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7,200 | HILLARY EXPOSED: WATCH UNCOVERED VIDEO The Hillary Campaign Does NOT Want You To See | Hillary shows her true colors when a female student speaking broken English accidentally refers to Barack Obama as Mr. Clinton . Her overreaction to this woman s innocent error shows what really happens when you unintentionally displease the Queen of the Democrat party We re doing our part to expose this video she never thought would surface. Here it is: | 0 |
7,201 | House Speaker Ryan briefed Trump on healthcare bill voting: White House | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump was being briefed on Friday by House Speaker Paul Ryan about the status of voting on the Republican bill to replace Obamacare, the White House said amid signs the measure might not have enough support to pass. “The president ... had Speaker Ryan come up here and visit with him to update him on the bill,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer told a briefing. “They are continuing to discuss the way forward on this. The speaker is updating him on these efforts.” Spicer said the vote was scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EDT/1930 GMT and he downplayed the prospects that a loss might undermine Trump’s effort to push tax reform through the U.S. Congress. | 1 |
7,202 | U.N. seeks humanitarian pause in Sanaa where streets "battlegrounds" | GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations called on Monday for a humanitarian pause in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa on Tuesday to allow civilians to leave their homes, aid workers to reach them, and the wounded to get medical care. Jamie McGoldrick, U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, said in a statement that the streets of Sanaa had become battlegrounds and that aid workers remain in lockdown . Thus, I call on all parties to the conflict to urgently enable a humanitarian pause on Tuesday 5 December, between 10:00 a.m. and 16:00 p.m. to allow civilians to leave their homes and seek assistance and protection and to facilitate the movement of aid workers to ensure the continuity of life-saving programs, he said. McGoldrick warned the warring parties that any deliberate attacks against civilians, and against civilian and medical infrastructure, are clear violations of international humanitarian law and may constitute war crimes . | 1 |
7,203 | Turkey orders detention of 100 former police officers in post-coup probe: Anadolu | ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish authorities issued detention warrants on Saturday for 100 former police officers and have so far detained 63 of them, the state-run Anadolu news agency said, as part of a widening crackdown since last year s failed coup attempt. The suspects were believed to be users of ByLock, an encrypted messaging app which the government says was used by the network of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused by Ankara of orchestrating last July s abortive putsch. Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, denies involvement. Anadolu said security forces were seeking the suspects in 19 provinces across the country. Since the abortive coup, more than 50,000 people have been jailed pending trial over alleged links to Gulen, while 150,000 people have been sacked or suspended from jobs in the military, public and private sectors. Rights groups and some of Turkey s Western allies have voiced concern about the crackdown, fearing the government is using the coup as a pretext to quash dissent. The government says only such a purge could neutralize the threat represented by Gulen s network, which it says deeply infiltrated institutions such as the army, schools and courts. | 1 |
7,204 | Trump to name Republican media firm owner to run communications: reports | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is poised to tap a Republican media relations firm owner to oversee his White House communications, according to media reports on Friday. Crossroads Media founder Mike Dubke is expected to be named White House communications director, CNN, NBC and Fox News reported, a move that could help spokesman Sean Spicer, who has handled both duties since Trump took office last month. Reuters could not immediately confirm the reports, and Crossroads Media did not immediately respond to a request for comment. CNN, citing two administration officials, said the announcement could come as soon as Friday, adding that Dubke did not respond to a request for comment. The appointment would help round out Trump’s communications team, which also includes Hope Hicks, director of strategic communications, and Dan Scavino, director of social media. Trump’s previous choice to serve as director of communications, Jason Miller, declined the job in December. Dubke’s appointment could help shore up Trump’s messaging efforts. Spicer and Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway gave differing accounts on Monday before Michael Flynn resigned from his post as national security adviser amid controversy over his contacts with Russia. Conway told a television network that Flynn had Trump’s full confidence, while Spicer soon after told reporters that Trump was evaluating Flynn. Conway also publicly endorsed Ivanka Trump products in a recent television interview, prompting a call by the Office of Government Ethics for disciplinary action for appearing to violate government ethics rules. A graduate of Hamilton College in New York, Dubke helped launch another communications firm in Virginia, the Black Rock Group, according to Crossroads’ website. | 1 |
7,205 | MUST WATCH VIDEO! TRUMP’S MINI-ME Steals The Show From “The Donald”…Adorable! [Video] | HERE S ANOTHER VIEW:Watch Trump invite little child dressed up as Donald Trump onto the stage in Wilkes-Barre, PA. pic.twitter.com/2WqZm8JXm1 Deplorable AJ (@asamjulian) October 11, 2016 | 0 |
7,206 | Fox News Gets Bad News As Advertisers Start Dumping Bill O’Reilly Over Sexual Harassment Pay-Offs | Fox News is now probably regretting their decision to keep Bill O Reilly instead of Megyn Kelly.Earlier this week, it was revealed that Bill O Reilly and the conservative network have paid off several women to stave off sexual harassment lawsuits.In all, five women have been paid $13 million of what amounts to hush money to stop them from publicly hauling O Reilly s ass to court.For years, O Reilly s behavior toward his female colleagues at Fox has drawn criticism and outrage, especially since he remains employed by the network.O Reilly and Fox previously settled a lawsuit filed by former Fox host Juliet Huddy and a lawsuit filed by Andrea Tantaros is still ongoing. The worst part of my job is being a target for those who would harm me and my employer, the Fox News Channel, O Reilly pathetically claimed in his defense after the new revelations came to light.O Reilly is trying to portray himself as the victim, but if that were true he would have fought the charges in court to clear his name rather than pay the women off.Fox News recently renewed O Reilly s contract because his show makes the network a lot of money, but that is all changing now because advertisers are dumping O Reilly.According to CNN,Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, BMW of North America, Constant Contact, Ainsworth Pet Nutrition, UNTUCKit and Sanofi are pulling ads from The O Reilly Factor. In a statement, Hyundai said they would rather seek partnerships with companies that don t condone sexual harassment.We had upcoming advertising spots on the show but are reallocating them due to the recent and disturbing allegations. As a company we seek to partner with companies and programming that share our values of inclusion and diversity. We will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation as we plan future advertising decisions.Mercedes-Benz said the same thing.The allegations are disturbing and, given the importance of women in every aspect of our business, we don t feel this is a good environment in which to advertise our products right now.In addition, Lexus and Jenny Craig appear to be leaning toward also removing their ads from O Reilly s show since they have condemned sexual harassment and promised to monitor the story as it unfolds.O Reilly may be Fox s cash cow but if more companies pull advertising money from his show they will likely be forced to reexamine his worth to the company. After all, Fox News has spent millions of dollars paying off his victims and paying legal expenses. If the company starts losing millions of dollars from advertisers they ll have to conclude that O Reilly is too much of a financial liability to the company to keep around any longer.And that could finally put an end to the career of one of the most sexist and racist loudmouths in all of cable news history.Featured Image: Screenshot | 0 |
