOS ARRESTED In Largest Food Stamp Fraud Bust In History Here s How They Did ItALABAMA FRAUD: FOOD STAMPS TO CASH SENT TO YEMEN3 BUSTED, 4 AT LARGE! IMMIGRANT MUSLIM GROUP Ran Huge Food Stamp Fraud RingIs this connected to the Investor visa program? It makes you wonder if they have training programs abroad in how to buy convenience stores in the US and rip off the dumb (infidel) Americans!More than a dozen retail store operators in and around Baltimore have been charged in connection to a huge food stamp and wire fraud scheme.The indictments allege the retailers received more than $16 million in federal payments for transactions in which they did not provide any food, a fraud scheme commonly known as food stamp trafficking. Retailers must apply to and be approved by the USDA s Food and Nutrition Service to participate in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, which helps low income families afford nutritious foods.In Maryland, the program provides eligible individuals with an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card, which operates like a debit card. Authorized retailers use a terminal that checks the card information and deducts the cash value of the purchase from the SNAP balance.SNAP reimbursements are paid to retailers through electronic funds transfers. Retailers bill the government in return for providing approved food items to customers.The indictments allege that the defendants illegally exchanged EBT benefits for cash, instead. To avoid detection, they debited the funds from the card in multiple transactions over a period of hours or days, or called a different store where the transaction was processed manually, the Department of Justice says.As a result these transactions, they allegedly obtained more than $16,482,270 in EBT deposits for transactions in which food sales never occurred or were substantially inflated and split the proceeds with food stamp recipients. The food stamp program is intended to put food on the tables of needy recipients, not to put money in the pockets of greedy criminals, said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. Honest storeowners work hard to earn a profit by actually selling food, and food producers and distributors also benefit. People who play by the rules deserve to know that criminals who defraud them will be held accountable. The defendants face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud; a maximum of five years in prison for conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud and wire fraud; and a maximum of five years in prison for food stamp fraud.The defendants and their stores are:Walayat Khan, 36, of Reisterstown Barbara Ann Duke, 50, of Owings Mills Maria s Market Place, 307 S. Broadway in Baltimore and Royals Food Market, 921 E. Patapsco Avenue in Brooklyn. From October 2013 to June 2016, Khan and Duke allegedly obtained more than $1,486,118 in payments for food sales that never occurred.Shaheen Tasewar Hussain, 60, of Ellicott City Shop & Save, 301 Crain Highway South, Suite D, Glen Burnie. From July 2014 through October 2015, Hussain allegedly obtained more than $778,183 in payments for food sales that never occurred.Kelym Novas Perez, 34, of Baltimore Jose Remedio Gonzalez Reyes, 50, of Baltimore Kelym Grocery, 2734 Pennsylvania Avenue in Baltimore. From August 2013 through March 2016, Perez and her husband, Gonzalez Reyes, allegedly obtained more than $879,500 in payments for food sales that never occurred.Mulazam Hussain, 54, of Windsor Mill Monroe Food Mart and Y&J Grocery in Baltimore. From March 2013 through July 2016 Hussain allegedly obtained more than $1,242,745 in payments for food sales that never occurred.Mahmood Hussain Shah, 57, of Catonsville Muhammad Rafiq, 58, of Reisterstown Corner Groceries, 1242 Darley Avenue in Baltimore. From October 2010 through August 2016, Shah and Rafiq allegedly obtained more than $1,610,556 in payments for food sales that never occurred.Mohammad Shafiq, 50, of Gwynn Oak, Maryland; and his daughter, Alia Shaheen, 24, of Baltimore Quick Stop Convenience Store, 237 N. Patterson Park Avenue; New York Food Mart, 1201 N. Patterson Park Avenue; and Barclay Food Mart, 2454 Barclay Street, all in Baltimore; and Shafiq Corporation, 6929 Holabird Avenue, in Dundalk, Maryland. From about October 2010 through July 2016, Mohammad Shafiq and his daughter, Alia Shaheen, allegedly obtained more than $3,712,353 in payments for food sales that never occurred or were substantially inflated.The operators managed 17 stores. Mohammad Shafiq and his daughter, Alia Shaheen, allegedly stole the most money, more than $3.7 million. They operate the Quick Stop Convenience Store and New York Food Mart on North Patterson Park Avenue, Barclay Food Mart on Barclay Street, and Shafiq Corp. on Holabird Avenue in Dundalk.Mohammad Irfan, 59, of NottinghamMuhammad Sarmad, 40, of Nottingham New Sherwood Market, 6324 Sherwood Road in Northwood, Maryland; Martin Mart, 1504 Martin Boulevard in Middle River, Maryland; Rosedale Mart, 6326 Kenwood Avenue in Rosedale, Maryland; and M&A Mart 7400-A Belair Road in Baltimore. From October 2010 through August 2016, Irfan and Sarmad allegedly obtained more than $3,550,662 in payments for food sales that never occurred.Rizwan Pervez, 38, of Essex M&N Mini Mart, 1846 W. North Avenue; and Mega Mart1, 1522 Ellamont Street, both in Baltimore. From April 2014 through July 2016, Pervez, allegedly obtained more than $1,689,511 in payments for food sales that never occurred.Kassem Mohammad Hafeed, a/k/a Kassam Mohammad Hafeed, 51, of Baltimore C&C Market, 4752 Park Heights Avenue in Baltimore. From November 2010 through April 2013, Hafeed allegedly obtained more than $1,532,642 in payments for food sales that never occurred. | 0 |
5,424 | DISGUSTING! Hillary Voters Taunt And Abuse Americans In Their Effort To: “Make America Mexico Again” [Video] | Crazy mob vandalizes, threatens, and spits at a couple in a car outside Trump rally. Crowd shouts Mexico and waves Mexican flag. Obama s Mexamerica disgusting!DISGUSTING: Angry mob vandalizes, threatens, and spits at a couple in a car outside Trump rally.#Trump2016https://t.co/UE2OWwgpky Brett MacDonald (@TweetBrettMac) April 29, 2016Wow. Tribal protesters chanting Mexico! at the Anti-Trump Rally.Go home. Fix Mexico. Don t ruin the USA. pic.twitter.com/o8xOIyI8lS Brett MacDonald (@TweetBrettMac) April 29, 2016 THUGS ATTACK TRUMP SUPPORTER:What happens when #DonaldTrump supporter inserts himself in middle of protesters outside #CAGOPConvention pic.twitter.com/UAxYqsS1zV Bob Redell (@BobNBC) April 29, 2016 | 0 |
5,425 | Trump Wets His Pants Over Bob Corker Again, Corker Alerts The White House Daycare Staff | Every time Donald Trump lashes out at Tennessee Senator Bob Corker, he gets his ass handed to him.For instance, when Trump threw a petty temper tantrum because Corker criticized him, Corker responded thusly:It s a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning. Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) October 8, 2017Corker didn t even have to say another word. He just sat back and watched as the world laughed at Trump. Trump even continued throwing a hissy fit by relentlessly attacking and insulting Corker, but to avail. Corker had already kicked his ass.On Tuesday morning, Trump took aim at Corker once again for criticizing Trump s massive tax cuts for the wealthy.Bob Corker, who helped President O give us the bad Iran Deal & couldn t get elected dog catcher in Tennessee, is now fighting Tax Cuts . Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 24, 2017 Corker dropped out of the race in Tennesse when I refused to endorse him, and now is only negative on anything Trump. Look at his record! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 24, 2017Isn t it sad that lightweight Senator Bob Corker, who couldn t get re-elected in the Great State of Tennessee, will now fight Tax Cuts plus! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 24, 2017Corker could probably get re-elected in Tennessee. It s just that he has decided to retire rather than run again.But while Trump required three tweets to attack Corker, Corker only needed one.Same untruths from an utterly untruthful president. #AlertTheDaycareStaff Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) October 24, 2017Indeed, where is the adult day care staff? Clearly, General John Kelly has utterly failed to regulate Trump s social media usage. Like a child, Trump needs serious supervision. Every time he rage tweets he embarrasses himself and the nation.If Trump thinks he is winning this little feud with Corker he should think again. Because Corker has zero f*cks left and he ll burn Trump s tiny-handed ass to the ground every single time.Featured Image: Ron Sachs Pool/Getty Images | 0 |
5,426 | Trump THREATENS Comey Via Twitter In His Most Autocratic Move Yet | Donald Trump has some very scary authoritarian instincts. He regularly makes it his mission to discredit and attack the free press, has nothing but contempt for our Constitution and our system of checks and balances, and he and his officials regularly lie and spread propaganda to the American public. Now, in his most autocratic move yet, Trump has threatened the FBI Director he just fired via Twitter. This, after he just fired the man who was investigating him.Supposedly, Trump is upset because fired FBI Director James Comey s associates disputed Trump s account of what happened during a dinner meeting between the two. According to the New York Times, Trump asked for Comey s loyalty, and Comey refused to give it. Therefore, Trump threatened Comey with the leaking of supposed tapes of their meetings.James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017Trump has also threatened to stop the White House tradition of daily press briefings, since the media is reporting on the continuously changing story with regards to the reasoning behind Comey s firing: Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future "press briefings" and hand out written responses for the sake of accuracy??? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017This is beyond anything we have ever seen. Even Richard Nixon wasn t this much of a dictator in the making. This so-called presidency is nothing more than a dictatorship. We are literally devolving into something more like Russia or Turkey than the United States of America. This is not normal, this is not safe, and this is not healthy.The people in Congress with the power to do something about Donald Trump and his band of incompetent authoritarians better wake up and do their jobs before it s too late. The very soul of our republic depends on it.Featured image via Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images | 0 |
5,427 | Most Corrupt Presidential Lawyer In History Is Terrified Of Trump’s Lying | John Dean knows something about corruption. He was the White House Council for Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal. He was even prosecuted for his part. That s why we should heed his warnings about Donald Trump, who the former White House Council, accuses of being a liar, and worse.Dean, who s apparently been paying attention to Trump and to Trump s overall ignorance of anything when it comes to matter of state, tweeted on Thursday that Trump is an idiot and a liar. Okay, that first word is mine, but the meaning is the same: It is deeply troubling when you realize that the president-elect generally does not know what he is talking about, Dean tweeted. And when he does he lies. It is deeply troubling when you realize that the president-elect generally does not know what he is talking about and when he does he lies. John Dean (@JohnWDean) December 29, 2016Dean is far from the first person to note that Trump is a habitual liar. Even his own lawyers say he s a liar. In fact, according to a deposition from 1992, Trump s lawyers had to double up during that bankruptcy hearing since Trump can t be trusted. We tried to do it with Donald always if we could because Donald says certain things and then has a lack of memory, attorney Patrick McGahn said during the deposition in transcripts obtained by BuzzFeed.As McGahn explained, It s always been our practice to make sure that two people are present, and we don t have a problem of people lying. He added that Trump is an expert at interpreting things. Let s put it that way. Source: SalonIn depo for Trump Plaza bankruptcy case, Trump s own lawyer testifies they often met with him in pairs because Trump lies so much. pic.twitter.com/TdEkdf4ZiB southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) October 6, 2016As Trump gets closer to January 20th, it s becoming more and more apparent that Nixon will be his role model, of sorts. Actually, all we have to do is go back a few months for a hint at that. In an interview in the Washington Post with Watergate journalist Bob Woodword, Trump had some misgivings about Nixon, but they weren t about his dishonesty:Nixon failed, I think to a certain extent, because of his personality. You know? It was just that personality. Very severe, very exclusive. In other words, people couldn t come in. And people didn t like him. I mean, people didn t like him.When pressed about the fact that Nixon broke the law, Trump shrugged it off, speculating that it was insecurity. According to Trump, it was hate that destroyed Nixon, not dishonesty. Ironically, he sees no lessons in Nixon s legacy. Trump, along with being a habitual liar, seems to think of himself as someone who s very likable and not at all (swallow your drink before reading this next word) vindictive, and that, according to him, will save him, lies or not.Featured image via Mark Wilson/Getty Images. | 0 |
5,428 | Bulgaria parliament passes anti-corruption law under EU pressure | SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria s parliament passed anti-corruption legislation on Wednesday under European Union pressure over its failure to prosecute venal officials, but President Rumen Radev has said the bill is not fit for purpose and he will veto it. The Balkan, formerly communist country is the poorest as well as one of the most corrupt countries in the EU, which it joined in 2007, and has made scant progress towards stamping out graft and organized crime. The European Commission, the EU s executive, has repeatedly rebuked Bulgaria for failing to prosecute and sentence allegedly corrupt officials and for not overhauling a creaking judiciary. This law corresponds to the wishes of Bulgarian citizens and the European Commission, said Tsvetan Tsvetanov, chairman of the ruling GERB party s parliamentary group. Analysts voiced concern, though, that the bill would not allow efficient investigations of corruption networks. The management of a special anti-graft unit envisaged by the legislation would be appointed by parliament, something analysts said could limit its objectivity. Radev said the new five-person unit, meant to investigate persons occupying high state posts as well as assets and conflict of interest, may not be truly independent and could be used by those in power to persecute opponents. The instruments envisaged in this law are ineffective, Radev said last week. It does not deal a blow on those who feed corruption, and it can be used as a weapon against inconvenient people. He said he would veto the measure. The president, prime minister and lawmakers could be targets of investigation, as well as municipal councillors, directors of hospitals and border customs bosses. The new law also focuses on improving control and accountability of law-enforcement agencies, just before Bulgaria assumes the six-month, rotating EU presidency in January. Corruption has deterred foreign investment since communism collapsed in Bulgaria in 1989, and the EU has kept Sofia as well as neighboring Romania - for the same rule-of-law failings - outside its Schengen zone of passport-free travel. | 1 |
5,429 | Obama 'concerned' about U.S. State Department handling of classified information | WARSAW (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Saturday he was concerned about how the State Department handles classified information but cast this as part of a government-wide challenge in the age of email, texts and smartphones. FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday recommended against prosecuting Hillary Clinton or her aides for their “extremely careless” handling of classified information on the private email server that she used as secretary of state. Comey said the FBI had found evidence that “the security culture of the State Department in general, and with respect to use of unclassified systems in particular, was generally lacking in the kind of care for classified information that’s found elsewhere in the U.S. government.” Asked about the FBI director’s assessment, Obama told reporters in a news conference: “I am concerned.” “The advent of email and texts and smart phones is just generating enormous amounts of data,” Obama added, saying that this, in turn was “putting enormous pressure on the department to sort through it, classify it properly.” Obama said that if one classified too much, the benefits of the information evaporated because it took too long to process. “It reflects a larger problem in government,” he added. Clinton has said her use of a private email server was a mistake. | 1 |
5,430 | Microsoft victory in overseas email seizure case is upheld | NEW YORK (Reuters) - An equally divided federal appeals court refused to reconsider its landmark decision forbidding the U.S. government from forcing Microsoft Corp and other companies to turn over customer emails stored on servers outside the United States. Tuesday’s 4-4 vote by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan let stand a July 14 decision that was seen as a victory for privacy advocates, and for technology companies offering cloud computing and other services worldwide. But the dissenting judges said that decision by a three-judge panel could hamstring law enforcement, and called on the U.S. Supreme Court or Congress to reverse it. “The panel majority’s decision does not serve any serious, legitimate, or substantial privacy interest,” Circuit Judge Jose Cabranes wrote in dissent. Peter Carr, a U.S. Department of Justice spokesman, said: “We are reviewing the decision and its multiple dissenting opinions and considering our options.” Microsoft had no immediate comment. In the July decision, Circuit Judge Susan Carney ruled that Microsoft could not be forced to turn over emails sought for a narcotics case, but stored on a server in Dublin, Ireland. Though Microsoft is based in Washington state, Carney said the emails were beyond the reach of domestic search warrants issued under the federal Stored Communications Act, a 1986 law. Microsoft was thought to be the first U.S. company to challenge a domestic search warrant seeking data held outside the country. The case attracted significant attention from technology and media companies concerned that a ruling for the government could jeopardize the privacy of customers, and make them less likely to use cloud services if they thought data could be seized. Microsoft’s position was supported by dozens of technology and media companies including Amazon.com, Apple, CNN, Fox News Network and Verizon Communications, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union and U.S. Chamber of Commerce. But Tuesday’s dissenters said it should not matter where the emails were stored because Microsoft was a U.S. company. They also said the panel did not properly address the challenges that electronic data storage poses for law enforcement. “It has substantially burdened the government’s legitimate law enforcement efforts; created a roadmap for the facilitation of criminal activity; and impeded programs to protect the national security of the United States and its allies,” Cabranes wrote. The judge expressed hope that the panel’s view of the 1986 law “can be rectified as soon as possible by a higher judicial authority or by the Congress.” The case is Microsoft v U.S., 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 14-2985. | 1 |
5,431 | Trump Gets Snippy After Being Asked To Dial Down His Violent Rhetoric (VIDEO) | Donald Trump lost his temper on CNN when Jake Tapper asked him to be a leader and tone down the violent rhetoric of his campaign.On Sunday, Trump appeared on CNN and was immediately confronted by Tapper about how the Republican front-runner has incited violence during his rallies that have led to his supporters carrying out vicious attacks against non-white protesters.Last week, an old white Trump supporter sucker-punched a young black man during a rally in North Carolina and suggested he and friends would kill him if he shows up to another rally.During the same rally, yet another white Trump supporter yelled obscenities at a black man and slapped him.Both incidents were caught on video and neither of the white men were arrested or kicked out of the rally at the time.And since then, Trump rallies have only gotten worse as rallies in St. Louis and Chicago nearly turned into race wars.But Trump refused to tone his rhetoric down on Sunday, insisting that he was the victim and that his supporters are peaceful people who love America. He also accused Bernie Sanders of sending his supporters to disrupt the rallies and claimed that he hasn t incited violence at all even though he has been caught on tape doing exactly that.When Tapper tried to convince Trump to be a real leader and stop inciting violence, Trump became snippy.TAPPER: People are getting hurt and people are actually concerned that somebody might get seriously, seriously injured. You are not taking down the temperature. You are, in the views of many of your fellow Republicans, making things worse, inciting, encouraging violence. And you re a leader, sir. You re the front-runner in the Republican Party. TRUMP: Excuse me, excuse me! My fellow Republicans are running against me, they are losing bigly. The Donald then proceeded to lose his temper by nastily attacking his opponents and accusing Tapper of not covering his campaign rallies truthfully, yelling over Tapper and interrupting him while bashing CNN and claiming that zero people have been injured at his rallies.When Tapper could actually get a word in, he once again asked Trump to dial back his rhetoric for the sake of the country. Trump responded that Tapper should be more accurate in his reporting.TAPPER: I would just ask as a fellow American if you could consider whether or not dialing down the temperature, might be a healthier thing, both for your campaign and for the nation the nation at large. TRUMP: Well, you should report it right because we ve had no injuries at my events. So, you know, do what you have to do. Here s the video via YouTube.Clearly, Trump is lying when he says nobody has been injured at his rallies. There are countless videos of protesters being roughed up or flat-out assaulted by his supporters as Trump eggs them on. As we get closer and closer to the nomination, Trump has become more and more dangerous as his rallies have basically become full-blown Klan and neo-Nazi rallies where white racists feel right at home. What once sounded like a joke campaign has now become America s worst nightmare and it isn t over yet.Featured image via screen capture | 0 |
5,432 | Obama administration reverses course on Atlantic oil drilling | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration reversed course on Tuesday on a proposal to open the southeastern Atlantic coast to drilling as an oil price slump and strong opposition in coastal communities raised doubts about the plan. Besides market and environmental concerns, the U.S. Interior Department said it also based its decision on conflicts with competing commercial and military ocean uses. The decision, which is sure to reverberate in the presidential election campaign, reverses a January 2015 proposal for new leases in the Atlantic as part of the department’s five-year plan to set new boundaries for oil development in federal waters through 2022. “We heard from many corners that now is not the time to offer oil and gas leasing off the Atlantic coast,” Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said. “When you factor in conflicts with national defense, economic activities such as fishing and tourism, and opposition from many local communities, it simply doesn’t make sense to move forward with any lease sales in the coming five years.” Hillary Clinton, the front-runner in the race for the Democratic Party’s nomination to run in the Nov. 8 presidential election, has moved to the left on environment under pressure from green groups. She tweeted: “Relieved Atlantic drilling is now off the table. Time to do the next right thing and protect the Arctic, too.” Donald Trump, the businessman and former reality TV personality who is the Republican front-runner, has raised questions about whether more offshore drilling is necessary given the abundance of onshore shale production. The proposal would have opened up drilling sites more than 50 miles off Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia to oil drilling by 2021. Coastal communities in these states protested the administration’s plan, fearing the possibility of an oil spill like the BP Horizon accident in 2010 on the U.S. Gulf Coast, and its effects on tourism and their economies. “With this decision coastal communities have won a ‘David vs. Goliath’ fight against the richest companies on the planet, and that is a cause for tremendous optimism for the well-being of future generations,” said Jacqueline Savitz, environmental group Oceana’s vice president for U.S. oceans. Virginia officials had welcomed the initial plan to allow offshore drilling, saying it would bring economic benefits. On Tuesday, Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, said he was surprised that the Department of Defense had raised concerns about naval installations, one of which is off the state’s coast. “The DOD has been relatively quiet during this public debate and has never shared their objections with me before,” he said. Major oil companies, including Exxon Mobil Corp, Shell and Chevron, had pushed for an open Atlantic. Shell Oil Company spokeswoman Natalie Mazey said the decision was “short sighted” and would “jeopardize the abundance of affordable domestic energy the economy has become dependent on.” The American Petroleum Institute said the decision goes against the will of voters, governors and members of Congress who support more development. “The decision appeases extremists who seek to stop oil and natural gas production which would increase the cost of energy for American consumers and close the door for years to creating new jobs, new investments and boosting energy security,” said API President Jack Gerard. The Interior Department also announced Tuesday that it would evaluate 13 other potential lease sales in other areas of the country - 10 in the Gulf of Mexico and three off the coast of Alaska. “The proposal focuses potential lease sales in areas with the highest resource potential, greatest industry interest, and established infrastructure,” Jewell said. The Interior Department said that in the Gulf, resource potential and industry interest are high and infrastructure already exists. It proposes two annual lease sales that include the Western, Central, and part of the eastern Gulf of Mexico not subject to the current congressional moratorium. It also includes a potential sale each in the Chukchi Sea, Beaufort Sea, and Cook Inlet planning areas in Alaska. The department would take comments on other options, including an alternative that includes no new leasing. While green groups praised the decision to keep the Atlantic off limits for now, they raised concerns that the United States would keep the door open for drilling in the vulnerable U.S. Arctic. “The administration must take Arctic leases out of the final five-year plan,” said Cindy Shogan, executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League. “No place has potentially more to lose due to climate change than the Arctic.” The Interior Department will open the five-year proposal to a 90-day comment period. | 1 |
5,433 | TOP 5 WAYS TRUMP Can Cut Waste ASAP! | 1. Disarm federal regulatory agenciesDuring an eight-year period, 53 non-military, non-law enforcement agencies spent a shocking $335 million on guns, ammunition and military-style equipment.2. Fire EPA lawyersThe EPA has more lawyers than scientists The EPA doesn t need 1,020 lawyers to harass the private sector.3. Blockade federal funds for sanctuary citiesBest was to clean up sanctuary cities!4. Cut funding for agency self-promotionCongress should tell the administration how agencies are doing through rigorous oversight. Funding self-promotional agency PR campaigns is absurd.5. Direct small business funds to small businessHere s a novel idea: Lending by the U.S. Small Business Administration should go to small businesses!Read the last 5 at: Forbes | 0 |
5,434 | WATCH: HISPANIC MAN WHO USED To “Beat up Trump supporters” Gets Choked Up In Passionate Speech About How LYING Media Turned Him Into A Trump Supporter | Wow! This is one of the most powerful speeches you will ever watch. A Hispanic American, who is now a Trump supporter, lays bare his emotions for everyone to see, as he gets choked up explaining to a crowd how he used to be the guy who would beat up Trump supporters . In his speech, he exposes the leftist media and how through deceptive editing they are able to make their viewers believe that President Trump and his supporters are racists .This brave Hispanic man tells how before he saw the truth , he used to be hard-core anti-Trump and if he was still the old me , he would beat up all of the Trump supporters listening to hi speak. He recalled how he used to see a Trump bumper sticker on a car and would wait for the person who owned the vehicle so he could confront them. He went on to explain that if the Trump supporter he confronted would debate him, he would beat their ass up .Watch, as this passionate Trump supporter explains how he was stunned to see how welcoming Trump supporters were when he attended his first Trump rally, and how the whole Trump and his supporters are racists narrative put forth by the media and by the Left is a complete lie:Credits to @Cernovich -it feels good when a @realDonaldTrump supporter mentions your name on a press conference! @Harlan @seanhannity #MAGA pic.twitter.com/3hpHPlfFTD Marco Gutierrez (@MarcoGutierrez) August 27, 2017 | 0 |
5,435 | Trump Threw Mar-A-Lago Fundraiser For Woman At The Center Of Bribery Scandal | Just a few days after she made the decision to let an investigation of Donald Trump s Trump University slide, the former reality TV star held a fundraiser for Florida attorney general Pam Bondi at his palatial Mar-A-Lago compound.News of the cash-fueled party comes as Trump faces renewed criticism after being fined by the IRS after it came to light that the Trump Foundation illegally funneled money into Bondi s re-election campaign.In March 2014, Donald Trump opened his 126-room Palm Beach resort, Mar-a-Lago, for a $3,000-per-person fundraiser for Pam Bondi. The Florida attorney general, who was facing a tough re-election campaign, had recently decided not to investigate Trump University.Trump did not write a check to the attorney general that night. The previous fall, his personal foundation had given $25,000 to a pro-Bondi PAC. But by hosting her fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago and bringing in some of his own star power, Trump provided Bondi s campaign with a nice financial boost.The Huffington Post also reports that while Trump has billed the RNC $140,000 per event to use his mansion, he only charged the Republican Party of Florida $4,855.65. That means that Trump stands to make a windfall simply by controlling the flow of campaign donor money to his own enterprises.News of the interlocking relationship between Trump and Bondi (she has done campaign rallies for him) underscores how the national media has ignored or played down actual stories of Trump and his involvement with corruption. Instead they have banged the drums on the Clinton Foundation, making allegations of wrong-doing based on the potential and optics of the far-reaching charity the Clintons put in place.Trump is also implicated in similar behavior in Texas. The attorney general there dropped looking into Trump University a little after he gave him a financial donation.Featured image via Flickr | 0 |
5,436 | GOP Implodes As Trump Launches Nasty Public Fight Against Top Republican (TWEETS) | Donald Trump is continuing to dig himself into an even deeper hole in regards to the horrific racist attack in Charlottesville, Virginia.After Trump has been blasted for his weak response by pretty much every politician including Republicans he s taking his critics on. At 6:19 this morning, Trump decided to go after one of the only Republicans who had the guts to call him out directly by name on Charlottesville South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham.In a pair of tweets, Trump trashed Graham for holding him accountable and asking him to condemn white supremacy and neo-Nazis in a more powerful way. Of course, Trump s attack was nothing but petty, making sure that Graham and America remember that Trump beat him in the 2015-2016 presidential primaries. Trump wrote: Publicity seeking Lindsey Graham falsely stated that I said there is moral equivalency between the KKK, neo-Nazis & white supremacists and people like Ms. Heyer. Such a disgusting lie. He just can t forget his election trouncing. The people of South Carolina will remember! Graham has been more critical than most Republicans when it comes to Trump s defense of racists and his neo-Nazi fan base. On Sunday, Graham trashed Trump on Fox News when he said: These groups seem to believe they have a friend in Donald Trump in the White House. I don t know why they believe that, but they don t see me as a friend in the Senate, and I would urge the president to dissuade these groups that he s their friend. Graham had also released a statement on Twitter in which he correctly accused Trump of dividing America, and his response to Trump s tweets this morning was just as good. Here s what Graham had to say to Trump s immature attack:Lindsey Graham, one of the Senators Trump ripped on Twitter this AM, responds to Trump pic.twitter.com/BbdlxS4LNR Maggie Jordan: (@MaggieJordanACN) August 17, 2017Featured image via Joe Raedle/Getty Images | 0 |
5,437 | Pence exits NFL game after players kneel during anthem | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence walked out of a National Football League game on Sunday after some players knelt during the national anthem, a form of demonstration that began last year in silent protest against police violence toward racial minorities. Pence was attending a game in his home state of Indiana between the Indianapolis Colts and the San Francisco 49ers. When the national anthem was played before the start of the game, some 49ers knelt while some Colts, their arms locked, wore black T-shirts with the words “We Will” on the front and “Stand for equality, justice, unity, respect, dialogue, opportunity” on the back. “I left today’s Colts game because President Trump and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem,” Pence said in a statement issued by the White House. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after his team’s game on Sunday that he would bench players who disrespect the U.S. flag. “If there is anything that is disrespectful to the flag then we will not play,” Jones told reporters. Asked about Pence’s departure, Jones said: “We cannot in the NFL in any way give the implication that we tolerate disrespecting the flag. “I know the vice president did leave, because in his opinion the teams were,” he said, adding: “There is no question in my mind that the National Football League and the Dallas Cowboys are going to stand up for the flag.” But the NFL Players Association in a statement defended players’ right to protest. “We should not stifle these discussions and cannot allow our rights to become subservient to the very opinions our Constitution protects,” the association said, adding, in words that borrowed from the national anthem, “that is what makes us the land of the free and the home of the brave.” After Pence’s departure, critics began to question whether he had only attended the game in order to make a production of leaving, pointing out he flew from Las Vegas on Saturday and was then going to fly to California on Sunday evening. Pence had planned for “several weeks” to attend Sunday’s Colts game, where former quarterback Peyton Manning was being honored, an official in his office said, asking not to be named. Additionally, he made a last-minute decision to travel to Las Vegas for a prayer service on Saturday, the official said. “As he had discussed with the president, when several 49ers players disrespected the flag and the national anthem, the vice president decided to leave the game,” the official said. President Donald Trump said in a tweet on Sunday that he had asked Pence to leave the stadium “if any player kneeled, disrespecting our country.” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy declined to comment. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution bars the government from limiting free speech, including prohibiting protests of the national anthem or punishing people who choose not to stand. The national anthem is played before every NFL football game and many other sporting events. Less than an hour after issuing Pence’s statement, the White House released a picture of him and his wife at the stadium where the game took place, standing with hands over their hearts during the performance of the national anthem. Trump’s criticism of the NFL players has played well with his conservative base while he grapples with controversies over Iran and North Korea, an investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and policy struggles in Congress. Pence’s team Indianapolis defeated San Francisco, 26-23, in overtime. | 1 |
5,438 | SUPREME COURT JUSTICE Goes All Creepy Predicting The 2016 Election: “Everything is up for grabs” | What the heck is wrong with these loony liberal political hack Supreme Court justices? We had a proclamation from Latina Sotomayor that white men couldn t possibly know what it s like to be a minority huh? Now we have Ruth Buzzy Ginsburg saying that if Hillary doesn t win then everything is up for grabs . She also put in a plug for a pro-Hillary presidency saying she doesn t want to think about a Trump presidency. What the heck is up with these supposedly unbiased people who should not be speaking out politically. All the more reason to vote for Trump to make the court more conservative just to piss off the political hags hacks on the court WASHINGTON Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says she doesn t want to think about the possibility of Donald Trump winning the White House, and she predicts the next president whoever she will be will have a few appointments to make to the Supreme Court.In an interview Thursday in her court office, the 83-year-old justice and leader of the court s liberal wing said she presumes Democrat Hillary Clinton will be the next president. Asked what if Republican Donald Trump won instead, she said, I don t want to think about that possibility, but if it should be, then everything is up for grabs. That includes the future of the high court itself, on which she is the oldest justice. Two justices, Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer, are in their late 70s. It s likely that the next president, whoever she will be, will have a few appointments to make, Ginsburg said, smiling.She didn t sound as though she is preparing to step down soon and shows no signs of slowing down. Ginsburg said she has been catching up on sleep since the court finished its work last week before a busy summer of travel that will take her to Europe and, as is her custom, to see as much opera as she can fit in.In the wide-ranging interview, Ginsburg reviewed the just-ended term during which she lost her best friend on the court and, partly as a result, was on the winning side of most of the high-profile cases. Justice Antonin Scalia died in February, depriving his conservative allies of a reliable vote and leaving eight justices to decide nearly five dozen cases.President Barack Obama has nominated Judge Merrick Garland for the ninth seat, but Senate Republicans have refused to hold a hearing or vote on Garland s nomination, arguing the next president should have the right to name Scalia s replacement. Even if the Senate were to confirm Garland after the election, the court probably would hear three months of cases without him, Ginsburg said.And if there s no action in a post-election, lame-duck session of Congress, the vacancy could last the entire term, she said.She said court majorities this term moved to shut down tactics used by opponents of abortion and of affirmative action in higher education in two major cases.Ginsburg said she doesn t expect to see any more such cases after the court upheld the use of race in college admissions in Texas and struck down Texas abortion-clinic regulations that the state said were needed to protect patients. It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman s health, rather than about making it harder to get an abortion, Ginsburg said.She disputed reports that the court is taking on only relatively unimportant cases while waiting for a ninth justice. It isn t so. We haven t selected them with a view to dodging challenging cases. We take them as they come to us, she said.Via: CBS | 0 |
5,439 | Schumer to Trump: Don't fire U.S. consumer agency's head | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One of the most powerful Democrats in the U.S. Congress on Tuesday pressed President-elect Donald Trump to keep the consumer financial watchdog agency’s current director, as rumors about a possible termination and replacement swirled. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that Trump will break his campaign promise of “standing up for workers and consumers against the rigged system” if he fires the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) director, Richard Cordray, after taking office on Friday. “If Trump intends to keep any of his promises and un-rig the system, he would keep Rich Cordray,” the senator from New York said in a phone call with reporters. Created in the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law, the CFPB has battled all sorts of lenders through regulation and litigation. It most recently participated in a settlement with Wells Fargo for $190 million for allegedly creating ghost accounts. By law, the president can only fire the agency’s director for cause, but a recent federal court decision says the U.S. chief executive should be able to dismiss the director at will. That decision has been stayed pending appeal. Some want Trump to not wait for the appeals court and fire Cordray for cause as soon as he becomes president. At the earliest, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is expected to announce in February whether it will review the case. Last week, Trump met with one of the agency’s biggest critics, former Republican Representative Randy Neugebauer of Texas, who is frequently mentioned as a top choice for to replace Cordray. Conservatives say Neugebauer would limit the reach of the CFPB, which they say has gone too far and does not have enough accountability. Congress is controlled by the Republican Party, and most Republicans would prefer having a commission in charge of the agency, instead of a director who both creates and enforces rules. During the call with reporters, Schumer characterized the possibility of making Neugebauer director as an attempt to dismantle the CFPB from the inside. Also on the call, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said removing Cordray would allow Trump to block the CFPB’s current work on rules on mandatory arbitration, payday lending and debt collection. Democrats like Warren, who came up with the idea of an agency to protect individuals’ finances after the 2007-09 crisis, say the CFPB is an important guard against fraud in mortgages, student loans and other consumer products. | 1 |