7,207 | Obama administration seeks to curb methane emissions on public land | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In its latest move to combat climate change, the Obama administration on Friday said it will overhaul 30-year-old regulations for oil and gas operations on public and tribal lands to limit the “wasteful release” of natural gas and curb methane emissions. The proposal by the Interior department’s Bureau of Land Management would require oil and gas producers to use currently available technology to limit flaring at oil wells on federal land. It would also require operators to regularly check for natural gas leaks and replace outdated equipment that allows large quantities of gas and methane to escape into the air. The overhaul would also clarify when oil and gas companies need to pay royalties on flared natural gas. “These updated regulations, which would be phased in over several years ... would not only get more of our nation’s natural gas into pipelines and delivered to market but also reduce pollution and cut greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to climate change,” Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Janice Schneider said. The proposal comes as a major methane leak from a natural gas storage site near Los Angeles has forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes for months and put a spotlight on emissions oversight. The BLM overhaul would only affect federal land. The overhaul would reduce flaring by up 60 percent and venting by up to 46 percent compared to 2013 rates. The BLM estimates that it would prevent the loss of up to 56 billion cubic feet of gas a year through venting, flaring or leaks, which could supply around 760,000 households annually. The agency said it would also avoid methane emissions that would be equivalent to up to 4.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year. Methane is the second most prevalent greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. Though it only lasts in the atmosphere for 20 years, methane is 84 times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat, and environmental groups have pressed the administration for tighter restrictions on leaks. Energy industry groups and some Republican lawmakers blasted the rule, announced as Washington prepares for a major blizzard, arguing that it deprives states of needed revenue and duplicates voluntary efforts by companies to reduce waste. “Another duplicative rule at a time when methane emissions are already falling and on top of an onslaught of other new BLM and EPA regulations could drive more energy production off federal lands,” said Erik Milito, director of upstream and industry operations at the American Petroleum Institute. The overhaul forms part of the broader Obama administration strategy announced last January to reduce oil and gas sector methane emissions by up to 45 percent from 2012 levels by 2025. The strategy includes an Environmental Protection Agency proposal announced in August targeting methane emissions from new or modified oil and gas processing and transmission facilities and wells. It comes on the heels of a BLM announcement last week that it will freeze new leases for coal production on public land. | 1 |
7,208 | Why This New Book By Lib Writer And Radio Host Will Send Shock Waves Through The Democrat Party | Maybe the Queen of Incompetence isn t as popular as she had hoped with the Socialist Party of America, aka the former Democrat Party It s not just Republicans who get riled by the thought of Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton ascending to the presidency. Some people on the left lock horns over Clinton often enough to suggest that Team Hillary still has a long way to go before she has shored up the traditional base of progressive voters.A controversial book cover is the latest flashpoint to lay bare the divisions in the Democratic base over the Clinton candidacy. The forthcoming book, My Turn, by Nation Magazine Contributing Editor Doug Henwood, critiques the former secretary of state s decades-long political career, calling out her foreign policy positions and purported connections to big-money interests, among other contentious points.And the book cover s flamboyant illustration featuring a stoic Hillary Clinton, in a blood-red dress, pointing a gun at the reader has sparked a heated debate among her supporters and detractors.Salon editor Joan Walsh and former Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett both called the drawing gross. The leftist rag Salon.com has this to say about the new Hillary Clinton book: A stink bomb into liberals certainty : Doug Henwood on his anti-Clinton crusade.Here is a portion of Salon.com s review of Henwood s My Turn book:In this regard, Harper s latest (paywalled) cover story a cri de coeur against Hillary Clinton from economist, radio host, author and Left Business Observer founder Doug Henwood is no exception. A mix of biography and political analysis, Henwood s essay depicts the likely 2016 presidential candidate as a relatively unaccomplished conformist and careerist, one who s far more interested in acquiring power (and protecting the interests of her wealthy funders) than making real the progressive vision. What is the case for Hillary? Henwood asks. It s hard to find any substantive political argument in her favor. Even the author and the artist have different takes on the imagery. People often see in texts what they want to see. The reaction to this cover, which has been circulating less than 48 hours, has been a vivid reminder of this, Henwood told MSNBC. When I first saw the design I knew it would attract a lot of attention. But I couldn t have predicted the diversity of reactions. Where Henwood sees ruthlessness and hawkishness, in the image, the artist, Sarah Sole told the International Business Times she sees it as pulpy and sexy. Henwood is a well-known Clinton critic on the left who skewered the former secretary of state, senator and first lady in a controversial 2014 Harper s Magazine cover story titled Stop Hillary. In it he wrote:What is the case for Hillary (whose quasi-official website identifies her, in bold blue letters, by her first name only, as do millions upon millions of voters)? It boils down to this: She has experience, she s a woman, and it s her turn. It s hard to find any substantive political argument in her favor. She has, in the past, been associated with women s issues, with children s issues but she also encouraged her husband to sign the 1996 bill that put an end to the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program (AFDC), which had been in effect since 1935. Indeed, longtime Clinton adviser Dick Morris, who has now morphed into a right-wing pundit, credits Hillary for backing both of Bill s most important moves to the center: the balanced budget and welfare reform.1 And during her subsequent career as New York s junior senator and as secretary of state, she has scarcely budged from the centrist sweet spot, and has become increasingly hawkish on foreign policy.What Hillary will deliver, then, is more of the same. And that shouldn t surprise us. As wacky as it sometimes appears on the surface, American politics has an amazing stability and continuity about it. Obama, widely viewed as a populist action hero during the 2008 campaign, made no bones about his admiration for Ronald Reagan. The Gipper, he said,changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not. He put us on a fundamentally different path because the country was ready for it. I think they felt [that] with all the excesses of the Sixties and the Seventies, government had grown and grown, but there wasn t much sense of accountability in terms of how it was operating.Now, the excesses of the Sixties and the Seventies included things like feminism, gay liberation, the antiwar movement, a militant civil rights movement all good things, in my view, but I know that many people disagree. In any case, coming into office with something like a mandate, Obama never tried to make a sharp political break with the past, as Reagan did from the moment of his first inaugural address. Reagan dismissed the postwar Keynesian consensus the idea that government had a responsibility to soften the sharpest edges of capitalism by fighting recession and providing some sort of basic safety net. Appropriating some of the language of the left about revolution and the promise of the future, he unleashed what he liked to call the magic of the marketplace: cutting taxes for the rich, eliminating regulations, and whittling away at social spending.What Reagan created, with his embrace of the nutty Laffer curve and his smiling war on organized labor, was a strange, unequally distributed boom that lasted through the early 1990s. After the caretaker George H. W. Bush administration evaporated, Bill Clinton took over and, with a few minor adjustments, kept the party going for another decade. Profits skyrocketed, as did the financial markets.But there was a contradiction under it all: a system dependent on high levels of mass consumption for both economic dynamism and political legitimacy has a problem when mass purchasing power is squeezed. For a few decades, consumers borrowed to make up for what their paychecks were lacking. But that model broke down once and for all with the crisis of 2008. Today we desperately need a new political economy one that features a more equal distribution of income, investment in our rotting social and physical infrastructure, and a more humane ethic. We also need a judicious foreign policy, and a commander-in-chief who will resist the instant gratification of air strikes and rhetorical bluster.Is Hillary Clinton the answer to these prayers? It s hard to think so, despite the widespread liberal fantasy of her as a progressive paragon, who will follow through exactly as Barack Obama did not. In fact, a close look at her life and career is perhaps the best antidote to all these great expectations.But the intimidating image glaring out from the front of My Turn was created long before Henwood penned the book, which he says was developed out of the Harper s piece and goes into greater detail about her long history in shaping the New Democrat agenda, an agenda which she now purports to be running against, Henwood told MSNBC.And then there s Sole, a diehard Clinton supporter and also a fan of Henwood s, according to International Business Times.Sole debuted the painting, along with other similarly themed pieces, last year. Later, the pieces were published in Politico magazine under the headline Extremely Ready for Hillary, according to the International Business Times. I love Hillary Clinton, I support Hillary Clinton, I very much want her to be president. I will certainly vote for her, Sole told International Business Times. What I don t get is the reaction that calls the cover sexist, Henwood told MSNBC. Hillary is tough and determined, characteristics that shouldn t be seen as off-limits to women. The political question is what she or anyone else does with toughness and determination, and that s what my criticism of her focuses on. I have no problem with ball-busting women, Henwood continued. I kinda like them, in fact. I just don t like [Hillary Clinton s] politics. Via: MSNBC | 0 |