5,440 | Israel willing to resort to military action to stop Iran acquiring nuclear weapons: minister | TOKYO (Reuters) - Israel is willing to resort to military action to ensure Iran never acquires nuclear weapons, the intelligence minister said on Thursday in Japan where he is seeking backing for U.S. President Donald Trump s tougher line on Tehran. Trump said on Oct. 13 he would not certify Iran is complying with an agreement on curtailing its nuclear program, signed by his predecessor, Barack Obama, opening a 60-day window for Congress to act to reimpose sanctions. If international efforts led these days by U.S. President Trump don t help stop Iran attaining nuclear capabilities, Israel will act militarily by itself, Intelligence Minister Israel Katz said in an interview in Tokyo. There are changes that can be made (to the agreement) to ensure that they will never have the ability to have a nuclear weapon. Israel has taken unilateral action in the past without the consent of its major ally, the United States, including air strikes on a suspected nuclear reactor in Syria in 2007 and in Iraq in 1981. A strike against Iran, however, would be a risky venture with the potential to provoke a counter strike and roil financial markets. An Israeli threat of military strikes could, nonetheless, galvanize support in the United States for toughening up the nuclear agreement but it could also backfire by encouraging hardliners in Iran and widening a rift between Washington and European allies. So far, none of the other signatories to the deal - Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China, Iran and the European Union - has cited serious concerns, leaving the United States isolated. Japan relies on the U.S. military to help defend it against threats from North Korea and elsewhere. Tokyo s diplomatic strategy in the Middle East, where it buys almost all its oil, is to maintain friendly relations with all countries, including Iran. I asked the Japanese government to support steps led by President Trump to change the nuclear agreement, said Katz, who is a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s right-wing Likud party. The question of whether Japanese companies will begin to work in Iran or not is a very important question. Katz s visit to Tokyo comes ahead of a planned trip by Trump from Nov. 5 for a summit with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Officials at Japan s Ministry of Foreign Affairs were not immediately available to comment. Israel, Katz said, wants the nuclear agreement to be revised to remove an expiration date, and to impose tighter conditions to stop Tehran from developing new centrifuges used to make weapons-grade nuclear material. He also urged sanctions to stop Iran from establishing Syria as a military base to launch attacks on Israel and action to put a halt to Tehran s development of ballistic missiles. We will not allow Iran to transform Syria into forward base sea harbors, air bases and Shia militias, he said. We will act together with the United States and other countries in the world until they stop the ballistic missiles that threaten Israel. The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday backed new sanctions on Lebanon s Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. | 1 |
5,441 | Top GOP Adviser Admits Hillary Clinton Would Be A ‘Better President’ Than Donald Trump (VIDEO) | Mitt Romney s top adviser in the 2012 election has just accepted what any reasonable Republican that cares about the future of America will have to come to terms with: Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton would be a better president than the current GOP front runner, Donald Trump.Stuart Stevens reluctantly admitted this on Tuesday during Bloomberg s With All Due Respect. The star strategist said: Personally, I think Hillary Clinton would be a better president than Donald Trump because I think that Donald Trump is a dangerous person and is someone who would embarrass America. Stevens added that this didn t necessarily mean that he supported Clinton, but that the prospect of backing Trump was something he couldn t possibly stomach. I have no desire to see Hillary Clinton as president of the United States. But if this is the choice I will not give her my vote, but I can t support Donald Trump. We can t blame Stevens for not wanting to be part of the reason that America imploded. You can watch Stevens interview below: Stevens has been bashing Trump for months, previously stating: I don t think he s going to be on the ballot by Feb. 1. The greatest sin in his value system is to be a loser, and most people who run for president lose. I don t think he ll risk it. Of course, Trump took to Twitter and gave it right back to him in his usual childlike manner:TwitterNo one thought Trump would make it this far, but he has and the more level-headed Republicans are scrambling to do whatever damage control they can. As Trump continues to look like a more likely candidate for the GOP nomination, Stevens is hardly the only Republican who is refusing to back Trump if he wins. On Tuesday, Rep. Scott Rigell (R-Va.) emailed supporters and said that he would not be standing behind someone so lacking in the judgement, temperament and character needed to be our nation s commander-in-chief. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) even said he would back a third-party candidate instead of Trump. It s unsure how the GOP will ever be taken seriously now that Trump has obliterated any remaining respect the party had. Featured image via Flickr and screenshots | 0 |
5,442 | Bookings For Trump’s Hotels Plummet By 60 percent | Maybe being a racist bigot isn t good for business after all. As Donald Trump ascends to power within the Republican ranks, his day job of being a hotel mogul is taking a serious hit. As the stupidity spews from his mouth on a daily basis, Hipmunk, a Priceonomics customer and travel search engine, shows that bookings for Trump s hotels have plummeted by 60 percent.The methodology used was an in depth analysis of the total US Trump Hotel property bookings made in the first quarter of both 2015 and 2016.In other words, Trump is losing more than half his business.What s even more shocking is Hipmunk has hotel bookings, on average, on the rise while Trump s are among the only going against the grain. Before running for President of the United States, Trump s hotels saw a 1.7 percent increase annually.According to Priceonomics:In New York City and Vegas, Trump Hotels share of each city s total hotel bookings dropped more than 70 percent. Even in Atlantic City, where Trump Hotels claim the highest percentage of a city s total hotel bookings, Trump Hotels took a major hit year-over-year. The Trump Taj Mahal s share of bookings is down 17% in the first quarter of this year.One of the only Trump hotels that has seen an increase in attendance is the International Hotel Waikiki Beach Walk, which has seen a jump of 4 percent.The biggest decline comes from Trump s Soho New York, which shows a staggering 74 percent net loss in bookings.While Trump lambasts who he calls the losers and haters, the American people are saying no thanks to his shady and most likely illegal hotel business. It looks like the only loser is the Trump Organization. If this trend continues, Trump may have to file for a bankruptcy for the fifth time. While Republicans hope and prey Target goes under, maybe they should pay attention to their frontrunner s business instead.Featured image via Spencer Platt/Getty Images | 0 |
5,443 | Kathy Griffin loses CNN deal after photos with fake severed Trump head | LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - CNN fired comedian Kathy Griffin from its annual New Year’s Eve broadcast on Wednesday after she drew strong criticism for posing in photographs holding up the likeness of a bloody, severed head resembling U.S. President Donald Trump. The network announced the termination after earlier criticizing the photos as “disgusting and offensive.” Griffin posted a videotaped apology on Tuesday night amid a public outcry from Republicans and Democrats alike over the images, including condemnation from Trump. “Kathy Griffin should be ashamed of herself,” Trump wrote. “My children, especially my 11-year-old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick!” The U.S. Secret Service, responsible for presidential security, has opened an inquiry into the posting of Griffin posing with the severed-head replica, a spokesman in Los Angeles said when asked whether the agency was looking into the incident as a potential threat on the president’s life. “We’re aware of it and we’re investigating it,” the spokesman, George Fernandez, told Reuters. He declined to elaborate. Griffin, 56, a two-time Emmy-winning performer known for her deliberately provocative brand of humor, has appeared since 2007 as co-host of CNN’s New Year’s Eve broadcast from Times Square in New York with anchor Anderson Cooper. CNN did not make clear whether it was cutting its New Year’s Eve deal with Griffin for just the upcoming 2017 broadcast or for good. The furor also cost Griffin a show at the Route 66 Casino Hotel outside Albuquerque, New Mexico. Management of the Laguna Pueblo tribe-operated establishment decided to cancel a one-night appearance by Griffin scheduled for July 22, a spokesman said. Griffin apologized profusely in a video message posted to her official Twitter account late on Tuesday, saying that as a comic she routinely seeks to “cross the line” but realized in this case, “I went too far.” “The image is too disturbing. I understand how it offends people. It wasn’t funny. I get it,” she said, adding that she was seeking to have the images taken down from social media. “I beg for your forgiveness,” she concluded. “I made a mistake and I was wrong.” Celebrity news website TMZ published a behind-the-scenes video on Tuesday of Griffin posing with the model head for a photo shoot. She was seen reviewing the images with photographer Tyler Shields and jokingly saying, “We have to move to Mexico today because we’re going to go to prison, federal prison.” TMZ posted an image from the shoot on Twitter. “This is vile and wrong,” Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, wrote on Twitter. “It is never funny to joke about killing a president.” Trump’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., called on sponsors of Griffin to condemn the comedian. At his daily briefing with reporters in Washington, presidential spokesman Sean Spicer declined to answer directly when asked whether it was appropriate for Trump to have hosted a White House visit by rocker Ted Nugent last month despite violent remarks the musician made in 2012 about then-President Barack Obama. Secret Service agents met with Nugent after the performer told a National Rifle Association convention in St. Louis that he would be “dead or in jail” if Obama were re-elected. He also declared, “We need to ride into that battlefield and chop their heads off in November.” The Secret Service later said the matter had been resolved with no further action. “To be honest with you, I’d have to look back and see what those statements were and what the reaction was at the time,” Spicer said when pressed for a comment on Wednesday. Griffin’s firing by CNN drew widely divergent reactions, with one Twitter follower, Anand Elgie, calling her termination “over reaction,” adding: “she had a bad moment of judgment... Trump bring out the worse in us all.” Another, Mark Dice, said CNN should have acted sooner. “The fact that you waited this long proves your network endorses the assassination of our president. You are the enemy of the people!!!” | 1 |
5,444 | Federer survives Tiafoe scare to advance | NEW YORK (Reuters) - World number three Roger Federer survived a first-round scare from Frances Tiafoe before grinding out a 4-6 6-2 6-1 1-6 6-4 victory over the American teenager in front of a raucous crowd at the U.S. Open on Tuesday. Federer looked more relieved than overjoyed when Tiafoe’s forehand found the net on match point to keep his hopes of a 20th grand slam title alive. “We had a good fight,” Federer said in an on-court interview. “It was exciting and this is why I came to New York, to go through these emotions,” he said with a laugh. The 19-year-old Tiafoe broke Federer in the first game of the match and bellowed out a loud “Come on!” when his forehand winner found the line to capture the opening set. Federer, who has won this year’s Australian Open and Wimbledon since taking a six-month break last year, soon found his groove once he broke Tiafoe to take a 3-1 lead in the second set and reeled off nine of the next 10 games. However, his poor form returned in a 23-minute fourth set when his serve and the accuracy of his trusty one-handed backhand completely deserted him. Federer said Tiafoe could go on to have a big career. “He is a great player and has a bright future ahead of him,” he said of the 19-year-old. Despite coming away with the win, the shaky performance raises questions about the health of the 36-year-old Swiss, who sat out the Cincinnati Masters earlier this month with back pain. He acknowledged that he was worried about his back going into the match but said he felt “much, much better”. “This win will give me a lot of confidence,” he said. Due to rain, the speedy 2-hour and 35-minute five setter was played under the closed roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium, which amplified the volume of the rowdy crowd. Federer next meets either Slovenian Blaz Kavcic or Russian Mikhail Youzhny. | 1 |
5,445 | Senate Republican leaders want health bill revised by Friday: Cornyn | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn on Wednesday indicated Republican leaders want changes to their draft healthcare legislation completed this week so lawmakers could review the revised plan over next week’s congressional recess. Cornyn, speaking to reporters outside Senate Leader Mitch McConnell’s office, said having the changes done by Friday would be “optimal” and allow the Congressional Budget Office time to provide a new analysis of the bill’s impact. | 1 |
5,446 | Live From New York, It’s Donald Trump: SNL And Trump Defy Protests To Go On With A “YUGE” Show [Video] | The show went on last night even though protesters attempted to get Trump dumped from hosting. In true Trump style he was able to laugh at himself and make fun of the protest against him. He turned this into ratings gold for SNL and made us all laugh out loud The faux outrage and twisting of Trump s words on immigration continued outside the Saturday Night Live studio last night: The presidential candidate hosted Saturday Night Live this week, turning his controversial appearance into both a punchline and a reality.Much like on the campaign trail, the Republican frontrunner didn t hold back during his monologue, diving right into jokes about Rosie O Donnell, protesters angry about his hosting the show and even fielding an interruption from Larry David:Larry David couldn't miss this opportunity. #SNL https://t.co/CQ3y2BxUtK Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) November 8, 2015 DAD-DANCING IS COOL: Via: NBC | 0 |
5,447 | ‘IT’S ALL ABOUT THE KIDS’…JUST ASK THE UNIONS: Public Schools Are Broke While Shocking Number Of Chicago School Employees Make Six Figures Per Year | If the Chicago Public Schools were a business in the private sector, they would have been bankrupt decades ago There s no doubt that Chicago Public Schools have serious money problems, and they are not all the fault of district administrators.Labor costs for union employees have been through the roof for years. And Illinois state law forces the district to directly fund a huge percentage of a pension program for retirees.Earlier this week the district, which has been operating with an budget deficit of more than $1 billion, had to borrow money to make the latest installment on the pension program, which came to a whopping $634 million, according to NBCChicago.As a result, the district announced that it will have to make about $200 million in budget cuts in the next fiscal year. That means that approximately 1,400 district jobs will be impacted one way or the other, according to the district CEO.It just so happens that there are 1,599 CPS employees a bit more than the targeted 1,400 who could easily be impacted by the budget ax without hurting them or impacting student instruction.Those are the employees mostly administrators who made more than $100,000 in straight salary in 2013-14, before their benefits were figured in, according to a salary chart obtained by EAGnews. Eighty-three of those employees made at least $150,000 in straight salary.The 1,599 employees collectively made a whopping $192 million in 2013-14. That s almost enough to cover the $200 million in budget cuts the district will be making.The 83 who made at least $150,000 took home a collective $13.2 million.Is this a classic case of too many chiefs? Now-former Chief Executive Officer Barbara Byrd Bennett made $250,000. Chief Administrative Officer Timothy Cawley made $215,000. Chief Financial Officer Ginger Ostro made $180,000. Chief Accountability Officer John Barker made $175,000. Chief of College and Career Success Aarti Dhupelia made $175,000. Chief Teaching and Learning Officer Annette Gawley made $175,000. Chief Officer of Networks Denise Little made $175,000. Chief of Staff to the Chief Executive Officer Sherry Ulery made $175,000.Let s not forget the chief lawyer General Counsel James Bebley who made $175,000. Just those nine salaries alone came to nearly $1.7 million.There were 13 employees with the title Chief of Schools who each made $151,131.One might argue that all that money went to important employees who do important work. But is that really the case, or do they pass on the work to a slightly lesser-paid network of under-chiefs?For instance, the district has a Chief of Staff ($165,000 per year) to go along with the Chief of Staff to the Chief Executive Officer. It has a Chief of Education Effectiveness ($165,000 per year) to go along with the Chief Teaching and Learning Officer. It has a Treasurer ($167,0000 per year) and Budget Manager ($107,000 per year) to go along with the Chief Financial Officer.And remember, the district has both a Chief Executive Officer and a Chief Administrative Officer, who combined to make $465,000 in straight salary in 2013-14.There was a bit of panic this week, when CPS announced that 1,400 school jobs would be impacted. Some, including union officials, assumed that the majority of the affected employees would be teachers. We are blindsided by reports that the district intends to lay off 1,400 public school educators, given that we just met with them yesterday and there was no mention of this action, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said in a press statement.District officials quickly responded that teachers would not be primary targets, according to the news report. The 1,400 affected positions include employees in the central office, operations and other programs, said CPS spokeswoman Emily Bittner, who works for Chief Communications Officer Ronald Iori, who made $165,000 in 2013-14 while supervising a Chief of Media Relations ($150,000 per year), a Director of Media Affairs ($100,000 per year), and a Chief Speechwriter ($100,000 per year).Via: EAG News | 0 |
5,448 | Policeman, PKK militant killed in southeast Turkey: governor's office | ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A policeman and a militant from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) were killed in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir on Friday, the local governor s office said. It said nine other policemen were wounded during a security operation against the Kurdish group in the city. Clashes broke out as our security forces entered the address to apprehend a member of the PKK, the governor s office said. The PKK, which is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and European Union, has led a three-decade armed insurgency against the Turkish state. The government has been increasing operations against the militant group since the collapse of a ceasefire in 2015. | 1 |
5,449 | Trump's lawyers say tax returns show little income from Russian sources | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A review of President Donald Trump’s tax returns from the past 10 years showed no income from Russian sources outside of a few exceptions, and indicated he did not owe money to Russian lenders, his lawyers said in a letter released by the White House on Friday. The letter, dated March 8, said the tax returns did not reflect any Trump income from Russian sources, aside from money earned during the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow and the 2008 sale of a Florida estate to a Russian billionaire. Trump’s businesses also may have earned “immaterial” amounts of money from Russians over the years through ordinary sales transactions, including condominium rentals or sales, hotel rooms, rounds of golf, or sales of Trump-licensed products, Sheri Dillon and William Nelson, attorneys at Morgan Lewis and Bockius, said in the letter. The tax returns also did not reflect any payments by Trump or his businesses to Russian lenders, any Trump investments in Russian firms or any investment by Russians in Trump’s companies, the letter said. Morgan Lewis, a global law firm with 30 offices in cities around the world including New York and Moscow, was named Russia Law Firm of the Year in 2016 by London-based Chambers and Partners, a firm that ranks lawyers and law firms. The release of the letter by Trump’s long-time attorneys came as the president sought to calm the furor caused by his firing this week of FBI Director James Comey, who was leading an investigation into possible collusion between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia to influence the U.S. election. Comey’s firing on Tuesday and the White House’s shifting explanations about the rationale for the move have raised concerns among Democrats and others that the White House was trying to blunt the FBI probe. Trump and the White House have denied any such motive, but Trump told NBC on Thursday that the Russia probe was on his mind when he made the decision to fire the FBI director. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on Tuesday he wanted to know more about Trump’s business dealings with Russia and intended to examine whether any connections existed between Russia and the Trump campaign or the president’s associates. The White House welcomed the fact-finding effort by Graham and a subcommittee he chairs. “He has no business in Russia; he has no connections to Russia,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters, adding that the president had directed his law firm to send Graham a certified letter stating as much. | 1 |
5,450 | Germany calls for reconciliation, respect for constitution in Spain | BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany called for reconciliation and respect for the constitution in Spain after separatists triumphed in Catalan regional elections on Thursday in a result that threatens to prolong political tensions there. We hope that the current division in Catalan society can be overcome and that a common future can be found with all political forces in Spain, government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer told a regular government news conference on Friday. Any government will have to act on the basis of the rule of law and the Spanish constitution, she added. | 1 |
5,451 | New Poll EMBARRASSES The Hell Out Of Trump – He Lost To More Than Hillary | While Trump crows about all the unscientific, self-selecting online polls that were rigged by his followers, the scientific polls with credibility are telling a very different post-debate story. One particular poll, which NBC conducted starting from the end of the debate on Sept. 26 into Sept. 27, shows Trump did so poorly that more people said neither candidate won than said Trump won.According to that poll, 52 percent of likely voters said Hillary won. 21 percent said Trump won, and 26 percent said neither candidate won.Image via NBC NewsOuch. Ouch ouch ouch. For someone who was only able to speak for 38 percent of the time, compared to Trump s 62 percent (and constant Just shut up because I am God interruptions), poll numbers like that are pretty astonishing.It s about as bad as when candidates finish worse than none of these candidates at the ballot box. Basically, there is nobody except the Trumpkins who believes Trump did anything of value Monday night. Furthermore, just 26 percent of Republican respondents said that the debate changed their opinion of Trump for the better. That s a pretty sorry number compared to 50 percent of Democratic respondents saying their opinion of Hillary changed for the better.Some Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill were disappointed in Trump and his performance, too. They wanted him to attack Hillary over the dead horse of an email scandal they re so sure makes her unfit to lead the country, and he didn t. Others, however, were frustrated with his inability to put forth succinct talking points: I wish that he d say something, stick with it, and then move on to something else instead of saying the same thing over and over and over, [Arizona Rep. Matt] Salmon said in an interview Tuesday without giving specific examples. It was just throughout the entire debate.' Anyone who tries to read a complete transcript of the debate will have the same frustration, if not worse. Trump literally cannot stick to the point, rambles on, talks in circles, etc., and Hillary wiped the floor with him in part because of that. The rest of it well, she s eminently qualified and he isn t, and she proved it.The NBC poll was conducted online among a sample of 7,541 likely voters, culled from the 3 million adults who take surveys on SurveyMonkey every day. The margin of error is 1.6 percent, so Trump isn t even tied with neither, for second place. He finished dead last.Featured image by Drew Angerer/Getty Images | 0 |
5,452 | U.S. House Democratic women seek probe of Trump misconduct accusations | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 50 female Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives called on Monday for a congressional investigation into allegations by various women of sexual misconduct against President Donald Trump, who has denied the accusations. “We cannot ignore the multitude of women who have come forward with accusations against Mr. Trump,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter, though a formal inquiry was unlikely to result because Republicans control the agenda in Congress. The letter, spearheaded by the Democratic women’s working group, which is composed of all the party’s female members in the House, was signed by 56 lawmakers. It followed a call earlier on Monday by three women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct for a congressional investigation into his behavior. The lawmakers’ request for a probe was sent to leaders of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the main investigative committee in the House. Over the past two years, more than a dozen women have accused Trump of making unwanted sexual advances against them in the years before he entered politics. Monday’s letter from the Democrats said there were at least 17 accusers and listed names. “The president’s own remarks appear to back up the allegations,” the letter said, saying Trump had boasted “that he feels at liberty to perpetrate such conduct against women.” “The president should be allowed to present evidence in his own defense,” said the lawmakers. The letter was addressed to oversight panel Chairman Trey Gowdy, a Republican, and top Democrat Elijah Cummings. Trump last year apologized for talking about groping women in a 2005 tape recording that surfaced weeks before the presidential election, and said he had not done the things he talked about. More recently, Trump has told allies that the voice on the recording was not his, The New York Times reported recently. Trump and White House officials have denied the sexual misconduct allegations against him, some of which date back to the 1980s. “These false claims, totally disputed in most cases by eyewitness accounts, were addressed at length during last year’s campaign, and the American people voiced their judgment by delivering a decisive victory,” a White House spokesperson said in a statement on Monday. | 1 |
5,453 | Spain's Rajoy sacks Catalan government, calls snap election | MADRID (Reuters) - Spain on Friday sacked Catalonia s regional government, dissolved the Catalan parliament and called a snap election in the region for Dec. 21, in a bid to draw a line under Spain s worst political crisis in 40 years. We believe it is urgent to listen to Catalan citizens, to all of them, so that they can decide their future and nobody can act outside the law on their behalf, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said in a televised speech. | 1 |
5,454 | U.S. Supreme Court takes up major transgender rights case | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed for the first time to rule on transgender rights in a case in which a Virginia public school district is fighting to prevent a female-born transgender high school student from using the boys’ bathroom. The justices agreed to hear the Gloucester County School Board’s appeal of a lower court’s April 19 ruling that transgender students are protected under U.S. laws barring sex-based discrimination. The case involves a 17-year-old transgender student named Gavin Grimm, who identifies as male and sued in 2015 to win the right to use the school’s boys’ bathroom. The case, to be argued and decided before the end of June, will be one of the biggest of the court’s term. “I never thought that my restroom use would ever turn into any kind of national debate. The only thing I ever asked for was the right to be treated like everyone else,” Grimm said in a statement. The court’s decision to take the case means Grimm will not be able to use the boys’ bathroom before graduating from high school next year, said Josh Block, his lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union. “These sorts of discriminatory policies stigmatize and isolate transgender students like Gavin just because of who they are,” Block added. The school board’s chairman, Troy Anderson, welcomed the court’s decision to hear the case, saying the board’s policy “carefully balances the interests of all students and parents.” Conservative groups have backed the school board, saying the fight is about student privacy rights. “In light of the right to bodily privacy, federal law should not be twisted to require that a male be given access to the girls’ facilities, or a female to the boys’ facilities,” said Gary McCaleb, a lawyer with the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal group. At the heart of the case is the question of whether transgender people are covered by a ban on gender discrimination in education under federal law. President Barack Obama’s administration concluded that they are, but there is a legal fight over whether judges are required to defer to the government’s view. The justices could side-step a major ruling by focusing their decision on whether the administration followed the correct procedure when it gave public notice about that legal conclusion. The court remains one justice short following the February death of Antonin Scalia, which left it with four conservatives and four liberals. That raises the possibility of a 4-4 ruling that would leave in place the decision favoring Grimm by the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A 4-4 ruling would set no nationwide legal precedent. The court until now had generally steered clear of taking potentially divisive cases while it remained shorthanded. The Supreme Court has not directly ruled on transgender rights before. But in 1994 the court did rule in favor of a male-born transgender prison inmate identifying as a woman who was held with male prisoners and said she was beaten and raped by another inmate. Whether to allow transgender people to use public bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity rather than their birth gender has become the latest flashpoint in the long U.S. battle over lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. In a major gay rights ruling in 2015, the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. The transgender fight heated up after North Carolina passed a Republican-backed law in March that required people to use bathrooms that corresponded to their gender at birth in government buildings and public schools. The North Carolina law, being challenged in court, also blocked local measures protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from discrimination. The Obama administration in May issued nationwide guidance telling public schools that transgender students should be allowed to use the bathroom of their choice. That guidance infuriated many conservatives and prompted a Republican-led legal effort to fight it. Twenty-three states sued to block the guidance. A U.S. district court judge on Aug. 22 issued a nationwide injunction sought by Texas and other states preventing the administration from enforcing the guidance. In the Virginia case, the Supreme Court in July voted 5-3 to temporarily block the appeals court decision from going into effect while the litigation continued, a move that prevented Grimm from using the boys’ bathroom when the new school year began in September. Grimm began attending school as a boy in September 2014. With the school’s permission, Grimm used the boys’ bathroom for about seven weeks without incident. But after complaints from parents, the county school board adopted a new policy in December 2014 that required students to use the bathroom that corresponded with their gender at birth. Since then, Grimm has had to use a separate bathroom. As a result of hormone therapy, Grimm has facial hair and a deep voice. Grimm has also had chest reconstruction surgery but not sex reassignment surgery. | 1 |
5,455 | Arab states believe U.S. aid secure despite defying Trump Jerusalem move | AMMAN/CAIRO (Reuters) - Leading Arab allies threatened with cuts in aid by Donald Trump said on Friday they had no choice but to defy the U.S. president over his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel s capital, and did not believe he would follow through. More than 120 countries, including every Arab nation, voted at the U.N. General Assembly late on Thursday to urge the United States to withdraw its decision, announced earlier this month. Trump threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favor of the U.N. resolution, drafted by Egypt and supported by all members of the U.N. Security Council except Washington. He repeated his threat on Friday, writing on Twitter: After having foolishly spent $7 trillion in the Middle East, it is time to start rebuilding our country! In Egypt and Jordan, among the top recipients of U.S. aid but long the most heavily invested in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Trump s threats were not taken seriously enough to backtrack on firm opposition to the U.S. move. The Americans know more than any one else that a stable Jordan is crucial for U.S. interests in the region, a government minister who asked not to be named said. For its cooperation in defense and other fields, Jordan receives some $1.2 billion annually from Washington. We do not expect the American administration to touch assistance but if it does this will only add to Jordan s economic woes, the minister said. Former Jordanian prime minister Taher al-Masri said Jordan s role as an ally in a volatile region where unrest has led to attacks on U.S. soil would likely keep the aid safe. Trump is not giving us aid as charity. Jordan performs a regional role in stability that we have not gone back on delivering, he said. In a sign of concern over Trump s unpredictability, some Jordanian officials privately expressed worry, however. Masri said the U.N. resolution would have received many more votes from member states had Trump not made his threat. For Arab and Muslim states, anything less than total rejection of Trump s Jerusalem decision would have been impossible, he said. Nations around the world have criticized the move as damaging chances to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has rejected any further U.S. role in the peace process. As home to major Muslim, Jewish and Christian holy sites, Jerusalem s status has long been fought over in rounds of failed negotiations, and ignited deadly conflict between Israeli and the Palestinians. Jordan s monarchy is custodian of Jerusalem s holy shrines, making Amman sensitive to any changes of status of the disputed city. Egypt, which led regional efforts to reject Trump s decision as having a negative impact on security in the region, has been a key broker of past peace deals. Egypt s foreign ministry and presidency could not be reached for comment after several attempts following the General Assembly vote. H.A. Hellyer, an Egypt expert at the Atlantic Council, said Egypt likely felt secure over its $1.3 billion in U.S. military aid despite Trump s threats. I don t think Egypt will be worried ... certainly Trump s inner circle will not be too impressed - but I doubt that it will extend beyond that, he said. Egypt is an important military partner for the United States and is fighting its own Islamist insurgency in part of the vast Sinai Peninsula. Arab countries are unanimous in their rejection of Trump s Jerusalem move. Key allies such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq reiterated their stance at the General Assembly vote. Iraq s foreign ministry described the result as a triumph for international law . Saudi Arabia s delegation said their vote on the Palestinian cause reflected a policy priority since the time of the founder (of Saudi Arabia), King Abdul Aziz. It is unclear if U.N. votes and strong rhetoric alone will force Washington to reverse course, however. Israel, the closest U.S. ally in the Middle East, has heaped praise on Trump. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed his decision, which reversed decades of U.S. policy, as a historic landmark . Israel considers Jerusalem its eternal and indivisible capital and wants all embassies based there. Palestinians want the capital of an independent Palestinian state to be in the city s eastern sector, which Israel captured in a 1967 war and annexed in a move never recognized internationally. | 1 |
5,456 | ‘Let’s Not Be Fake News’: Trump Trolled HARD By Swedish Newspaper | Amateur president Donald Trump routinely propagates fake news while deflecting from major scandals surrounding his chaotic administration. During his ego-rally in Florida Saturday, Trump fabricated a terror attack in Sweden, which he said happened on Friday night. That, of course, never happened. Trump s lie certainly caught officials in Sweden off guard. The the Swedish embassy in Washington has asked the U.S. State Department for an explanation of Trump s claim. The Internet thoroughly mocked Trump s remarks, and considering it was the third fabricated terror attack from team Trump, it was well deserved. And now, a Swedish newspaper is trolling Trump, too.Since Trump said the attack happened last night in Sweden, the English-language newspaper, Aftonbladet, used those words to publish a list of what did happen last night in their country. The article also includes a video of Trump s remarks at the rally. On Sunday Trump clarified on Twitter that he was not referring to a specific event, but to a Fox News story broadcasted Friday evening, the paper writes. Anyway, Mr President, here is what happened in Sweden Friday night, it continues.The list:3:24 PM (local time): A man set himself on fire at Sergels torg, a plaza in central Stockholm. He was taken to the hospital with severe burns. There is so far no information on his motives but the intelligence service is not part of the investigation.6:42 PM: The famous singer Owe Th rnqvist had some technical problems during rehearsal for the singing competition Melodifestivalen . (However, the 87 year old singer still managed to secure the victory the very next day.)8:23 PM: A man died in hospital, after an accident in the workplace earlier that day in the city of Bor s.8:46 PM: Due to harsh weather in the northern parts of Sweden the road E10 was closed between Katterj kk and Riksgr nsen. Due to strong winds and snow in the region the Met office also issued an avalanche warning.12:17 AM: Police officers initiated a chase for a fleeing Peugeot through central parts of the Swedish capital of Stockholm. The pursuit ended in police officers ramming the suspect at Engelbrektsgatan. The driver is now accused of driving under the influence, traffic violation and car theft.IN LIGHTER NEWS: 11:23 AM: Ok, let s not be fake news, this story took place in the autumn, but was reported Friday before lunch and we thought you would like it. A wooden moose got the attention of a lovesick moose bull. It all happened in 79 year old Ove Lindqvist s garden in Byske outside Skellefte , northern Sweden. I thought it was going to start a fight, instead it humped the wooden moose thrice , he said.Trump was just trolled hard on wait for it Presidents Day.Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images. | 0 |
5,457 | combat obesity with a balance of omega and omega | getting minutes of sunlight per day can stop depression vitamin d is one of the most important vitamins your body needs image credits michael pollakflickr
vitamin d is one of the most important vitamins you can give your body
this vitamin can affect nearly genes in your body and the best part of it is that you dont even need a supplement to get your full recommended amount of vitamin d you only need to get out in the sun for a few minutes a day
vitamin d is beneficial for staving off depression without the required amount of vitamin d in your diet or the necessary amount of time spent in the sun you can experience and excessively low mood and other signs of depression
and one of the most wellknown and important benefits of vitamin d is the effect it has an calcium absorption and building healthy bones
this is especially important for children as the vitamin helps with bone growth as well as developing strong teeth those who do not have enough vitamin d may find themselves at risk for fractures or soft bones
thus vitamin d is not only important for children but also women who can be susceptible to brittle bones as they age
the vitamin may also play a crucial role in helping your body ward off disease studies suggest that getting in enough vitamin d can help ward off multiple sclerosis heart disease and help your body steer clear of the dreaded flu
if you dont get enough vitamin d you may find yourself feeling tired or experiencing general aches and pains if the deficiency is severe enough you may also find yourself developing stress fractures
so how do you get enough vitamin d in your diet
you can always purchase supplements most of which contain enough or in some cases more than enough of your daily recommended allowance
it is also naturally found in salmon sardines egg yolk and shrimp milk cereal yogurt and orange juice are often fortified with vitamin d to ensure that you get the recommended amount
for those who live in a sunny climate spending minutes outside per day can actually give you the required amount of vitamin d although it is not advisable to spend too long outside without protection from the sun in the form of sun block or extra layers of clothing it is recommended that you do get outside for at least a small part of the day to soak up those rays
you can however get all of the benefits of vitamin d in your diet or by taking supplements during the winter months when the sun takes a rest or if you happen to live in a colder climate newsletter sign up get the latest breaking news specials from alex jones and the infowars crew related articles | 0 |