7,209 | Kerry trip to Cuba for rights dialogue canceled: U.S. officials | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tentative plans for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to visit Cuba before mid-March for a human rights dialogue have been canceled, two U.S. officials said on Thursday, amid concerns over the Cuban government’s human rights record. Kerry told a congressional hearing on Feb. 23 that he might be in Cuba “in the next week or two” to hold a dialogue on human rights, ahead of President Barack Obama’s scheduled trip to the island on March 21-22. The sources said the trip had been canceled because U.S. and Cuban officials were deep in negotiations on issues including which dissidents Obama might see in Havana and that a trip in the timeframe Kerry had mentioned was not seen as constructive. State Department spokesman John Kirby said he had no updates regarding Kerry’s potential travel to Cuba. “The Secretary is still interested in visiting in the near future, and we are working with our Cuban counterparts and our embassy to determine the best timeframe,” Kirby said in an emailed statement. U.S. critics of Obama’s opening to Cuba have complained that the president has received little in return for restoring diplomatic relations with the former Cold War foe. On Feb. 24, the Cuban government granted seven dissidents who were out of prison on parole a one-time permission to travel outside the country in an apparent gesture to the United States ahead of Obama’s historic visit. | 1 |
7,210 | radioactive fukushima wood becomes power in german machine | googles alphabet experiment misses goal keeping executives
october by mark bergen bloomberg
httpwwwbloombergcomnewsarticlesgooglesalphabetexperimentmisseskeygoalkeepingexecutives
google fiber is the latest moonshot arm to undergo overhaul
three alphabet ceos have left since june barratt is latest
alphabet cutting jobs in google fiber retrenchment
october by mark bergen bloomberg
httpwwwbloombergcomnewsarticlesalphabetaccessunittocutaboutofgooglefiberstaff
top executive leaves after disagreement over fiber strategy
google fiber cuts expansion plans in eight large cities | 0 |
7,211 | USA TODAY Caught Fabricating Story About Innocent “Dreamer” Being Deported…Here’s The Truth [VIDEO] | More fake news pushing a leftist agenda If you read the USA Today report of Juan Manuel Montes being deported you might believe their headline: First Protected Dreamer Deported Under Trump USA Today reported Tuesday that an illegal immigrant protected by Barack Obama s amnesty was deported in February after spending an evening with his girlfriend. However, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman told The Daily Caller that this story is false because Juan Manuel Montes Bojorquez did not receive amnesty and was caught climbing over a border fence when he was detained. Conservative TreehouseThe USA Today story said that Bojorquez, 23, was apprehended by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents while he was waiting for a car ride to pick him up.According to the article, he told the officers he left his wallet in his friend s car and, because he didn t have his ID or proof of his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, he was deported. Within three hours, he was back in Mexico, becoming the first undocumented immigrant with active DACA status deported by the Trump administration s stepped-up deportation policy, the USA Today reporters wrote.The Trump administration has said it will continue honoring the over 750,000 illegal immigrants who receive DACA, but this incident, if accurate, would have been a departure from that policy. David Lapan, a DHS spokesman, told TheDC, Juan Manuel Montes Bojorquez was apprehended by the Calexico Station Border Patrol after illegally entering the U.S. by climbing over the fence in downtown Calexico. He was arrested by BP just minutes after he made his illegal entry and admitted under oath during the arrest interview that he had entered illegally. The spokesman added, His DACA status expired in Aug. 2015 and he was notified at that time. In addition, he has a conviction for theft for which he received probation. Daily CallerFrom USA Today: Federal agents ignored President Trump s pledge to protect from deportation undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children by sending a young man back to his native Mexico, the first such documented case, a USA TODAY examination of the new administration s immigration policies shows.After spending an evening with his girlfriend in Calexico, Calif., on Feb. 17, Juan Manuel Montes, 23, who has lived in the U.S. since age 9, grabbed a bite and was waiting for a ride when a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer approached and started asking questions.Montes was twice granted deportation protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program created by President Barack Obama and left intact by President Trump.Montes had left his wallet in a friend s car, so he couldn t produce his ID or proof of his DACA status and was told by agents he couldn t retrieve them. Within three hours, he was back in Mexico, becoming the first undocumented immigrant with active DACA status deported by the Trump administration s stepped-up deportation policy. Some people told me that they were going to deport me; others said nothing would happen, Montes told USA TODAY in his aunt and uncle s home in western Mexico where he s been staying. I thought that if I kept my nose clean nothing would happen. He asked that the exact location of their home be withheld.Yet Trump declined to revoke the DACA protections Obama had granted to more than 750,000 undocumented immigrants, repeatedly saying he had a soft spot for these young people who are leading productive lives and have few, if any, ties to the countries of their birth. They shouldn t be very worried, he told ABC News in January. I do have a big heart. Even so, DACA enrollees are being targeted by immigration authorities.At least 10 are in federal custody, according to United We Dream, an advocacy organization made up of DACA enrollees and other young immigrants.The group s advocacy director, Greisa Martinez, who has DACA protection, said Montes case is proof that people like herself are at risk despite what Trump said.For entire story: USA Today | 0 |
7,212 | the man behind the trump rally disturbance in reno | us military hackers claim penetration of russia
sputnik news
us military hackers have penetrated russias electric grid telecommunications networks and kremlins command systems making them vulnerable to attack by secret american cyber weapons according to a series of reports by a major us television network
nbc news disclosed the penetration in a series of reports explaining that us efforts parallel claims also by us officials that russia china and other nations have placed hidden malware on parts of us critical infrastructure
the penetration by all sides appears to be in preparation for an allout war in cyberspace according to nbc news which said it was briefed by a us intelligence official and given an opportunity to review highly classified documents
at the same time the network downplayed the prospect of a cyber war making it appear as if the leak was intended as a warning to us adversaries
nbc news then attempted to link its explosive report to tuesdays us presidential election citing concerns of mischief by russian hackers that would fall far short of the armageddonlike scenario that the report implied
instead the network explained us electionrelated concerns as cyber mischief which could involve releasing fake documents or creating bogus social media accounts to spread misinformation
the obama administration has created a public but unconfirmed narrative that hackers controlled by the russian government have stolen emails from the democratic party headquarters a private computer used by presidential candidate hillary clinton while serving as secretary of state and computers used by clinton campaign chairman john podesta
according to the narrative russia stole the emails and gave the messages to wikileaks which has flooded the internet with the material on a daily basis leading up to tuesdays election
russia has denied any responsibility for the clintonrelated hacks and links between wikileaks and russian intelligence have never been substantiated
moreover recent media reports in the united states indicate that clintons private server she used for official business during her tenure as secretary of state had been penetrated by at least five foreign intelligence services
the emails have proved especially embarrassing for the clinton campaign by disclosing decisions in the clinton state department that favored large donors to the clinton foundation in what appear to be payforplay schemes of selling access and influence
moreover the activity appears to coincide with lucrative speaking engagements for former president bill clinton | 0 |
7,213 | U.S. vice presidential debate watched by 37 million on TV | NEW YORK (Reuters) - An estimated 37 million Americans watched the U.S. vice presidential debate between Republican Mike Pence and Democrat Tim Kaine on television, according to Nielsen data on Wednesday, less than half the number who tuned in to Donald Trump’s first matchup with Hillary Clinton last week. The figure represented the average audience across nine channels during Tuesday’s 90-minute encounter. Broadcaster NBC pulled in the biggest audience with 7 million viewers. Fox News Channel led cable networks with 6.1 million. Last week’s first debate between the presidential candidates for the Nov. 8 election, Republican Trump and Democrat Clinton, was watched by a record 84 million TV viewers. Vice presidential debates have traditionally attracted smaller TV audiences, with the exception of the 2008 encounter between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Sarah Palin, which set a record for a VP debate of 69.9 million viewers. The 2012 vice presidential encounter between Biden and Republican Paul Ryan was watched by 51.4 million Americans. None of the figures for the debates include those who watched online, through social media, or in bars and restaurants. Tuesday’s 90-minute face-off between Pence, governor of Indiana, and Kaine, a U.S. senator from Virginia, was the only debate between the vice presidential contenders before the election next month. NBC is a unit of Comcast Corp. Fox News Channel is owned by 21st Century Fox. | 1 |
7,214 | Passenger train derails in Spain, 21 hurt | MADRID (Reuters) - A passenger train derailed in the Spanish province of Seville on Wednesday, leaving 21 people injured, one seriously, according to the Andalusia emergency services. The medium-distance train was traveling between Malaga and Seville and slid off the tracks in the municipality of Arahal due to adverse conditions caused by heavy rain, a spokeswoman for the national transporter Renfe said. Andalusia emergency services said earlier on Wednesday that they had attended more than 100 incidents caused by severe weather conditions in the Seville region, mostly on the roads. Four people were killed and 47 injured after a train derailed in Galicia in northwestern Spain last year while some 80 people were killed in Spain s worst rail disaster in decades when a high-speed train went off the tracks and slammed into a wall, also in Galicia. | 1 |
7,215 | Saudi has completed main wave of arrests in anti-graft purge, minister says | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has completed the main wave of arrests in its sweeping crackdown on corruption and is preparing to channel billions of dollars of seized funds into economic development projects, a Saudi minister said on Monday. As far as I know, this is the case, Minister of Commerce and Investment Majid bin Abdullah al-Qasabi told Reuters when asked whether authorities had finished taking large numbers of top officials and businessmen into custody. Now the government will not keep its mouth shut when it sees a corrupt case. So definitely it will act. But this is in terms of its magnitude, in terms of scale, in terms of how, in terms of why, in terms of now, that s it, he said. Dozens of princes, officials and businessmen were detained last month, about 200 people questioned, and over 2,000 bank accounts frozen in the purge, which has strengthened the authority of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Some suspects will go to court but authorities are seeking to reach financial settlements with most and said last week that the first deals had been done. Senior prince Miteb bin Abdullah, once seen as a leading contender for the throne, was freed after agreeing to pay over $1 billion, officials said. A special Ministry of Finance account has been opened to receive such funds, which the public prosecutor s office has estimated should eventually total between $50 billion and $100 billion, Qasabi said during a visit to Washington to meet U.S. businessmen. This money definitely will be used for housing, for the general public needs, because it is the money for the people. It will not be used for any other issue but for development projects. The public prosecutor is expected in a few days to issue a statement on the status of the investigation, including how many people are detained and how many face legal charges, Qasabi added. Riyadh is seeking huge amounts of U.S. and foreign investment to reduce its dependence on oil exports. Qasabi conceded that U.S. businessmen were somewhat concerned by the potential impact of the crackdown on corruption. They re worried about if this is ... will be, the end of it or where it will stop, he said. But they all think this will be good for the country, because the country s leadership stood visibly to fight corruption, and ultimately this will be a level playing field for everybody. The economic reforms include a privatization program that is to raise some $300 billion. In the past 18 months, there has been little concrete progress as deals have been slowed by red tape, legal uncertainties and high asking prices for assets, foreign businessmen say. Qasabi said the program was on track and the government, having identified sectors to be privatised, was working on the complex mechanics of asset transfers that would take place by mid-2019. Sea ports will be a major area of activity, he said. Privatization of grain mills under the Saudi Grains Organisation is in its final phase and could be completed by mid-2018, Qasabi added. The economy has been hit hard in the past couple of years by low oil prices and government austerity measures. Authorities have promised stimulus steps and Qasabi noted they had this year increased the capital of the Saudi Industrial Development Fund, which makes soft loans to businesses. More stimulus measures are likely to be announced with the 2018 state budget, expected to be released in late December, or before then, he added. Financial incentives offered by the government could total 70 billion riyals ($18.7 billion). Qasabi chairs a program that encourages strategic Saudi companies to expand globally in sectors such as food, logistics, pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals. The government will allocate money to help them grow by acquiring other firms locally, he said. | 1 |
7,216 | Nigeria offers to meet militants after ceasefire cancelled in oil region | ABUJA (Reuters) - The minister for Nigeria s oil-producing Delta region said on Monday the government was ready to meet militants days after they called off a year-long ceasefire. Usani Uguru Usani asked the Niger Delta Avengers to be patient and said the government was pushing through development schemes in the southern territory where rights groups have long complained about poverty and pollution. The Avengers - whose attacks on energy facilities in the Niger Delta last year helped push Africa s biggest economy into recession - called off the ceasefire on Friday. The announcement threatened to push one of Nigeria s economic heartlands further into turmoil and disrupt the country s fragile recovery. It also piled pressure onto President Muhammadu Buhari who is already facing the jihadist Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast and rising calls for secession in the southeast. If the Avengers wants to meet with us, we are ready to meet with them ... We are at all times ready to engage them and other groups and stakeholders, Usani told reporters at the presidential villa in Abuja. My message to the Avengers is that they should be patient with the government. We have been doing what we can to ensure the development of the region. Everything has a phase of planning and a phase of execution so I will advise all stakeholders to remain calm, he added. The government has been in talks for more than a year to address grievances over poverty and oil pollution but local groups have complained that no progress has been made, despite Buhari receiving a list of demands at a meeting last November. Attacks in 2016 cut oil production from a peak of 2.2 million barrels per day (mbpd) to near 1 mbpd, the lowest level in Africa s top oil producer for at least 30 years. The attacks, combined with low oil prices, caused the OPEC member s first recession in 25 years. Crude sales make up two-thirds of government revenue and most of its foreign exchange. Nigeria came out of recession in the second quarter of this year as prices strengthened, attacks ended and oil production rose. | 1 |
7,217 | WHOA! DID HILLARY JUST HAVE A SEIZURE ON CAMERA? [Video] | Watch the only Presidential candidate who travels with a full-time physician having what appears to be some sort of seizure | 0 |
7,218 | Watch Chris Christie Admit To Rachel Maddow’s Face That He’s Terrified Of Her (VIDEO) | Nothing shows a person s character more than their willingness to be properly interviewed. Because a proper and honest interview is going to yield proper and honest answers. This is something New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is apparently very nervous about doing, because he just told MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, to her face, that he won t go on her show.While at a Christie event, Maddow tries to grab the governor s attention, but he responded: Rachel, you beat the crap out of me for years, you expect me to voluntarily come on your program, come on. So she replied: Oh, come on You love the back and forth And you know that he does, because he loves to argue. However, instead he admits he s absolutely terrified of the MSNBC host by saying: With a lot of people, maybe not with you. He s likely terrified of her because she doesn t let him get away with any of his asshole shenanigans that he loves to regularly display. Maddow holds him to facts and doesn t let him finagle himself away from what s being discussed. Between his hatred for Hillary Clinton, and his fear of Rachel Maddow, it seems powerful women make him very nervous. Good thing he ll never be president.Does he seem surprised? He was probably surprised. :) Watch tonight! pic.twitter.com/CHe5FBKzl6 Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) February 5, 2016Featured image: Twitter /Video: Twitter | 0 |