5,458 | Davos elite alarmed at prospect of nominee Trump | DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - “Unbelievable”, “embarrassing” even “dangerous” are some of the words the financial elite gathered at the World Economic Forum conference in the Swiss resort of Davos have been using to describe U.S. Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump. Although some said they still expected his campaign to founder before his party picks its nominee for the November election many said it was no longer unthinkable that he could be the Republican candidate. Some noted that whatever the outcome, a heated campaign, which has also seen self-proclaimed Socialist Bernie Sanders provide a tough challenge to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, could alter the U.S. political environment, giving vent to new populist anger on both sides of the political divide. Trump's nationalist rhetoric, particularly proposals to ban Muslims from entering the United States, tax goods made abroad and build a wall on the Mexican border, were never the sort of thing to appeal to the free trade crowd that typically gathers at events like the annual Davos economic forum. “Clearly it is not a rhetoric that is inviting for integration,” said Chile’s Finance Minister, Rodrigo Valdes, referring to his comments on the campaign trail. “In Chile we have a deep view that integration of the Americas is a good thing, whether it is goods, financing and yes people. So I’d be happier with a more welcoming rhetoric.” Among the present and former government officials in the Swiss resort was Eric Cantor, former Republican majority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, now vice-chairman of Moelis & Co, an investment bank. Like much of the Republican party’s establishment, he had cold words for Trump. “He’s not serious. He’s amazing at promoting his personal brand and reflecting an underlying anger at home,” Cantor said. “Trump Fever is an unsustainable phenomenon that will not translate into a victory for the candidate.” But for Ray Nolte, chief investment officer of Skybridge Capital, a $13 billion hedge fund whose founder has supported other Republican candidates including Jeb Bush, such establishment pronouncements sound like wishful thinking. “Is Donald going to be the nominee? I don’t know. It’s sure looking that way now,” Nolte said. “Anyone here (at Davos) who is in the mainstream says there is no way he could possibly get the nomination. When I hear that, it probably means it is going to happen.” Noting the challenge to Clinton from Sanders, which he said could pull her to the left on issues like financial regulation, Nolte said institutional investors were already paying attention to the prospect of increased U.S. political volatility from the election. Arianna Huffington, whose Huffington Post news website once insisted on covering Trump, a former reality TV star, as an entertainment figure rather than a politician, said the site reversed its policy once he announced his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States, which made him too "dangerous" to ignore. “I feel the mainstreaming of Donald Trump, instead of him being treated as an extreme, dangerous candidate, is really the most troubling aspect of American politics right now,” she said. “He’s being interviewed on all the main shows, and he’s being asked questions about what his first State of the Union address would be like if he wins, instead of actually being forced to answer the tough questions about his policy, especially his policy of wanting to ban Muslims from entering the U.S., which is so dangerous, so un-American and should really be the center of the coverage of Trump.” For Dominic Barton, global managing director for business consultancy McKinsey, Trump has turned the political campaign itself into “entertainment”, which could hurt the global image of the United States. “It’s a bit embarrassing globally. But I think there’s a big difference between the rhetoric and the reality, and I think most people will see that and discount it. But it’s incredible how long its been going for. It’s just unbelievable,” he said. But not everyone is worried. Sandeep Dadlani, executive vice president of Indian outsourcing firm Infosys, said his firm has earned the majority of its revenue in the United States for more than 30 years. "We have seen many elections come and go. It is common in all election seasons for rhetoric and extreme personalities to shine. Inevitably we have found governments from both sides to eventually come up with sensible policies," he said. (Reporting by Martinne Geller, Carmel Crimmins, Noah Barkin and others; Writing by Peter Graff; editing by Anna Willard) | 1 |
5,459 | U.S., EU set meeting on airline security, electronic devices | WASHINGTON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. and European officials will discuss airline security issues at a meeting in Brussels next week, including possibly expanding the number of airports that ban passengers from carrying electronic devices bigger than cellphones aboard flights, a European Commission spokeswoman said on Friday. U.S. Homeland Security Department Secretary John Kelly told European ministers by phone Friday the department does not plan to immediately unveil any new measures, the EU said. U.S. Homeland Security spokesman David Lapan said no final decision had been made on whether to expand the restrictions, and he declined to immediately confirm Kelly’s trip to Brussels. “The U.S. and the EU are on the same side when it comes to fighting terrorism and protecting our security,” Dimitris Avramopoulos, EU commissioner for migration, home affairs and citizenship, said in a statement. “Our phone call today proved once again the strong cooperation we have on these matters. I look forward to welcoming Mr Kelly and his experts in Brussels next week to continue our positive talks.” Fears that a bomb could be concealed in electronic devices prompted the United States to announce in March that it would restrict passengers from bringing laptops onto flights originating from 10 airports, including those in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. Britain followed suit with restrictions on a slightly different set of routes. Airlines and several countries affected by the electronics ban have pushed for more consultation with American and British regulators after the abrupt introduction of the restrictions took the industry by surprise. U.S. and European carriers are concerned about the logistics of checking large numbers of devices. Some airline officials say they would need to hire more staff to impose additional curbs and are worried about how much advance notice they would have. On Wednesday, Reuters reported that the Trump administration is likely to include some European countries in the in-cabin electronics ban. Some U.S. and European airlines have been planning for a wider ban, industry officials have told Reuters. European regulators have warned that placing hundreds of devices in the hold on long-haul flights could also compromise safety by increasing the risk of fire from poorly deactivated lithium-ion batteries. The EU said in a document approved Thursday and reviewed by Reuters that it did not “have information that would require the adoption of additional security measures, such as the restrictions being considered by the U.S authorities.” The EU document added that placing laptops in luggage holds “presents an increased safety risk to the aircraft, due to the lithium batteries contained in such devices.” Kelly briefed members of Congress on Thursday and held a meeting with high-level executives of Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), United Airlines (UAL.N), American Airlines Group Inc (AAL.O) and Airlines For America, a trade group. A congressional official said Homeland Security was likely to expand the ban soon but did not say when or to what airports. The airlines declined to comment, but an airline official said government officials suggested an expansion of the ban was expected soon but it wasn’t certain when. The trade group said in a statement it appreciated the meeting “to discuss the current state of aviation security.” The group voted to work with government officials to “minimize the impact on the traveling public by utilizing the risk-based solutions that are the core of our foundation as the safest aviation system in the world.” In 2016, 30 million people flew to the United States from Europe, according to U.S. Transportation Department data. According to airports association ACI Europe, summer schedules for 2017 at airports in 28 European Union countries show there are 3,257 flights per week to the United States. Kelly said last month the ban was likely to expand, given the sophisticated threats in aviation and intelligence findings that would-be attackers were trying to hide explosives in electronic devices. The predicament is reminiscent of the aviation industry’s response to the 2014 downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17. At the time, airlines called for greater sharing of information about potential threats to commercial aircraft from conflict zones, even as intelligence agencies expressed reluctance over the risk of revealing sources. | 1 |
5,460 | Australia to end air strikes in Iraq and Syria, bring Super Hornets home | SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia will end air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and bring its six Super Hornet planes home after three years as part of the U.S.-led coalition in the Middle East, Defence Minister Marise Payne said on Friday. She told a media conference the decision was made following the Iraqi declaration of victory over Islamic State. Following discussions with Iraq and with members of the international coalition, the Australian government has determined that we will bring home our six Super Hornet strike aircraft from the Middle East, Payne told reporters. It has been long. It has been arduous. It has been brutal. All of our personnel made an extraordinary contribution. Australia has been in the Middle East as part of the U.S.-led effort against Islamic State since 2014. Payne said other Australian operations in the region would continue, with 80 personnel who are part of the Special Operations Task Group in Iraq, including Australian special forces, continuing their deployment. Australian soldiers have also been training Iraqi troops at the Taji military base outside Baghdad. | 1 |
5,461 | NY court dismisses suit to block Cruz White House bid | ALBANY, N.Y. (Reuters) - A New York appeals court on Thursday upheld a lower court’s dismissal of a suit seeking to remove Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz from the state’s primary ballot because of his Canadian birth. The New York Appellate Division agreed with the lower court ruling that the suit should be thrown out because it missed the deadline for filing an objection to Cruz’s appearance on the April 19 ballot. Lawyers for Cruz successfully argued that the objectors had filed their petition nearly three weeks late. The appeals judges said they would not address the merits of the case, saying they were “academic.” Roger Bernstein, a lawyer for the petitioners, said his clients intend to appeal the decision. New York residents Barry Korman, 81, of Manhattan, and William Gallo, 85, of Manhasset, had filed the suit, arguing that because Cruz was born in Canada, he is not a “naturally born” citizen as the Constitution dictates for a U.S. president. Cruz has defended himself against similar claims in multiple states, saying he was a U.S. natural born citizen at birth because of his mother’s U.S. citizenship at the time. Cruz was born in 1970 in Calgary, Alberta. | 1 |
5,462 | BREAKING: TRUMP MAKES HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT On American Job Creation…Tired Of Winning Yet? [Video] | Donald Trump said Monday that Japan s SoftBank has agreed to invest $50 billion in the U.S., aiming to create 50,000 jobs.He announced the deal after meeting with SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, a Japanese billionaire and technology investor, at Trump Tower in New York. On Twitter, Trump claimed that Son said he would never do this if Trump had not won the presidential election.But the $50 billion will come from a previously announced $100 billion international investment fund set up with Saudi Arabia, according to Dow Jones. Via: cnbc SO MUCH WINNING! Trump secures $50million investment from Japan s SoftBank Group in US! Wahoo 50,000 JOBS! https://t.co/5w8Xms7tqA Boston Bobblehead (@DBloom451) December 6, 2016 | 0 |
5,463 | BREAKING: Obama Campaigned For But Now Rejects Keystone Pipeline Application | The rejection of the Keystone Pipeline application is further evidence that Obama intends to be more aggressive on his global warming and environmental agenda. Just like everything else he does, this is a political move to trap more power and redistribute wealth via the global warming scam. Obama lied when he campaigned for the pipeline yet another political move to get elected. This guy is as dirty as they come Check this bs out from 3/22/12:President Obama said today he is expediting approval of the southern end of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Oklahoma to the Gulf Coast of Texas and he criticized Republicans for turning an energy and environmental issue into a political one. The southern leg of it, we re making a priority, Obama told workers during an 11-minute speech in Cushing, Okla., the terminus of the pipeline project.House Speaker John Boehner and other Republicans called Obama s permit announcement meaningless because the southern end of the project is due to start construction in June anyway. And they continued to criticize Obama for blocking the northern part of Keystone, connecting the U.S. to oil supplies in Canada.Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck compared Obama s announcement to the governor holding a press conference to renew my driver s license except this announcement still leaves American energy and jobs behind. JUST LISTEN TO THIS JACKWAGON LIE, LIE, LIE: FAST FORWARD TO TODAY:WASHINGTON (AP) The Obama administration rejected a Canadian energy giant s application to build the Keystone XL pipeline on Friday, three individuals familiar with the decision said, capping a seven-year saga that became an environmental flashpoint in Barack Obama s presidency. OBAMA ANNOUNCEMENT ON KEYSTONE: Although the project is dead for now, Obama s rejection will likely not be the last word for Keystone XL.The pipeline s backers are expected to challenge his decision in court, and the Republican-controlled Congress may try to override the president, although those efforts have previously failed. The project could also get a fresh look in 2017 if a Republican wins the White House and invites TransCanada to reapply.Via: The Blaze | 0 |
5,464 | Fatal crash closes Swiss Gotthard road tunnel for hours | ZURICH (Reuters) - The Gotthard road tunnel under the Alps in Switzerland was closed for hours on Wednesday after a truck and a passenger car collided, killing two people and damaging the key transit route, police said. Police in the canton of Uri said four people were also hurt in the head-on crash in the 10-mile (16.9-km) tunnel, a main north-south route for Europe. It said the driver of a car with German number plates crossed the center line for unknown reasons and collided with the truck around 09:15 local time (0815 GMT). The tunnel reopened around 1430 GMT, police said. In October 2001, a head-on collision in the tunnel between two trucks caused a massive fire, killing eleven and injuring many others. | 1 |
5,465 | White House debt path view tied to optimistic growth forecast | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration’s plan to set federal borrowing on a sustainable path relies on stronger economic growth than what is seen by other big government agencies, which in turn have been lowering their expectations. The administration’s view, laid out on Tuesday in its annual budget proposal, is that gross domestic product will grow 2.3 percent each year over the long run. The median policymaker at the Federal Reserve, however, sees long-term growth at 2 percent, which is the same rate seen by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. The differences are modest but show White House economists are being slower to downgrade their view of America’s growth potential. While the Fed and the CBO have been cutting their views on long-term growth in recent years, the White House has held steady in each budget submitted since early 2013. Over the same period, the CBO has cut its view from 2.2 percent and the views of core Fed policymakers have gone from a 2.3-2.5 percent range to a 1.8-2.2 percent range. It is impossible to make a full apples-to-apples comparison between the administration’s view with those of the Fed and CBO. The administration’s projections are based on the assumption its budget is fully enacted, which is unlikely to happen. Proposed immigration law changes would make the workforce younger and more productive while infrastructure investments would also boost efficiency, the administration said in the budget. Prominent academics including former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers and Northwestern University economist Robert Gordon have warned that U.S. growth may have shifted persistently lower in recent decades. A stronger growth view allows the White House to project that the national debt will stay around 75 percent of GDP through 2026. The CBO by comparison sees debt on an upward path over the period, hitting 86 percent in 2026. White House economists acknowledge slower growth would put pressure on the budget, saying in Tuesday’s proposal that a 1 percentage point slowdown in GDP growth would add $3.1 trillion to the deficit in the decade through 2026. The budget also assumes a modest pace of health care inflation, easing strains on the budget created by an aging society, while arguing that proposed investments and immigration reform will help productivity growth. But the proposal notes that slower productivity growth and higher health care costs could result “in a debt explosion, with debt-to-GDP reaching over 500 percent by (around 2090).” | 1 |
5,466 | WATCH: “It’s A Selfless Act”…Melania Trump Explains Why Donald Is Willing To Walk Away From His Business To MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN | She s beautiful, classy, eloquent, and she s devoted to her husband and his quest to Make America Great Again. Melania Trump wants to make one thing perfectly clear however, she s not a yes person. It s really quite refreshing to listen to the woman who could very likely be our next First Lady speak for an extended period of time without ever giving a hint that she has a chip on her shoulder. After 8 long years of living a 5-star life in our White House with her mother in tow, America has grown weary of Michelle Obama s complaining and divisive rhetoric. We re ready for a First Lady who truly loves her country and doesn t feel like she s lived her life being short-changed by everyone else who had a leg up on her. Melania Trump is a proud immigrant who loves her country and it shows in this interview: | 0 |
5,467 | Factbox: Trump on Twitter (Sept 18) - U.S. Air Force, CIA | The following statements were posted to the verified Twitter accounts of U.S. President Donald Trump, @realDonaldTrump and @POTUS. The opinions expressed are his own. Reuters has not edited the statements or confirmed their accuracy. @realDonaldTrump : - Happy 70th Birthday @USAirForce! [0914 EDT] - Happy 70th Birthday @CIA! [0916 EDT] -- Source link: (bit.ly/2jBh4LU) (bit.ly/2jpEXYR) | 1 |
5,468 | New Mexico Is Erasing Actual Science From Their Science Standards | Education standards, it seems, is now a term fraught with intent. By and large, standards are set by the states that uphold them, with localities left to decide how best to implement those standards through lesson plans, specialized curriculum, and testing. But if you re a voter, you have at some point checked a box on a ballot for someone on a school board, or at the very least a school superintendent. That means that in a time like now, when the phrase all politics is local has taken on the most literal meaning you can imagine, local politics can sometimes determine what your children learn.To make matters worse, textbook manufacturers are as subject to political winds and capitalism as the next industry. That means they want to produce their books in markets where they can sell the most, which gives big states like California and Texas, whose student populations vastly outmatch those of other states, huge influence over education standards even outside their borders.When a state is reliably blue, as California is, that can shake out favorably for proponents of science, history, civics basically everything where facts are involved. But when a state is more often red, as in the case of Texas, it can be bad for those same things.What happens, though, when a state is more purple, like New Mexico?We re finding out now. The new science education standards for the southwestern state are raising eyebrows, and that s saying something for a state in which the long-serving Public Education Secretary resigned after 7 years on the job. Hanna Skandera, who was appointed by Republican governor Susana Martinez, had faced intense scrutiny from both Democratic lawmakers and from teachers in the state over previously proposed education reforms. A through F grading for young elementary students and a variety of other changes Skandera had sought while serving in the same capacity in Florida under governor Jeb! Bush made her a target of teachers unions and parent groups across the state.Martinez was very unhappy about the pressure that caused Skandera to resign.But the proposed changes to science in New Mexico were initially based on the Next Generation Science Standards, guidelines released back in 2013 and eventually passed by both chambers of the New Mexico legislature. It was when the proposed changes made it to Governor Martinez desk that issues arose. She vetoed the bill, citing her authority to properly vet the new standards.Now those standards look considerably different than what the legislature passed.Mother Jones outlined some of the changes:Two Democrats in the state, representing Districts 10 and 33, have pointed squarely at Governor Martinez in an op-ed in the Las Cruces Sun-News:During one of the committee hearings, a former member of her staff admitted the reason for the governor s decision. Toward the end of my tenure at the Public Education Department, I was tasked to edit and change some of the language in the standards to make them politically sanitized. No matter whether changes come from school boards, legislatures, or directly from a governor s office, changes to education standards should never be politicized. Unless this is stopped, New Mexico is just setting a new standard for how other states might politicize them in the future.Featured image via Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images | 0 |