7,219 | Iran Makes Damning New Claims About GOP Trying To Sabotage Obama’s Prisoner Exchange | An explosive allegation has come out of Tasnim News against Republicans. The Secretary of Iran s Supreme National Security council said that the recent prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Iran had an attempt made by Republicans to sabotage it when they requested Iran delay release of the prisoners until the eve of the 2016 election.Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of Iran s Supreme National Security Council, released the following statement: In the course of the talks for exchanging prisoners, the Republican rivals of the current US administration who claim to be humanitarians and advocates of human rights sent a message telling us not to release these people (American prisoners) and continue this process (of talks) until the eve of US presidential elections. However he said we acted upon our independent resolve and moved the process forward. Source: Tasnim NewsThis is the second time that the allegations have been raised that Republicans requested Americans were to be held hostage by Iran in order to serve their domestic political interests. The first time came from the suggestion that Republicans conspired with Iran to delay the release of American hostages until Ronald Reagan was inaugurated in 1980. They were to be rewarded for this by Reagan then selling them weapons. This was supposedly done to hurt Carter s re-election while allowing Republicans to claim that the act of electing a Republican made our enemies cower in fear. Iran did end up releasing the hostages 20 minutes after Reagan completed his inaugural address.Now here we are again. There is an upcoming presidential election, Republican prospects look grim as usual and now they might have gotten caught using the same old trick a second time. If this turns out to be true, the consequences could destroy the party.One could discount this by saying it s Iran, and we can t believe what they say because they are an enemy. However, if you look at the fact Republicans have admitted to trying to work with Iran to hurt America before, it seems very plausible. Republicans tried to sabotage the Iranian peace deal by contacting Iran directly and suggesting that any peace deal would not last after Obama left office. They have a history of trying to conspire with Iran, for political reasons at home.Republicans are obsessed with hurting this nation, and it s people, in order to create an environment of fear, rage and paranoia. Only in this mindset would Americans ever want to vote them into power.Featured image from Pinterest | 0 |
7,220 | Nationalists facing wipe out in Australian state election | SYDNEY (Reuters) - The resurgence of Australian nationalist politics has been halted at a state election in coal-rich Queensland, with Pauline Hanson s One Nation party at risk of being almost completely wiped from the state assembly. Australia s center-left Labor party is leading in the tight race after three-quarters of votes were counted following Saturday s poll, while Hanson s party has yet to confirm victory in a single seat. The official result may not be known for several days although political analysts believe Labor will win the 47 seats it needs to govern in Queensland 93-seat assembly, a result that would allow it to form a government without support from independents or minor parties. I am confident of a Labor majority, Queensland s Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told reporters on Sunday. Hanson, a senator in the federal parliament, had anticipated a surge in support in her electoral heartland, to give momentum to the resurgence her anti-immigration, populist party enjoyed in the national election last year. But despite attracting support from around 14 percent of voters, One Nation has not recorded decisive victories in individual seats. It is tipped to win just one seat in state parliament, according to analysis by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Griffith University political analyst Paul Williams said despite a lack of seats, Hanson s party had likely polled higher than 20 per cent in some regional seats. All the anger, the disenchantment, the bitterness, the resentment to the major parties and elites, it s still as strong as it was 12 months ago, he told Reuters by telephone on Sunday. The election has been held in one of Australia s powerhouse mining states with debate over a A$16.5 billion ($12.6 billion) coal mine, rail and port project proposed by Indian energy giant Adani Enterprises dominating much of the campaign. While both major parties support the Queensland resources project, Labor has vowed to veto a near billion-dollar concessional loan Adani has asked Australia to provide for the proposed rail line, should it win government. The conservative opposition Liberal National Party, which the ABC forecasts will win 41 seats, supports the government loan. Hanson had been hoping her party would hold the balance-of-power in Queensland, and with it the ability to decide who the next premier would be. As the results rolled in late on Saturday, she told reporters in Buderim, an urban center near Queensland s coast, that while disappointed with some of the emerging numbers, the fight would go on. I think this is a clear indication that One Nation is not going anywhere, we are going to be around for a while yet, Hanson said. | 1 |
7,221 | DEMOCRATS PUSH FOR BAN AND RESTRICTIONS ON ONLINE AMMO SALES | Once again, the gun grabbers are doing anything they can to restrict ammo and guns in the name of Common Sense reform . The thought process behind this is just not making any sense but what does with the gun grabbing Dems Democrats are pushing legislation which bans online ammunition sales that do not include a face-to-face exchange of IDs and which requires ammunition dealers to report any purchases of more than 1,000 rounds.The legislation titled the Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2015 is sponsored by Representative Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12th Dist.) and co-sponsored by Representative Rep. Frank Pallone Jr (D-NJ-6th Dist.), according to The Hill.Pallone said:Far too many times, we have seen the shocking images of unspeakable gun violence that could have been prevented. Our bill to limit the online sale of ammunition is a long-overdue common sense reform that I am hopeful will spark Congress to put aside party difference and come together to help prevent such senseless tragedies.Pallone and Coleman are focusing on Aurora theater gunman James Holmes online ammo purchases as a selling point for their legislation. In so doing, they have overlooked the fact that Holmes passed background checks for the firearms he acquired and, therefore, would not have been prevented from ammunition purchases even if forced to show ID in a face-to-face manner.Via: Breitbart | 0 |
7,222 | Puerto Rico bailout more likely if Congress does not act: White House | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Without action by Congress to help Puerto Rico deal with its debt, the need for a bailout of the U.S. territory will become more likely, the White House said on Tuesday. Spokesman Josh Earnest made the comment at a regular White House briefing. | 1 |
7,223 | State of Washington law paves way for organic marijuana market | (Reuters) - Washington Governor Jay Inslee on Tuesday signed a bill that paves the way for the state to create what is believed to be the first system in the United States to certify marijuana as organic. The sponsor of the bill, Republican Senator Ann Rivers, said marijuana certified as organically grown is likely to be on sale in Washington in about a year and a half. Washington is among a handful of U.S. states where voters approved the sale of recreational marijuana. Washington was the second state to begin legal recreational pot sales, in mid-2014, after its voters in 2012 approved it. “This is consumer-driven,” Rivers told Reuters by phone on Tuesday night. “As we have moved forward in the legal marijuana market, we’re hearing people say, ‘We don’t want any pesticides, fungicides, none of that stuff in our weed.’” The new law “creates a voluntary program for the certification and regulation of organic marijuana products,” to be administered by the Washington agriculture department, according to a state analysis of the new law. Rivers said the “heavy lifting” in certifying marijuana has been done by the system of doing the same for a multitude of food products on supermarkets shelves across America. That process just needs to be adapted for pot, she said. Rivers said that legal recreational marijuana is “the gift that keeps on giving....this year, we’ll make $768 million” in revenue for the state of Washington. This pays for drug education and drug addiction treatment as well as public education, she said. Organic pot was just one of a myriad of marijuana-related measures in the bill. Many state legislators wanted to vote for only one marijuana-related bill rather than have to go on the record favoring marijuana several times, Rivers said. The November 2012 measure to allow recreational marijuana in Washington passed 56 percent to 44 percent. While it is legal for adults to smoke marijuana in Washington, it is not legal to grow industrial hemp. The new law allows for the study of a method to allow hemp to be grown and used for industrial purposes. Last week, Vermont’s legislature approved a bill to legalize recreational use of marijuana. Unless the measure is vetoed, Vermont would be the first state to legalize pot without a public vote. Voters have approved legal recreational marijuana use in Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, California, Nevada, Maine, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. | 1 |
7,224 | Kremlin says U.S. tip-off about planned attack 'saved many lives' | MOSCOW (Reuters) - A U.S. tip-off about a planned attack in St. Petersburg helped save many lives and Russia and the United States should try to cooperate in the same way in future, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday. Washington provided intelligence to Russia that helped thwart a potentially deadly bombing, U.S. and Russian officials said on Sunday, in a rare public show of cooperation despite deep strains between the two countries. It cannot be called anything but an ideal example of cooperation in fighting terrorism, Peskov told reporters at a conference call. We should aim for such standards. The tip-off resulted in the detention of seven alleged supporters of the Islamic State militant group in St. Petersburg last week, Peskov said. Russia s Federal Security Service said on Friday that IS had planned attacks in public places on Dec. 16 and weapons and explosives were found when the suspects were searched. Peskov said Russian and American security services have contacts but this was the first time when their cooperation was so efficient. This was very meaningful information that helped to save many lives, the spokesman told reporters. Asked if President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump and Putin had discussed a possible meeting, Peskov replied that the issue had not been brought up yet . | 1 |
7,225 | huma abedin swore under oath she had no emails she lied | sioux indians wish dakota pipeline protesters would go home october daniel greenfield
the ecoloons protesting the dakota pipeline have the support of the media and the white house but many of the local sioux dont see them as defenders they just wish they would go home
ask around and youll hear stories of pipeline protesters whove traveled great distances theyve come from japan russia and germany australia israel and serbia and of course there are the allies not exclusively native american or indigenous whove flocked here from all corners of the us
demonstrating is their proud daily work
the obnoxious leftists of the world have united and they want no pipelines or showers
no one makes this clearer than robert fool bear sr district chairman of cannon ball the town he runs estimated population of is just a few miles from the action its so close that given the faceoffs with law enforcement you have to pass through a police checkpoint to reach it
its about time people heard from folks like him he says
fool bear has had it with the protesters he says that more than two years ago when members of the standing rock sioux tribe could have attended hearings to make their concerns known they didnt care now suddenly the crowds are out of control and he fears its just a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt
go down to the camps he says and you wont see many standing rock sioux
it irks me people are here from all over the world he says if they could come from other planets i think they would
and the sioux are stuck helping leftist idiot protesters
not long ago he found three teenage girls from ontario canada camped out inside his storage shed a white woman from spokane washington came to see him for help saying shed come here with nothing and her car had broken down when he was at the casino recently someone approached him about two young kids who were on their own because their parents had been arrested
even though fool bear is against the protests that doesnt mean hes not preparing to help people out too he anticipates opening the community gymnasium for people without beds come winter and a growing pile of sleeping bags and blankets sits in his office
those protesters from arizona georgia and california wont know what hit them when the cold rushes in he says
instead of helping the sioux privileged leftists have become a burden for them to take care of | 1 |
7,226 | ARRESTED: Cops Tell Shocking Story Of Domestic Abuse At Sarah Palin’s Home | Are the Palin s above the law in Alaska? Will there ever come a time when America is no longer obsessed by families who have done nothing to earn our fascination with them? The oldest son of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was arrested in a domestic violence case in which his girlfriend was afraid he would shoot himself with an AR-15 assault rifle, according to court documents filed Tuesday.Track Palin, 26, is charged with assault, interfering with the report of a domestic violence crime and possessing a weapon while intoxicated in connection with the incident Monday night at the Wasilla home of his parents, where he lives, according to an affidavit by police.The girlfriend told authorities she was punched in the face by Palin, who is the oldest child of Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee and conservative icon.The charges were filed Tuesday, the same day Sarah Palin endorsed Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump before voting begins with the Iowa caucuses.There is no telephone listing for the girlfriend. The court documents say the woman, Track Palin s girlfriend of one year, had bruising and swelling around her left eye, and she said her right knee hurt after Palin kicked her there.Palin family attorney John Tiemessen declined to comment on the matter other than to say in an email that respect for the family s privacy is appreciated as Track receives the help that he and many of our returning veterans need. Palin s arraignment was held Tuesday, but Tiemessen was not sure if he entered a plea yet.According to the three-page affidavit, both Palin and his girlfriend called 911 that night. Police Officer Andrew Kappler wrote that he arrived at the Wasilla home and found Track Palin walking outside and talking on a phone. The officer said Palin had an injury to his right eye and surrounding area, smelled strongly of alcohol and acted with escalating hostility, prompting Kappler to put him in handcuffs.Police say a breath sample provided by Palin showed he had a blood alcohol level of 0.189.The affidavit says other officers found the girlfriend hiding under a bed inside the home and crying.The argument continued at the home, according to the affidavit, which says Palin struck the woman with his fist on the left side of her head near her eye. She curled up in the fetal position because she didn t know what else he would do, the woman told police. She said he then kicked her in the knee and threw her phone across the driveway, according to the court document. The woman said she went inside after getting her phone.Inside, Palin held the rifle, with the barrel just away from his face pointed to the side, the affidavit states. The affidavit adds that the woman told police Palin was yelling Do you think I won t do it? The girlfriend was concerned that he would shoot himself and ran outside and around the house, the affidavit says. She didn t see where Palin went, so she went inside and up the stairs, where she hid under a bed. It s not the first encounter with the law for Palin or other members of his family. In September 2014, he and other Palins were involved in a brawl that broke out at a party in Anchorage.No arrests were made in the melee, and no one wanted to press charges. But according to a police report, Palin had blood around his mouth and his hands. He was belligerent until his mother told him to talk to a police officer. Via: FOX News | 0 |
7,227 | ILLEGAL ALIENS DEMAND NEW BILL OF RIGHTS: To Include Citizenship, End Arrests And Free Health Care | Sounds great how about a new car?An immigrant-rights group proposed a Bill of Rights for illegal immigrants Thursday, demanding that Americans recognize there are millions already in the country who deserve health care, in-state tuition rates for college and a guarantee of citizenship in the long term.The list of demands runs 10 items long the same as the U.S. Constitution s Bill of Rights and also calls for an end to arrests and deportations for all law-abiding undocumented Americans. The document was circulated by United We Stay, which is a group of illegal immigrants, first generation Americans and human rights activists pushing for changes to immigration law. We know we have human rights, even though our very presence is deemed illegal and our existence alien. Now we have our own Bill of Rights and we want it to be the framework for every immigration decision going forward from the local to the national level, the group said in a statement announcing their demands.The 10 points include a demand that they be accorded respect; calls for citizenship rights and an immediate deferment of deportations; in-state tuition at public colleges; wage equality ; medical care; and protection against deportation if illegal immigrants report a crime as a witness.The list also includes a specific demand for compelled authorization of birth certificates for our U.S.-born children. That appears to be pushback against the state of Texas, where officials have ruled that parents must present valid ID to get children s birth certificates and have deemed the Mexican government s Matricula Consular ID card not to be acceptable as primary identification.A federal court has allowed that Texas policy to go into effect, ruling that there are questions about the reliability of the Mexican cards and that state officials have an interest in making sure only authorized relatives are able to get birth certificates.The list of rights begins with a protest against the terms illegal and alien. Immigrant-rights advocates say both terms are dehumanizing, and have offered undocumented workers or, in the case of United We Stand, Undocumented Americans, as their preferred term.The document is meant to serve as a goalpost for the ongoing immigration debate. Immigrant-rights groups had been gaining ground in recent years, with polls suggesting Americans were increasingly open to legalization.A legalization bill even passed the Senate in 2013 but Democrats, who controlled the chamber, never sent it to the GOP-run House for action.The issue then stalled last year after President Obama took unilateral action to grant a deportation amnesty to as many as 5 million of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. Federal courts have put that amnesty on hold, but Mr. Obama s other policies stopping deportations for most illegal immigrants remain in place, which has effectively checked off one of the list of rights demands. Via: Washington Times | 0 |