5,469 | BAM! HANNITY UNLOADS On Cruz Over Delegates [Audio] | Wow! Did Hannity go too far with Cruz or did he not go far enough?GOP presidential candidate Texas Senator Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and talk radio and Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity engaged in a testy exchange over the delegate process on Hannity s radio show on Tuesday.Hannity began the interview by asking, I think the number one question on the minds of Republicans right now is what is going on with the delegates. For example, if you can explain to people that your campaign, that you have every right, within the rules, to talk to candidates, that are pledged on a first ballot, to candidate A or candidate C, you being candidate B. And that tell us what that process is. Cruz answered that isn t what people are concerned about, and are instead concerned about policy issues and beating Democratic candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Cruz further stated that the media loves to obsess about process. This process, and this whining from the Trump campaign is all silly. It s very, very simple . https://youtu.be/En5jPy8SzjUHannity then cut in to say, I m on social media, with millions of people. I have 550 radio stations. And I have the top-rated cable in my hour, all across the board. And I am telling you, that people are telling me, that they find this whole process confusing. He further stated that this wasn t a process question. It s an integrity of the election question. And everybody s asking me this question. So, I want I m giving you an opportunity to explain it. Cruz responded, Sean, the only people asking this question, are the hardcore Donald Trump supporters. Hannity again cut in to ask, Senator, why do you this? Every single time you you ve got to stop. Every time I have you on the air, and I ask a legitimate question, you try to throw this in my face. I m getting sick of it. I ve had you on more than any other candidate, on radio and TV. So, if I ask you, Senator, a legitimate question to explain to the audience, why don t you just answer it? Cruz then said, Sean, can I answer your question without being interrupted? Cruz then talked about the results in Utah, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Colorado, and Wyoming, all of which Cruz has won. He added, Over 1.3 million people voted in those 5 states. We won all 5. All of this noise and complaining and whining has come from the Trump campaign, because they don t like the fact that they ve 5 elections in a row, that Republicans are uniting behind our campaign. So, they re screaming, on Drudge, and it s getting echoed, this notion of voterless election. It is nonsense. They are making it up. Over 1.3 million people voted. We won landslides in all 5. Cruz continued, Now, there is a second component, beyond the elections, which is the individual delegates are elected by the people. Donald Trump s campaign does not know how to organize on the grassroots. And so, when the delegates are elected, conservative activists, real conservative activists show up, and they elect delegates, and we are winning those elections over and over and over again. The Donald Trump campaign doesn t know what they re doing. They don t show up. In Colorado, the Donald Trump team was handing out flyers asking their supporters to vote for a slate of delegates, they included Cruz delegates on their slate. They just they didn t even know how type up a piece of paper without getting it wrong. In Washington state, when Washington state elected their delegates, three days before the election, the Donald Trump campaign, in a panic, realized Washington state was getting ready to elect their delegates. They sent out an emergency email to their Washington supporters, but they screwed up, and sent it to their Washington, DC supporters, instead of their Washington state supporters. I cannot help that the Donald Trump campaign does not seem capable of running a lemonade stand. Elections are won by voters and grassroots activists showing up and voting for the candidate they support. Via: Breitbart News | 0 |
5,470 | What This Trump Company Did To A Veteran Will Disgust You | Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has claimed that he loves veterans and he loves the military. To be sure, most of the expressions of this supposed love have come in the form of Trump arguing that he would use the military to execute the innocent relatives of terrorists and that he would force members of the armed services to engage in torture practices banned by the Geneva Convention.But now it has been revealed that one of Trump s companies treated a military veteran in a disgusting way.Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has been vocal about the need to take care of U.S. veterans. He s said that if elected, he ll put our service men and women on a path to success as they leave active duty. But that s not what the Trump Institute, a get-rich-quick real estate seminar, did for Richard Wright, a senior master sergeant in the Air Force reserves who worked for the company in 2006 and 2007. Wright was deployed to Afghanistan in the spring of 2007. When he came home to his job, the Trump Institute fired him. All of your absences, Wright s boss at the Trump Institute told him, had forced the company to reevaluate your position with the Trump Institute. It is a violation of federal law to penalize an employee for absences caused by military service.Wright provided the Huffington Post with proof he was awarded three medals for outstanding service during his time serving in Afghanistan.Stories about the shady and sometimes unethical business practices Trump engaged in or lent his name to over his career will continue to plague the candidate as he tries to restart and remake his image in preparation for the general election.It is unlikely to work and Trump s rhetoric will continue to be exposed as empty words hiding behind the military.Featured image via Flickr | 0 |
5,471 | Boiler Room #97 – Mermaids and Swamp Life | Tune in to the Alternate Current Radio Network (ACR) for another LIVE broadcast of The Boiler Room starting at a special time tonight 6:00 PM PST | 8:00 PM CST | 9:00 PM EST for this special broadcast. Join us for uncensored, uninterruptible talk radio, custom-made for bar fly philosophers, misguided moralists, masochists, street corner evangelists, media-maniacs, savants, political animals and otherwise lovable rascals.Join ACR hosts Hesher and Spore along with Stewart Howe, Infidel Pharaoh, FunkS0ul and Randy J for the 97th episode of BOILER ROOM. Water the kids, put the plants to bed and get your favorite mead horn ready so you can drop deep into the Boiler Room with the crew. Tonight the gang is discussing the latest on Trump, immigration, cultural warfare, media psyops, virtual reality, trans humanism, Bundy Ranch trial, Brexit, the nature of Islam and a myriad of news and main stream media shenanigans that have taken place since the last meeting of the ACR brain-trust know as THE BOILER ROOM.Direct Download Episode #97Please like and share the program and visit our donate page to get involved!Reference Links: | 0 |
5,472 | This Insane GOP Congressman WANTS The Mentally Ill To Have Guns (TWEET) | For years now, sane-minded individuals in Congress alongside President Obama have tried to enact common sense gun reform. And now, where those in Congress have failed to act, the president is doing what he can to tighten up existing gun laws and make sure those who shouldn t have guns don t get them.With Obama s bold actions to curb the epidemic of gun violence comes very open dissent from several members of Congress. They ve chosen to side with insanity and the gun lobby over common sense.One member of Congress, Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) decided to opt so far away from common sense, that he tweeted this regarding President Obama s actions: Under Obama s executive gun-control action, your doctor may report you to the FBI. Under Obama's executive gun-control action, your doctor may report you to the FBI. https://t.co/MOEAmQdgDa John Fleming (@RepFleming) January 5, 2016Now, any human being with even the slightest bit of common sense would agree that doctors better damn well be reporting mentally ill patients to the FBI.Furthermore, the disclosure to the FBI from doctors restricts any form of revealing what a diagnosis would be, so privacy is still protected while safety concerns still reached. Starting next month, no legal repercussions can effect the doctors doing their due diligence. The new rule states: The disclosure is restricted to limited demographic and certain other information needed for NICS purposes. Chief executive of the mental health rights advocate Mental Health America, Paul Gionfriddo, even stated: That could be a barn door opened quite wide if an administration really wanted to open it, and they didn t. The administration has taken great pain to try to clarify that there is very limited information that would be reported only within a very limited group. All of this begs the question, who would be against such measures? And clearly Rep. Fleming raised his hand in enthusiastic agreement that doctors should keep their mouths shut and the mentally ill should have easy access to firearms.This goes directly against the NRA and right-wing aphorism that it s not the gun, it s the person. However, if you re against keeping guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, then you aren t following through with that logic, and now Rep. Fleming can forevermore be labeled a dangerous hypocrite.Thank goodness President Obama is in power and is taking action when Congress refuses to do their job. It is the job of those who represent us to act in our best interest. However, so many choose to act in the best interest of those lining their pockets with lobbying dollars, and in this case, it s the gun lobby.Shame on you, Rep. Fleming.Featured image via Flickr | 0 |
5,473 | Fox News Republican debate draws biggest audience of 2016 contests | (Reuters) - A raucous Republican Party debate on Thursday drew the biggest audience for a televised U.S. presidential match-up in 2016, according to early ratings data, but viewership was well below the record set last August. The Fox News Channel (FOXA.O) debate among Republican front-runner Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and John Kasich drew 16.9 million viewers, according to early Nielsen data provided by the network on Friday. That was higher than the last Republican Party debate, which aired on cable channel CNN and Telemundo on Feb. 25 and brought in a TV audience of 14.5 million. Republican debates have drawn much higher TV audiences in this U.S. presidential cycle than those involving Democrats. The debate was the four remaining candidates’ first face-to-face encounter since Super Tuesday nominating contests this week gave extra momentum to Trump but did not knock out his rivals.[L2N16C03W] Fox News holds the record for the largest audience for a non-sports cable TV program. Some 24 million Americans tuned in when it hosted the first of the U.S. presidential debates in August 2015. Thursday’s debate in Detroit was the second-highest rated telecast in network history, Fox said. At Thursday’s debate, Trump’s rivals assailed him for shifting positions on the issues but said in the end they would reluctantly support him if he were their party’s nominee. (Reporting by Jill Serjeant and Emily Stephenson; Editing by Alistair Bell and Bill Trott; For more on the 2016 U.S. presidential race and to learn about the undecided voters who determine elections, visit the Reuters website.; here) This article was funded in part by SAP. It was independently created by the Reuters editorial staff. SAP had no editorial involvement in its creation or production. | 1 |
5,474 | British Speaker opposes letting Trump address parliament | LONDON (Reuters) - The speaker of Britain’s lower house of parliament said on Monday he would not support any plans for U.S. President Donald Trump to address parliament during a state visit planned for later this year, citing Trump’s temporary immigration ban as a factor. More than 1.8 million people in Britain have signed a petition calling for Trump’s planned visit to be canceled or downgraded to avoid embarrassing Queen Elizabeth, part of a grassroots backlash against his immigration policies. Prime Minister Theresa May has defended the decision to offer a state visit, but more than 150 lawmakers have signed a symbolic motion calling for Trump not to be given the honor of speaking in parliament. Asked by an opposition Labour lawmaker about the possibility of a parliamentary address, House of Commons speaker John Bercow said he shared the concerns. “As far as this place (parliament) is concerned, I feel very strongly that our opposition to racism and to sexism and our support for equality before the law and an independent judiciary are hugely important considerations,” Bercow said, earning a round of applause from lawmakers. Trump’s executive order barring entry to the United States for refugees and people from seven Muslim-majority countries has prompted worldwide protests, including by thousands of demonstrators in London. The temporary immigration ban faced a legal hurdle on Monday that could determine whether he can push through the most controversial and far reaching policy of his first two weeks in office. As one of the key figures whose approval would be needed for a parliamentary address, Bercow said he would oppose any possible move to invite Trump to speak in either of the two locations which host foreign leaders during state visits. In 2011, Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama became the first U.S. president to address both houses of parliament in Westminster Hall, the oldest building in the parliamentary palace, which has also hosted South Africa’s Nelson Mandela and France’s Charles de Gaulle. “Before the imposition of the migrant ban, I would myself have been strongly opposed to an address by President Trump in Westminster Hall. After the imposition of the migrant ban by President Trump, I am even more strongly opposed to an address by President Trump in Westminster Hall,” Bercow said. “An address by a foreign leader to both houses of parliament is not an automatic right; it is an earned honor.” | 1 |
5,475 | OR Police Chief ‘Accidentally’ Shot Camping Buddy, Then Lied About It | Portland, Oregon Police Chief Larry O Dea is expected to step down on Monday. O Dea s anticipated resignation comes in response to public outrage over a shooting that occurred during a camping trip in April.According to the Los Angeles Times, O Dea and a group of friends were drinking beer and shooting at sage rats during the spring camping trip, when one of the men, 54-year-old Robert Dempsey, was shot in the back.When interviewed by deputies, Chief O Dea insisted he had nothing to do with the shooting. His story was that his camping buddy had somehow accidentally shot himself in the back.The Oregonian reports:O Dea told the Harney County deputy that his friend may have accidentally shot himself while putting his pistol in his shoulder holster while they were shooting ground squirrels, sheriff s reports show.The deputy reported smelling alcohol on O Dea s breath, his report said. O Dea had told the deputy he didn t have his rifle in his hand at the time, but was reaching for a drink out of a cooler and heard his friend scream.Later however, O Dea called Dempsey to apologize for shooting him.Dempsey reported the police chief s call to deputies in charge of the investigation.According to the Oregonian, the Mayor and Police Chief kept the story from the public until late May, when reporters began asking questions.On May 20, nearly a month after the shooting, O Dea finally admitted that he had a negligent discharge of his firearm.Aside from the police chief, at least four assistant police chiefs are accused of helping to conceal what really happened the day Dempsey was shot. Those four law enforcement officers are also under investigation for not taking internal action.The Harney County Sheriff s Department have taken over the criminal investigation. The shooting is also being investigated by the Oregon State Police and the state Department of Justice.O Dea is a thirty year veteran of the police force. I m sure he has had years of training on gun safety and completed numerous courses on how to be a responsible gun owner. Yet he still shot another man in the back accidentally. Thankfully, the victim of the police chief s careless, potentially illegal behavior wasn t killed by the bullet that struck him.Since all four assistant police chiefs are under investigation, it s unknown at this time who will be appointed to take O Dea s place.Image credit: Portland Police Department | 0 |
5,476 | Portugal heading for another record year for tourist arrivals | LISBON (Reuters) - The number of foreign tourists visiting Portugal jumped around 13 percent in January-July, putting the country firmly on track for another record year for tourism, which has been a key driver of its economic recovery since a 2011-14 debt crisis. The National Statistics Institute said on Thursday in its monthly data on the hotel sector that over 7.1 million foreign visitors stayed in Portuguese hotels through July, which helped drive total hotel revenues over 17 percent higher to 1.8 billion euros ($2.14 billion). Portugal s arrivals growth outpaced those in neighboring Spain, which chalked up a 11 percent rise in the same period, according to official Spanish data. Despite a deceleration in July from June levels, both the tourist arrivals and revenues so far this year maintained the pace of growth seen in 2016, when tourist arrivals exceeded 10 million for the first time. August is traditionally the strongest month by far for holiday-making in Portugal, which lures foreign visitors with its beaches, historic sites and some of the lowest prices for wining and dining in western Europe. Pop star Madonna has this month become the most illustrious of a growing number of foreign residents in Portugal, which was also named Europe s top destination for expatriates in a survey by social network InterNations. Hotel revenues and all travel-related revenues account for about 10 percent of Portugal s gross domestic product. The tourism sector is also a key source of employment. Tourism has been growing since 2011, helping the heavily indebted country overcome its economic and debt crisis. Economic growth this year is expected to accelerate to over 2 percent from 1.4 percent in 2016. Portugal has opened dozens of new hotels in the past year and private entrepreneurs have redeveloped hundreds of apartment buildings in old parts of Lisbon and other areas to rent to tourists, helping the country s flagging construction sector. | 1 |
5,477 | U.S. lawmakers back Syria strikes, demand a plan from Trump | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Members of the U.S. Congress from both parties on Friday backed President Donald Trump’s cruise missile strikes on Syria, but demanded he develop a strategy for dealing with the broader conflict and consult with Congress on any further action. In the biggest foreign policy decision of his presidency, Trump ordered the firing of cruise missiles at a Syrian air base that U.S. officials said was the launching point for a deadly chemical weapons attack against Syrian civilians this week. “The strike was well planned, well executed. It was certainly more than a pinprick, and sends a message ... that using chemical weapons again is not something (Syrian president Bashar al-Assad) can do with impunity,” Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told a news conference. McConnell said Vice President Mike Pence had called him to explain the rationale for the strikes. It was one of a series of calls by administration officials to members of Congress beginning shortly before the strikes and extending until after midnight on Thursday evening. Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was called by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Trump himself. After seeing the devastation in Syria and visiting refugee camps, he said he became emotional when he heard the news. “When I talked to the president last night, I told him how proud I was of our country. And him,” Corker said. Democratic Senator Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, had called. “I am hopeful these strikes will convince the Assad regime that such actions should never be repeated,” Warner said in a statement. Partisan debate over how to deal with Syria has been bitter. In 2013, then-President Barack Obama ran into stiff resistance from many Republicans, including McConnell, when he proposed military action to retaliate for a chemical attack that crossed Obama’s red line. Many Democrats, some of whom had paid a political penalty for backing Republican President George W. Bush’s war in Iraq, also opposed intervention. Obama’s abrupt decision not to fire missiles and instead work with Russia to remove Assad’s chemical weapons infuriated many Republicans who had backed the Democratic president’s proposal. The conflict in Syria has now dragged on for seven years, devastating the country, destabilizing the region and leaving millions homeless. Republican Senator Marco Rubio said he wanted a broader strategy. “I would love to have one yesterday, or the day before. I’d like to have one already but I’d rather them design it correctly than not,” he said, leaving a briefing by General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Most lawmakers insisted Trump should seek Congress’ approval for any additional military action. “Congress must live up to its Constitutional responsibility to debate an Authorization of the Use of Military Force against a sovereign nation,” Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi wrote in a letter asking Speaker Paul Ryan to call the House of Representatives back to Washington to debate a formal authorization to use military force. The House is not due to return until late April. Republican Senator Rand Paul, a member of the foreign relations committee, called the Syria strikes illegal. Under the U.S. Constitution, declarations of war require congressional approval. “We’ve had no chance to weigh or weigh in on whether we should do it or not,” Paul told reporters. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, another committee member, said that if Congress does not assert itself now, it risked losing its constitutional right to declare war. “I think it’s devastating to the future role of Congress in foreign affairs. If we don’t authorize this action, I don’t see why any president would ever come to Congress,” Murphy said. | 1 |
5,478 | Cruz Brutally Mocks Trump For Trying To Back Out Of CNN Town Hall (TWEET) | Once again, Republican front runner Donald Trump resorted to acting like a moody 5-year-old by threatening not to take part in CNN s Republican town hall scheduled for Tuesday night. Having seen Trump engage in this childish behavior more than once before, rival candidate Ted Cruz trolled the business mogul relentlessly, explaining that Our friend Donald finds debates very, very stressful. They make his hair stand on end. It all started on Tuesday morning, when Trump tweeted out a whiny message to his followers that suggested he might skip the town hall because CNN had treated him unfairly by not given him enough airtime and supposedly favored his opponents by giving them more interviews:TwitterSure enough, this tweet only got the spotlight for two hours because soon word of Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski s arrest for assaulting a female reporter would make headlines and overshadow Trump s complaints.According to an analysis done by RealClearPolitics, both Cruz and Trump are tied in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the town hall is being held. Cruz was clearly up for the challenge when he said that it s neck and neck. Donald Trump and I are effectively tied in the state of Wisconsin. That means any candidate running for president owes it to come in front of the state and actually debate. Cruz insisted that Wisconsin residents deserved to see a debate between the two candidates but that he was unsure it would take place. Still, the Texas senator continued to challenge Trump to a one-on-one standoff: We re in the same location. They got the TV cameras; they got the moderators the one thing they re missing is The Donald. Donald prefers to communicate in 140 characters or less. Cruz s renewed vigor comes just after having received an endorsement from former presidential hopeful Gov. Scott Walker (R), who said Cruz was a principled constitutional conservative who can win. Featured image via Getty Images / George Frey | 0 |