7,228 | This Ego-Killing Jeb Bush Infographic Shows How Expensive It Is For Billionaires To Back Losers | Jeb Bush was supposed to be the adult among the children in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries. He was even considered the inevitable nominee by some, particularly due to his fundraising capability. They sure were wrong, as you will see below.Jeb never really caught fire among voters, but somehow he did among billionaires and other corporate interests looking to pen a 4-year lease on an American president. Jeb had a total of $155.6 million raised for his presidential bid as of February 1st, 2016. $31.9 million was by him directly, with nearly $124 million more by PACS. On the night of the first caucus in the nation, he had spent a total of $24.3 million about $14 million of it in Iowa alone.For all the inevitability his money supposedly ensured, Jeb ended up with a humiliating 2.8 percent portion of the vote during the Iowa Republican Caucus. This worked out to just over a measly 5,000 votes, which netted him one whole delegate. Ouch. Going with just the Iowa money for the ad-buys leading up to the caucus, Jeb ended up paying about $2,800 per vote.Dang, Jeb. https://t.co/RGVSCgsJaL pic.twitter.com/6tJjkEZMZS Christopher Ingraham (@_cingraham) February 2, 2016To put this into context, Ted Cruz spent under $250 dollars per vote he received, and Trump spent even less. The pair claimed both first and second place at the end of the night. This begs the question, Have we hit the limit of how much money is able to influence an election? While you can t deny the effect that vast sums of corporate money have in politics, all the money in the nation won t polish everyone to an acceptable level of shine. Jeb is an embarrassing example of that in the 2016 election cycle.While technically Jeb has a possibility of finding new footing for himself in New Hampshire, the likelihood of a campaign resurrection is low. Trump is looking far stronger there with a 38 percent lead, as Cruz comes in second at 12 percent. Jeb is in the rear guard again at a weak 10 percent. He has the most money to burn, outside of Trump. Do you think it would help him at all, or is the Bush legacy too much of a curse for him to bear?Featured image from Flickr | 0 |
7,229 | What's in the final Republican tax bill | (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives gave final approval on Wednesday to a sweeping, debt-financed tax bill in a midday vote. It now will go to President Donald Trump to sign into law, although the timing of that was unclear. The Senate approved the bill early on Wednesday. Here are the key parts of the bill, representing the biggest overhaul of the U.S. tax code in more than 30 years. CORPORATE TAX RATE: Cuts corporate income tax rate permanently to 21 percent from 35 percent, as of Jan. 1, 2018. PASS-THROUGHS: Creates a 20 percent deduction for the first $315,000 of qualified business income for joint filers of pass-through businesses such as partnerships and sole proprietorships. For income above that threshold, the legislation phases in limits, producing an effective marginal tax rate of no more than 29.6 percent. CORPORATE ALTERNATIVE MINIMUM TAX: Repeals the 20 percent corporate alternative minimum tax, set up to ensure profitable corporations pay at least some tax. TERRITORIAL SYSTEM: Exempts U.S. corporations from U.S. taxes on most future foreign profits, ending the present worldwide system of taxing profits of all U.S.-based corporations, no matter where they are earned. This would align the U.S. tax code with most other industrialized nations, undercut many offshore tax-dodging strategies and deliver to multinationals a goal they have pursued for years. REPATRIATION: Sets a one-time mandatory tax of 8 percent on illiquid assets and 15.5 percent on cash and cash equivalents for about $2.6 trillion in U.S. business profits now held overseas. This foreign cash pile was created by a rule making foreign profits tax-deferred if they are not brought into the United States, or repatriated. That rule would be rendered obsolete by the territorial system. ANTI-BASE EROSION MEASURES: Prevents companies from shifting profits out of the United States to lower-tax jurisdictions abroad. Sets an alternative minimum tax on payments between U.S. corporations and foreign affiliates, and limits on shifting corporate income through transfers of intangible property, including patents. In combination, these measures with the repatriation and territorial system provisions, represent a dramatic overhaul of the U.S. tax system for multinationals. CAPITAL EXPENSING: Allows businesses to immediately write off, or expense, the full value of investments in new plant and equipment for five years, then gradually eliminates this 100 percent expensing over five years beginning in year six. Also makes changes to permit for more expensing by small businesses. INTEREST DEDUCTION LIMIT: Caps business deductions for debt interest payments at 30 percent of taxable income, regardless of deductions for depreciation, amortization or depletion. CLEAN ENERGY: Preserves tax credits for producing electricity from wind, biomass, geothermal, solar, municipal waste and hydropower. CARRIED INTEREST: Leaves in place “carried interest” loophole for private equity fund managers and some hedge fund managers, despite pledges by Republicans including President Donald Trump to close it. These financiers can now claim a lower capital gains tax rate on much of their income from investments held more than a year. A new rule would extend that holding period to three years, putting the loophole out of reach for some fund managers but preserving its availability for many. BRACKETS: Maintains current seven tax brackets, but temporarily changes most income levels and rates for each one. For married couples filing jointly, effective Jan. 1, 2018 and ending in 2026, income tax would be: 10 percent up to $19,050, versus 10 percent up to $18,650 under existing law; 12 percent on $19,051 to $77,400, versus 15 percent on$18,651 to $75,900; 22 percent on $77,401 to $165,000, versus 25 percent on $75,901 to $153,100; 24 percent on $165,001 to $315,000, versus 28 percent on $153,101 to $233,350; 32 percent on $315,001 to $400,000, versus 33 percent on $233,351 to $416,700; 35 percent on $400,001 to $600,000, versus 35 percent on $416,701 to $470,700 37 percent above $600,000, versus 39.6 percent above$470,700. For single individuals, effective Jan. 1, 2018 and ending in 2026, income tax would be: 10 percent up to $9,525, versus 10 percent up to $9,325 under existing law; 12 percent from $9,526 to $38,700, versus 15 percent on $9,326 to $37,950; 22 percent on $38,701 to $82,500, versus 25 percent on $37,951 to $91,900; 24 percent on $82,501 to $157,500, versus 28 percent on $91,901 to $191,650; 32 percent on $157,501 to $200,000, versus 33 percent on $191,651 to $416,700; 35 percent on $200,001 to $500,000, versus 35 percent on $416,701 to $418,400; 37 percent above $500,000, versus 39.6 percent above $418,400. These brackets would expire after 2025. STANDARD DEDUCTION: In a change expected to end itemizing of deductions for millions of Americans, the bill for eight years beginning on Jan. 1, 2018, would increase the standard deduction - a fixed amount that can be subtracted from adjusted gross income to lower taxable income - to $12,000 from $6,350 for individuals, and to $24,000 from $12,700 for married couples. CHILD TAX CREDIT: Doubles the child tax credit to $2,000 per dependent child under age 17, with a refundable portion of $1,400. The refundable portion allows families to lower their tax bills to zero and receive a refund for the remaining value. PERSONAL EXEMPTION: Temporarily eliminates the $4,050 individual personal exemption. Under present law, taxpayers who earn below certain income caps can subtract this fixed dollar amount from their adjusted gross incomes to lower their taxable incomes. Generally, one exemption has been allowed per individual, spouse and child or other dependent. This would take effect Jan. 1, 2018, but then the personal exemption would return in 2026. INDIVIDUAL ALTERNATIVE MINIMUM TAX: Leaves the AMT in place but temporarily changes it by raising its exemptions and phase-outs. That will mean fewer people will have to pay the tax, while those who still do will take a smaller hit from it. INHERITANCES: Raises the exemption for estate and gift taxes to $10 million from $5 million per person and indexes the new exemption level for inflation after 2011. That means even fewer Americans would pay the estate tax, but it would stay on the books. MORTGAGES: For residences bought from Jan. 1, 2018, through Dec. 31, 2025, the bill caps the deduction for mortgage interest at $750,000 in home loan value. After Dec. 31, 2025, the cap would revert to $1 million in loan value. Suspends the deduction for interest on home equity loans from Jan. 1, 2018 until 2026. MEDICAL EXPENSES: Temporarily expands the deductibility of out-of-pocket medical expenses through 2019. OBAMACARE MANDATE: Repeals federal fine imposed on Americans under Obamacare for not obtaining health insurance coverage, a change expected to undermine the 2010 healthcare law. ANWR DRILLING: Allows oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. | 1 |