5,479 | SUB-HUMANS: Surveillance VIDEO Captures 4 Black Males Brutally Beating 37-Yr Old White Male, Break His Bones, Steal His Wallet, After Offering To Help Pay For Their Meals | A group of people beat a man in a Brooklyn restaurant after he offered to help pay for their food, police said. Surveillance video captured the brutal beating inside Texas Chicken and Burgers in Prospect Park South earlier this month. Police released the video in the hopes of catching the four suspects.After the 37-year-old victim offered to help pay for two of the suspects meals, they began yelling at him and then started punching him and beating him with his own cane, police said. While the man tried to protect himself from the violent blows, two other suspects charged into the restaurant and also began beating the man, kicking him in his head and body, according to police.While the victim was lying on the ground, another man came in and appeared to steal from the man s pockets, police said. Source: Group Breaks Man s Bones After He Offers to Help Pay for Their Food. NBC New YorkIronically, after eight long years with a mixed-race president who could have done so much to bring races closer together, America is watching everything the great Martin Luther King, Jr. and those of every race who fought to integrate our society fall apart | 0 |
5,480 | U.S. retaliates against Russia, orders closure of consulate, annexes | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has told Russia to close its consulate in San Francisco and buildings in Washington and New York that house trade missions, the State Department said on Thursday, in retaliation for Moscow cutting the U.S. diplomatic presence in Russia. The announcement was the latest in tit-for-tat measures between the two countries that have helped to drive relations to a new post-Cold War low, thwarting hopes on both sides that they might improve after U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January. Last month, Moscow ordered the United States to cut its diplomatic and technical staff in Russia by more than half, to 455 people to match the number of Russian diplomats in the United States, after Congress overwhelmingly approved new sanctions against Russia. The sanctions were imposed in response to Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and to punish Russia further for its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. We believe this action was unwarranted and detrimental to the overall relationship between our countries, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement on Thursday, adding that the United States had completed the reduction. In the spirit of parity invoked by the Russians, Nauert said, the United States has required the Russian government to close its San Francisco consulate and two annexes in Washington, D.C. and New York by Sept. 2. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson informed Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of the closures in a phone call on Thursday, a senior Trump administration official said. The two men plan to meet on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in September, the official said. Lavrov expressed regret about Washington s decision during the phone call with Tillerson, his ministry said. Moscow will closely study the new measures announced by the Americans, after which our reaction will be conveyed, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. The latest U.S. move caps eight months of back-and-forth retaliatory measures between the two countries spanning two U.S. administrations. In December, the administration of Barack Obama closed two Russian countryside vacation retreats in Maryland and New York, saying the compounds had been used for intelligence-related purposes. The closures were part of a broader response, including the expulsion of 35 suspected Russian spies, to what U.S. officials have called cyber interference by Moscow in the 2016 elections. The Kremlin has denied the allegations. Trump came into office wanting to improve relations with Russia, a desire that was hamstrung by the election interference allegations. The new sanctions passed by Congress conflicted with Trump s goals, but he grudgingly signed them into law this month. The United States said last week that it would have to sharply scale back visa services in Russia, a move that will hit Russian business travelers, tourists and students. The Russian consulate in San Francisco handles work from seven states in the Western United States. There are three other Russian consulates separate from the embassy in Washington. They are in New York, Seattle and Houston. The consulate in San Francisco is the oldest and most established of Russia s consulates in the United States, the senior Trump administration official told reporters. An official residence at the consulate will also be closed. No Russian diplomats are being expelled, and the diplomats assigned to San Francisco can be re-assigned to other posts in the United States, the official said. The Russians can continue to retain ownership of any of the closed facilities, or sell them, but will not be allowed to carry out diplomatic activities there, the official said. Even after these closures, Russia will still maintain more diplomatic and consular annexes in the United States than we have in Russia, the official said. We ve chosen to allow the Russian government to maintain some of its annexes in an effort to arrest the downward spiral in our relationship. | 1 |
5,481 | Senate Republicans have 50 votes to pass tax bill: Cornyn | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The No. 2 U.S. Senate Republican John Cornyn said on Friday he was confident Republicans have the 50 votes necessary to pass a tax overhaul bill in the chamber. “We are confident of the 50 and would like to build on that,” Cornyn said. | 1 |
5,482 | Miss Texas Gave A VERY Unexpected Answer When Asked About Trump, And Republicans Are Furious | Long before Cara Mund, Miss North Dakota, won the 2018 Miss America pageant, she faced a crowd of 50 other young women, all competing in various categories for the coveted crown. Two of those categories, to most of our readers, are patriarchal and silly: The evening wear and swimwear competitions pit all these beautiful young women against one another for assessment on their looks by a panel of judges.The other two categories, however, can be quite interesting, especially when something happens like what went down with Miss Texas in this year s competition.The talent portion of the show is, of course, just plain entertaining. Perhaps you ve seen the movie Miss Congeniality, starring Sandra Bullock, and if you have, you know what I m hoping to see in a talent show. The real thing is very little like that, however, and so is the interview portion of Miss America. Source: Meme Central, a folder on my computerTonight, Miss Texas was no Miss Rhode Island. There were two rounds of questions this time around, and when Margana Wood was called on for the second, more serious question, she got a doozy. Drawing a judge s name from a dish, she pulled Jess Cagle, the editor-in-chief of People Magazine. Cagle wasted zero time getting right to it: Last month, a demonstration of neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and the KKK in Charlottesville, Virginia turned violent and a counter-protester was killed. The president said there was shared blame with, quote, very fine people on both sides. Were there? Tell me yes or no, and explain. Well, then. That s a far cry from every participant simply answering World Peace! whenever their turn came around to say the one thing to the world they had in their heart. Ms. Wood was not, as they say, f*cking around. Barely containing her anger, Margana turned it up to 11: I think that the white supremacist issue, it was very obvious that it was a terrorist attack. And I think that president Donald Trump should have made a statement on it earlier, addressing the fact, and making sure all Americans feel safe in this country. That is the number one issue right now. Naturally, Republicans were butthurt. Here s a summation of all the cleverest things they came up with in response:#MissAmerica pageant should be renamed "Miss Liberal America" pageant Kurt (@KMGIndy) September 11, 2017OOOH! We re gonna need to call the burn ward! Just kidding, go f*ck yourself, Kurt.Watch the amazing exchange here:Miss Texas was asked if Trump handled Charlottesville badly. She, uh didn't play. ?? #MissAmerica pic.twitter.com/5JMT4tBpeL shauna (@goldengateblond) September 11, 2017Featured image via Donald Kravitz/Getty Images | 0 |
5,483 | UK top court seeks clarity on how to handle EU rulings after Brexit | LONDON (Reuters) - Britain s Supreme Court would like clearer guidance from parliament on how it should deal with European Union court judgments after Brexit, its new president said on Thursday. The issue of what weight, if any, judgments of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) will have in British law after the United Kingdom leaves the European Union is one of many thorny areas in the Brexit negotiations. Brenda Hale, who was sworn in as president of the Supreme Court on Monday after serving as one of its justices for 13 years, said she and her colleagues were looking for guidance from parliament on the issue. We hope that the European Union Act, when it s eventually passed, will tell us what we should be doing - giving us the power to take into account, or saying we must take into account, or saying we must ignore, she told reporters. Whatever parliament decides we should do, we would like to be told because then we ll get on and do it. A government policy paper issued in August said Britain wished to leave the direct jurisdiction of the ECJ while also recognizing that future civil judicial cooperation would need to take into account regional legal arrangements such as the ECJ. The European Union says that for certain issues, such as the rights of EU citizens in Britain, the ECJ must continue to have its say - a stance strongly rejected by the most ardent advocates of Brexit. Hale said the government policy papers issued over the summer were at quite a high level of generality and described them as aspirational. But she praised the formulation used by Prime Minister Theresa May in a major speech on Brexit in Florence on Sept. 22. May said that where there was uncertainty around EU law, she wanted UK courts to be able to take into account ECJ judgments. Take account is quite useful because it does give one the power to take it into account, but also the power to say for the following good reasons, we think something else, said Hale. Her deputy, Jonathan Mance, said the form of words used in the EU Withdrawal Bill currently going through parliament was a weaker formula . The bill says that British courts need not have regard to anything done on or after exit day by the European Court ... but may do so if it considers it appropriate to do so . | 1 |
5,484 | Storm Maria brings fear, pain and shock to Puerto Ricans | SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) - Miguel Cruz awoke to the descent of Hurricane Maria on his home on Wednesday morning when the massive storm peeled off most of the roof, sent his belongings flying in all directions, but left intact an icon of Jesus hanging above his bed. Cruz was one of thousands of Puerto Ricans picking through the wreckage left by Maria after the hurricane devastated basic services on the debt-laden U.S. territory, pitching most of its 3.4 million residents into darkness as night fell. Crashing into Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, Maria flipped the tops off buildings, knocked out phones and electricity across the island and turned low-lying roads into swollen rivers awash with debris. I was terrified. I prayed to God that the door and windows wouldn t open, said Sonja Alvarez, 52, who spent 10 hours shut in a bedroom with her family while Maria raged outside. But there came a point when I thought they would. Trees were torn apart, windows shattered and exposed homes turned inside out by Maria, which killed at least one man, who was struck by a piece of flying lumber. The storm also killed at least nine elsewhere in the Caribbean. By 11 p.m. EDT (0300 GMT), Maria was drifting away from Puerto Rico. The slowing storm was blowing maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kph) and was 55 miles (90 km) off the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic, the National Hurricane Center said. The brutal winds left streets in the historic Old Town of the Puerto Rican capital, San Juan, strewn with rubble, from collapsed balconies to fallen lamp posts and dead birds. Among the most dramatically damaged areas in the capital was La Perla, a small barrio nestled into the steep hill separating the stone walls of Old San Juan from the sea. Once a notorious slum, La Perla s image has brightened in recent years as it has become an artsier enclave with colorful homes providing the setting for the megahit Despacito by Puerto Rican singers Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee. However, the red, wooden home of area resident Cruz was reduced to a roofless jumble, with the front door hanging at right angles to the frame. Behind it, a painting of the Sacred Heart of Jesus looked out from a bare white wall. (Maria) has turned my house into a convertible. I can see the stars, the 45-year-old self-employed laborer said wryly, after relating how he had fled to a bunker downstairs with his pit-bull, Estrella. I m sort of used to these things, Cruz added. But this was tough. Down the slope from his home stood the shattered hulk of a concrete and steel garage with five cars trapped under the roof and sidewall that gave way under Maria s battering. Beyond his home, near the stone walls of the 500-year-old city, a cooker, a fridge and a toilet stood exposed atop another wooden house with views of the Caribbean. There used to be another floor, said Angela Torres, 32, explaining that the rest of the kitchen, two bedrooms and living room had been stripped from the building by Maria. After the rooms flew off, Torres, who had hunkered down on Tuesday night with her 87-year-old grandmother one floor below, learnt that Maria had knocked down one wall and the balcony of her own home a few miles away. I almost died when they sent me the photos, she said. But I haven t been able to go yet because you can t get out. Many in the capital left their coastal homes for refuge elsewhere, filling hotels across the city. Some returned to find their flats ruined by Maria, battered and full of water. Gingerly entering her sodden fifth-storey flat in the heart of Old San Juan, Aida Pietri was suddenly gripped by panic as the battered door to her rooftop terrace slammed open and shut in the wind and a bird flew through it. Where are my daughter s ashes? she said, rummaging through the scattered cushions, plants and papers. Eventually her eyes alighted on a metal box, and she found them, undamaged. | 1 |
5,485 | Connecticut readies austerity budget vote, aims to cut around $1 billion | NEW YORK (Reuters) - Connecticut’s lawmakers are aiming to pass an austerity budget for the coming financial year on Wednesday that cuts spending by nearly $1 billion as the state struggles with revenues that are falling well short of projections. Details of a deal reached between Governor Dannel Malloy and fellow Democrats were sparse early on Wednesday afternoon as budget staffers rushed to prepare the documents ahead of a vote later in the day. The budget for fiscal year 2016-2017, which starts on July 1, will cut spending by $830 million, divert $100 million from transportation and other funds and sweep $30 million from various agency accounts, said Adam Joseph, a spokesman for Connecticut Senate Democrats. The spending plan is aimed at closing a $960 million hole in next year’s finances that officials have blamed on falling capital gains tax receipts due to a volatile stock market. Malloy proposed an $18.14 billion general fund budget in February that cut discretionary spending but did not raise taxes. Since then the projected revenue shortfall for next year ballooned from $560 million to its current $960 million. The state’s legislative session ends at midnight on Wednesday but the budget vote could keep legislators up until the small hours. Both chambers of Connecticut’s General Assembly are dominated by Democrats. Connecticut, despite being one of the wealthiest states in the nation on a per capita income basis, has struggled to recover from the financial crisis and recession of 2007-2009. The state also faces a gap of around $260 million in the current fiscal year, despite a series of cuts. Malloy has said 2,000 state employees could be laid off in what he calls a “new economic reality.” The governor has also frozen pay rises for managers in state government. | 1 |
5,486 | Libya says pushing to be removed from Trump travel ban list | TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya’s internationally recognized government has appealed to the United States to drop or ease a travel ban imposed on its citizens by U.S. President Donald Trump, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. “The Libyan Foreign Ministry, through its embassy in Washington, has begun to take measures to lift Libya from the list of countries and to ease the restrictions on Libyan citizens,” the ministry said in a statement. Libya is one of six Muslim-majority countries subject to the travel ban. This week the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the ban to take full effect while litigation over its ultimate validity continues. The ban was also discussed at a meeting between Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Siyala and U.S Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke on Monday, the statement said. | 1 |
5,487 | Abducted Swiss aid worker freed in Sudan's Darfur | KHARTOUM (Reuters) - A 72-year-old Swiss aid worker was freed by security forces early on Wednesday more than a month after she was abducted in Sudan s Darfur region, officials said. Margaret Schenkel later flew back to the capital Khartoum, but did not give details of her ordeal to waiting journalists. She was kidnapped on Oct. 7 in the main city in North Darfur region, El Fasher, a hub for relief workers and U.N./African Union peacekeepers. Security forces launched an operation to free her from a rural area where she was being held outside the southern town of Kutum, a spokesman for the regional government said. The leader and one member of the six-man kidnapping gang had been arrested, Sudan s foreign ministry spokesman, Qarib al-Khidr, said. Neither Switzerland nor Sudan paid a ransom, he added. Khartoum has been at war with rebel groups in Darfur since 2003, but much of the conflict has descended into banditry and gangs have kidnapped people for ransom. The Swiss foreign ministry thanked Sudan for its help in freeing Schenkel. Officials have not named her aid group. | 1 |
5,488 | BOOM! 4 VENUES CANCEL KATHY GRIFFIN Appearances After She Blames Trump For Her Career Ending Decision To Pose With His Severed Head | Backlash against Kathy Griffin continues to grow with at least four venues announcing that they had canceled her performances after the comedian posed with a likeness of President Donald Trump s severed head.Venues in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania have canceled shows. The Community Arts Theater in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, posted on its website that the show had been dropped due to the recent controversy surrounding Kathy Griffin and the concern for the safety and security of our patrons and staff. Earlier this week, CNN said Griffin would no longer co-host its live New Year s Eve special from Times Square and another show was canceled at a New Mexico casino. An endorsement deal with Squatty Potty also ended.Sen. Al Franken has dis-invited Griffin from an event promoting his new book, Giant of the Senate. Franken says he has heard from constituents who were rightfully offended, leading the Minnesota Democrat to change his mind from earlier, when he had said she was still welcome. He says he takes seriously that Minnesotans were upset by her behavior, which he characterizes as inappropriate and not something that should be anywhere in the national discourse.It s the latest fallout after the comedian posed with a likeness of President Donald Trump s severed head.Kathy Griffin s attorney says the comedian has been contacted by the Secret Service in the wake of her controversial photo shoot in which she posed with the likeness of President Donald Trump s severed head.Attorney Lisa Bloom says Griffin has retained a criminal attorney, who also appeared at a Friday press conference in which Griffin apologized again for the images. Griffin said she is the subject of a Secret Service investigation, but did not provide any further information about the inquiry or if she was cooperating.Griffin says she will not refrain from joking about Trump in the future.Since the comedian posed with a likeness of President Donald Trump s severed head, she has been fired from her annual gig hosting CNN s New Year s Eve special and several performances have been canceled at venues across the U.S. | 0 |
5,489 | Merkel critical of U.S. immigration ban, spokesman tells Spiegel | BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel has criticized a new U.S. travel ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries, the online site of German newsmagazine Der Spiegel reported Sunday. “She is convinced that even the necessary, decisive battle against terrorism does not justify putting people of a specific background or faith under general suspicion,” Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, told the magazine. U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday ordered a four-month hold on allowing refugees into the United States and temporarily banned travelers from Syria and six other predominantly-Muslim countries. | 1 |
5,490 | Trump Lashes Out At CEOs, Suggests He’ll Replace Them With Ones Who Support His Racism | Donald Trump attacked the CEOs who are leaving his Manufacturing Council over his failure to condemn Nazis.In the days since his weak reaction to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia in which he blamed both sides, three CEOs of major companies did the right thing by calling Trump out and stepping down from the council.Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier was the first to leave the council, drawing an attack from Trump. What made this particular situation worse is that Frazier is black and Trump attacked him just after refusing to condemn white nationalists.Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank was the next to resign, followed by Intel CEO Brian Krzanich.Of course, Trump feels personally insulted because he thinks anyone who works for him or with him should show him complete loyalty, even it that means supporting his racism and hate.And so, Trump accused the three CEOs of grandstanding and suggested he will replace them with CEOs who will be blindly loyal.For every CEO that drops out of the Manufacturing Council, I have many to take their place. Grandstanders should not have gone on. JOBS! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 15, 2017Trump s accusation of grandstanding was immediately trashed by Twitter users, who noted that Trump wrote the book on it.You are the grandstander, Mr. President. Bragging about your performance instead of condemning white nationalist terrorism. Adam Best (@adamcbest) August 15, 2017Who will be the replacements? David Duke and his buddies? Impeach Donald Trump (@Impeach_D_Trump) August 15, 2017Read: I know CEOs who are fine with white supremacy to step in! Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) August 15, 2017Are you serious? You are the king of grandstanders! You are the mother of all grandstanders! #MOAG You wrote the Manual! Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) August 15, 2017 I don t care that the popular kids left my birthday party! I have more popular friends! You don t know them! They re from another school! Jon Bershad (@JonBershad) August 15, 2017why does every tweet sound like its written by a 10yo https://t.co/iR9NouFEe1 Bryson Masse (@Bryson_M) August 15, 2017Trump has been rage tweeting about these CEOs, but has not shown similar anger toward the white nationalists who murdered a woman in Charlottesville. That s truly pathetic and that s why every CEO who is still on Trump s Manufacturing Council should step down as well.Featured Image: Sean Rayford/Getty Images | 0 |
5,491 | Kushner to make statement to the press after speaking to lawmakers | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner will make a statement from the White House after appearing before the Senate Intelligence committee about his contacts with Russia, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said on Monday. The statement is likely to be in the 12:00 p.m. hour, she said. | 1 |
5,492 | Bangladesh grants bail to two detained Myanmar journalists | DHAKA (Reuters) - Two journalists from Myanmar, who had been detained in Bangladesh while reporting on the influx of thousands of Rohingya Muslims, have been released on bail, a police official said on Saturday. The journalists, Minzayar Oo and Hkun Lat, were detained in early September in the Cox s Bazar border region of Bangladesh, where refugees are arriving from Myanmar to escape a military offensive against insurgents. A court granted them bail, but they can t go back to their country now, police official Ranajit Kumar Barua, told Reuters by telephone, adding that the court would decide whether the two could leave the country at a separate hearing which may take place sometime in the next week. The two were arrested for violating immigration laws, but no charge sheet against the two has been filed yet, said Barua, denying reports that the two had been charged with espionage activities. A lawyer for the two journalists also confirmed their release, but did not provide any further detail. Bangladesh police had said that the pair were detained for engaging in journalistic work for a German magazine, while on tourist visas. Some 429,000 refugees from Myanmar have poured into Bangladesh since Aug. 25, when attacks by Rohingya militants on security posts triggered a Myanmar army crackdown in response. Germany s GEO magazine, which had assigned Minzayar Oo to cover the Rohingya crisis, said he had traveled to Bangladesh on Sept. 6, and was detained the next day. Minzayar Oo is one of Myanmar s most prominent photographers and has worked for various media outlets, covering the country s emergence from military rule. He has previously worked as a contractor with Reuters. Hkun Lat is also a well-known photographer in Myanmar and has won prizes for his coverage of conflict in frontier regions. | 1 |
5,493 | California, Wisconsin deny election systems targeted by Russian hackers | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - California and Wisconsin said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was incorrect when it notified them last week they were among 21 states whose election systems were targeted by Russian hackers during the 2016 election. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said on Thursday DHS notified the state that Russian cyber actors “‘scanned’ California’s Internet-facing systems in 2016, including Secretary of State websites.” California said after asking for more details “it became clear that DHS’ conclusions were wrong. DHS confirmed that Russian scanning activity had actually occurred on the California Department of Technology statewide network, not any Secretary of State website.” Padilla said that the notification “was not only a year late, it also turned out to be bad information.” DHS spokesman Scott McConnell said notifications to 21 states were “based on a variety of sources, including scanning detected from malicious IP addresses and intelligence information that cannot be publicly disclosed.” The government has “provided additional information and clarity to a number of states,” he said. DHS “stands by its assessment that Internet-connected networks in 21 states were the target of Russian government cyber actors seeking vulnerabilities and access to U.S. election infrastructure,” he said. Wisconsin election officials on Wednesday released an email from DHS that said the IP address targeted was at the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, not the state’s elections commission. DHS told states including Ohio, Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Minnesota, Texas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Iowa, Maryland and Washington state they were targeted by Russian hackers but said the hackers were not successful. Arizona and Illinois confirmed last year that they were targets. There is no evidence any votes were changed, DHS said. Russia has denied election meddling, and President Donald Trump has denied any collusion with Russia. “There remains no evidence that the Russians altered one vote or changed one registration,” said Judd Choate, president of the U.S. National Association of State Election Directors. Homeland Security officials have said that in most of the 21 states only preliminary activity was observed from hackers and a small number of networks were compromised. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded the Kremlin orchestrated an operation that included hacking and online propaganda intended to help Trump win, Reuters reported in August. Several congressional committees are investigating and special counsel Robert Mueller is leading a separate probe into the Russia matter, including whether Moscow colluded with the Trump campaign. | 1 |
5,494 | Liberian court clears way for presidential run-off vote | MONROVIA (Reuters) - Liberia s supreme court cleared the way for a presidential run-off election, ruling on Thursday that it had not found enough evidence of fraud to halt the whole process. Ex-soccer star George Weah will now face off against Vice-President Joseph Boakai in a vote that could mark Liberia s first peaceful transition of power in seven decades. The court dismissed a complaint from the third-place finisher Charles Brumskine s Liberty Party, which had said fraud had undermined the first round of voting in October. In the absence of sufficient evidence, the court cannot order a re-run of the election, Justice Philip Banks said, reading out the court s decision. There were over 5,000 polling places, (so) to present evidence of just a few is problematic, the judge said. The evidence should have (shown) ... that they were committed in such magnitude that they could have altered the results. The winner of round two will replace Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as leader of the small West African country, one of the world s poorest despite abundant diamonds and iron ore. The delays caused by all the legal wrangling have ratcheted up tensions in a country still recovering from decades of civil war that killed tens of thousands. However, a spokesman for the Liberty Party said it would accept the result. If we did not respect the judiciary, we would not have come, Darius Dillion said. Liberia has won, our democracy has won. Liberians are eager for change after Johnson Sirleaf s 12-year rule, which sealed a lasting peace that many doubted was possible, but which has failed to tackle corruption or significantly lift living standards of the country s poorest. Authorities still have to name a date for the run-off. NEC spokesman Henry Flomo told reporters outside the court he believed one could be held in two weeks, but said the date would be announced shortly. The judges made the ruling with a 4-1 majority. | 1 |
5,495 | Republicans Working To Make Unprecedented Move Into Everyone’s Bedrooms | In constructing the 2016 Republican platform, delegates seem to be running a contest over who can come up with the silliest, dumbest, most outrageous planks imaginable. This latest one, which was just presented, is probably the most egregious example of the GOP s love of limited government everywhere except in people s private lives, because morals.Mary Forrester, who is not-surprisingly a delegate from North Carolina, introduced an amendment to rein in use of adult material in a subcommittee meeting on healthcare, education and crime. She said: Pornography, with his [sic] harmful effects, especially on children, has become a public health crisis that is destroying the life of millions. We encourage states to continue to fight this public menace and pledge our commitment to children s safety and wellbeing. Really?A public health crisis?Because adult material is totally on the same level as gun violence and superbugs.The stupid it burns!Before this we must legislate everyone s morality amendment was presented, that particular plank in the GOP s platform was more or less limited to trying to ensure that the internet didn t become a safe haven for sex offenders. They encouraged vigorous prosecution for sex offenders also, which makes sense.Forrester, though, is a member of the religious right, which means deciding what people can and cannot do in their private lives and crying out, But really, it s for the children! which is absolute horseshit. She s also one of the many delegates working their asses off to alienate everyone who isn t Christian and straight by condemning every form of relationship that isn t male-female.She and the Christian group, Concerned Women for America, believe that the widespread availability and use of adult material is just too addicting for young people, and therefore, it s up to the state governments to curb it: It s such an insidious epidemic and there are no rules for our children, Forrester said. It seems to be for young people, they do not have the discernment and so they become addicted before they have the maturity to understand the consequences.' Yes, by all means, let s put Prohibition in place for anything to do with sex, too, because it always works. That s why we have no more alcohol or drugs anywhere at all in this country oh wait.Of course, the GOP is pretty much under the full control of the religious right, which is packed with pseudo-Christians who think it s their god-given duty to tell everyone, everywhere, how to live every aspect of their lives. They do it under the guise of, It s for the public good, like they are with bathroom laws, but really, they just want everyone to stop with the stuff that makes them feel all icky. Featured image by Win McNamee/Getty Images | 0 |
5,496 | Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin to stay in New Zealand until lungs clear | WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Former U.S. astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, has been advised by doctors to stay in New Zealand until fluid from his lungs clears, days after he was evacuated from the South Pole as his condition worsened. The 86-year-old adventurer who was visiting the pole as part of a tourist group, was flown to Christchurch, New Zealand, early on Friday because of congestion in his lungs. His team posted details of his medical evacuation from Antarctica over the weekend, along with pictures of him in good spirits, on his official website as well as on Twitter. “I am being very well looked after in Christchurch. I’m looking forward to getting home soon to spend Christmas with my family and to continue my quest for Cycling Pathways and a permanent settlement on Mars,” he said on his website. In one of the photos on Twitter, Aldrin can be seen reading a newspaper in his hospital bed as he tweeted: “Catching up on the world while I’m stuck in quarantine.” His manager, Christina Korp, who travelled with him to Antarctica, posted photos on Sunday of him taking a walk with a nurse inside the hospital. Aldrin was a fighter pilot during the Korean War before joining the U.S. astronaut program. On July 20, 1969, he stepped on the moon about 20 minutes after Neil Armstrong took the historic first step. Their moonwalk, part of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, was watched by a then-record television audience of 600 million people. | 1 |
5,497 | Annual U.S. Congress baseball game brings unity after shooting | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Members of the U.S. Congress took the field for their traditional Republicans vs. Democrats baseball game on Thursday, with many wearing hats to honor Representative Steve Scalise, who was critically wounded by a gunman as his Republican team practiced a day before. When the members of the Republican team were announced at Nationals Park, mention of Scalise’s name drew a standing ovation from the areas designated for Republican, Democrat and nonpartisan fans alike. President Donald Trump did not attend but in a video address shown on the stadium’s giant screen praised the friendly nature of the annual charity event. David Bailey, a Capitol Hill police officer who was part of Scalise’s security detail and helped bring down the shooter, also was injured in the Wednesday incident but had recovered enough to throw the game’s ceremonial first pitch. The Democrats won the game, 11-2, but loaned the trophy to the Republicans until Scalise is better. Both Republican and Democratic leaders at the game encouraged a sense of unity in the wake of the shooting during an otherwise politically rancorous time in Washington when the parties are sharply divided over healthcare legislation and investigations of the members of the Trump administration. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Paul Ryan and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi stood side by side to shout: “Let’s play ball!” and the crowd chanted “U-S-A! U-S-A!” as the game began. Scalise, 51, a Louisiana Republican who is the No. 3 House Republican, remained in critical condition at a hospital a few miles from the stadium after undergoing a third surgery on Thursday. He was hit in the left hip, suffering injuries to internal organs, broken bones and severe bleeding, in Wednesday’s shooting. For the game, which began in 1909, members of the Senate and House of Representatives donned uniforms representing teams from their constituencies, and many topped them with hats from Louisiana State University, Scalise’s alma mater, as a tribute. In addition to Scalise, a police officer, a congressional aide and a lobbyist were shot on Wednesday morning when a man opened fire as the Republican lawmakers practiced for the game in the Washington suburb of Alexandria, Virginia. Nearly 25,000 tickets were sold for the game and it was on track to raise more than $1 million, roughly double what it did last year, organizers said. Ticket sales picked up after Wednesday’s shooting, eventually setting an attendance record, the organizers said, as attendees such as Alexander Hilten, 16, of Arlington, Virginia, decided to come to the game for the first time. “A lot of times in politics we have divisions but it shouldn’t come to violence,” he said. “It’s cool that they’re putting it on even after the shooting. It just shows how resilient these politicians are.” The Capitol Police Memorial Fund was added to the list of charities that will receive money raised by the game in honor of two members of Scalise’s security detail who were at the Wednesday practice session and returned fire. The Washington Nationals Dream Foundation, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington and the Washington Literary Center are the game’s other beneficiaries. (This story corrects typographical error in paragraph 2, day of shooting in paragraph 8 and spelling of Hilten’s name in paragraph 12.) | 1 |
5,498 | Trump defeated Clinton by 10,704 votes in Michigan: unofficial tally | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican President-elect Donald Trump defeated Democratic rival Hillary Clinton by 10,704 votes in the state of Michigan, according to certified unofficial county-by-county results released on Wednesday by the Michigan secretary of state. Trump received 2,279,543 votes compared with Clinton’s 2,268,839, according to figures posted on the secretary of state’s website. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson received 172,136 votes and Green candidate Jill Stein won 51,463. Nine other candidates shared a total of nearly 30,000 additional votes in the presidential campaign in Michigan, the figures showed. The results will remain unofficial until they are reviewed and approved by the Board of State Canvassers on Nov. 28. Some media organizations did not call a winner of the presidential race in Michigan on election night because of the closeness of the race. Michigan is the last state where the winner was not yet clear. The final unofficial tally gave Trump a slightly narrower victory than previous counts. A count as of Nov. 15 reported by CNN, for example, showed Trump winning 2,279,805 votes and Clinton winning 2,268,193, a margin of 11,612 votes. If Trump is declared the winner in Michigan, he will have accumulated 306 electoral votes to Clinton’s 232. Clinton is leading in the popular vote by more than 2 million, according to the Cook Political Report. | 1 |
5,499 | SECRET SERVICE PROTECTS OBAMA’S DAUGHTERS While These Illegal Alien Pedophiles Threaten Our Children | The children were nestled all snug in their beds when OOPS! an illegal alien pedophile slipped through their window. These worst of the worst criminals are crossing our borders every day as our US Border Agents are given the stand down order by a man so hell-bent on a one-party system that he will risk the safety and security of our children and grandchildren. Barack Obama s kids will never have to worry about safety, because We The Taxpayer will ensure that for the rest of their lives, they will be protected from the massive number of unchecked pedophiles and violent sexual offenders flowing across our open borders. This is an outrage! Yet the political pundits on the Left seem to be baffled by Donald Trump s popularity with the American voter Go figure McAllen, Texas Illegal aliens with previous convictions for sexual crimes continue to be a regular sight for U.S. Border Patrol agents working in this border region.On Wednesday, the Rio Grande Valley Sector (RGV) of the U.S. Border Patrol confirmed to Breitbart Texas that they had arrested five criminal aliens with a history of sexual offenses including a Guatemalan man who is considered a sexually violent predator. On Sunday, agents caught a group of seven illegal aliens near the river and when they took them to the station for processing learned that one of them identified as Walter Leonel Vasquez Zacarias was a violent sexual predator, court records obtained by Breitbart Texas revealed.Court records revealed that Vasquez Zacarias had been convicted of aggravated sexual battery victim under 13 years of age in March 20, 2009. For that offense, Vasquez was initially arrested on June 16, 2008 in Augusta County, Virginia and after his conviction was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but for unknown reasons, eight years from his sentence were suspended and he was deported in March 30, 2010 through Houston.Vasquez continues to be listed in various search engines as a violent sexual predator.In recent days, agents arrested four other criminal aliens with a sexually based criminal history, information provided to Breitbart Texas by Border Patrol revealed. One of the aliens was from Guatemala and he had a previous conviction for aggravated sexual battery of a victim under the age of 13. Another of the aliens was also from Guatemala and he had a conviction for aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Two other aliens from Mexico had convictions for indecent liberties with a child and the other for sexual assault. Border Patrol agents remain vigilant in their efforts to protect this nation from all threats including predators and convicted criminals attempting to illegally enter the country, said Chief Patrol Agent Manuel Padilla Jr. in a prepared statement. Thanks to the hard work of Border Patrol agents, these dangerous criminals were unable to make it into our communities. Via: Breitbart News | 0 |
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