7,230 | Syria demands pullout of Turkish troops from country, says it is a "flagrant aggression" | AMMAN (Reuters) - Syria demanded on Saturday that Turkish troops who had entered northwestern Syria leave immediately, saying their presence constituted a flagrant aggression . A Foreign Ministry statement carried on state media said the entry of Turkish military vehicles into rebel-held northwest Syria through the Bab al-Hawa crossing late on Thursday was a violation of international law. Syria condemns in the strongest terms the incursion of units of the Turkish army in Idlib province, which constitutes a flagrant aggression against the sovereignty and security of Syrian territory, the statement said. Turkey says it is operating alongside Syrian rebel groups to implement a deal reached last month with Russia and Iran in the Kazakh capital Astana to reduce fighting between insurgents. But Syria s statement said: The Turkish aggression is not tied in any way with the understandings that were reached between the guarantor states in the Astana process, but constitutes a violation of these understandings. | 1 |
7,231 | California Assembly passes gender-neutral restroom bill | SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - A bill requiring all single-occupancy public restrooms to be open to anyone regardless of gender or gender identity passed the California Assembly on Monday, and will proceed to the state Senate. The most populous U.S. state already bars discrimination against transgender people, including in public restrooms. The measure by state Assemblyman Phil Ting, a Democrat from San Francisco, goes farther, saying that single-use restrooms should not be reserved for one sex. “Restrooms are a necessity of life, making equal access to them a civil rights issue,” Ting said in a press statement. The measure passed on a 55-19 vote. A date has not been set for the Senate to consider the bill. Supporters have said that in addition to protecting transgender or gender fluid people, the bill would also cut down waiting time at single-occupancy public restrooms by allowing anyone to use facilities previously reserved for men or women. The bill came during a nationwide furor over a law passed by the state of North Carolina requiring people to use restrooms consistent with their biological sex. On Monday, a fight between the Obama administration and North Carolina over that law escalated as both sides sued each other, trading accusations of civil rights violations and government overreach. The U.S. Justice Department’s complaint asked a federal district court in North Carolina to declare that the state is violating the 1964 Civil Rights Act and order it to stop enforcing the ban. North Carolina’s Republican governor, Pat McCrory, and the state’s secretary of public safety sued the U.S. agency in a different federal court in North Carolina, accusing it of “baseless and blatant overreach.” | 1 |
7,232 | Clinton blames FBI's Comey for her defeat in call with donors | NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton blamed FBI director James Comey for her stunning defeat in Tuesday’s presidential election in a conference call with her top campaign funders on Saturday, according to two participants who were on the call. Clinton was projected by nearly every national public opinion poll as the heavy favorite going into Tuesday’s race. Instead, Republican Donald Trump won the election, shocking many throughout the nation and prompting widespread protests. Clinton has kept a low profile since her defeat after delivering her concession speech on Wednesday morning. Clinton told her supporters on Saturday that her team had drafted a memo that looked at the changing opinion polls leading up to the election and that the letter from Comey proved to be a turning point. She said Comey’s decision to go public with the renewed examination of her email server had caused an erosion of support in the upper Midwest, according to three people familiar with the call. Clinton lost in Wisconsin, the first time since 1984 that the state favored the Republican candidate in a presidential election. Although the final result in Michigan has still not been tallied, it is leaning Republican, in a state that last favored the Republican nominee in 1988. Comey sent a letter to Congress only days before the election announcing that he was reinstating an investigation into whether Clinton mishandled classified information when she used a private email server while secretary of state from 2009 to 2012. Comey announced a week later that he had reviewed emails and continued to believe she should not be prosecuted, but the political damage was already done. Clinton told donors that Trump was able to seize on both of Comey’s announcements and use them to attack her, according to two participants on the call. While the second letter cleared her of wrongdoing, Clinton said that it reinforced to Trump’s supporters that the system was rigged in her favor and motivated them to mobilize on Election Day. The memo prepared by Clinton’s campaign, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, said voters who decided which candidate to support in the last week were more likely to support Trump than Clinton. “In the end, late breaking developments in the race proved one hurdle too many for us to overcome,” the memo concludes. A spokesperson for the FBI could not immediately be reached for comment. On the phone call, Dennis Chang, who served as Clinton’s finance chair, said her campaign and the national party had raised more than $900 million from more than 3 million individual donors, according to the two participants who spoke to Reuters. As Clinton gave her account to donors, Trump hunkered down at Trump Tower with members of the transition team announced on Friday and tasked with selecting the 15 Cabinet posts and thousands of political appointment jobs. Kellyanne Conway, who served as his campaign manager, said on Saturday that the an announcement of a new chief of staff is “imminent.” Two candidates whose names have surfaced as contenders for the top White House job are campaign CEO Steve Bannon and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus. Trump will deliver a speech about his plans moving forward in the coming days and may undertake a national victory tour, Conway said, without providing further details. He will be sworn in on January 20. The president-elect plans to keep his communication channels open. In an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” that will air on Sunday, Trump said he isn’t ready to give up his Twitter account, where he routinely posted controversial statements during the campaign that unleashed harsh criticism. “I’m going to be very restrained, if I use it at all, I’m going to be very restrained,” Trump said. | 1 |
7,233 | Trump, Republicans to showcase tax cut for businesses | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump and top Republicans in Congress are about to show how aggressively they intend to cut the corporate tax rate, while trying to avoid the appearance of favoring the wealthy. The “Big Six” team of Republican tax policy makers is expected to release a plan on Wednesday targeting tax cuts for businesses, but offering few clues about how to replace reduced federal revenues, said lobbyists and congressional sources. Under pressure from corporate America, the team is expected to call for a corporate income tax target rate possibly within a range of 18-23 percent, down from the current rate of 35 percent. But the Big Six, which includes top Trump aides and congressional Republican leaders, is expected to refrain from cutting the top individual tax rate of 39.6 percent, in a risky step that many Republicans in the House of Representatives could find hard to swallow. “They’re not going to cut the highest income tax rate. They’re not,” predicted Stephen Moore, a fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank. Moore helped write Trump’s campaign tax plan. Overhauling the tax code was a key pledge for Trump in his 2016 presidential campaign. But after eight months in office, he has made only limited progress. Washington has achieved no major tax overhaul since 1986. Trump portrays lower corporate taxes as a boon to workers, saying they would lead to more jobs and higher salaries. A rate cut on corporate profits could also be used to benefit shareholders and to offer up more executive bonuses, however. “The details leaking out of the Big Six meetings paint a clear picture of an unprecedented tax giveaway for the most fortunate and biggest corporations,” Senator Ron Wyden, top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said this week. The Big Six — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Trump economic adviser Gary Cohn, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan and two tax committee chairmen — have been working on their plan for months. But they are still undecided on key issues, including whether to let businesses write off new investments immediately; how to lower tax rates for small businesses; and whether to cut middle-class taxes simply by doubling the standard deduction for individuals and families, according to lobbyists. Resolving such issues will help determine how aggressively Republicans can cut corporate taxes. Lobbyists said they do not expect the Big Six to offer many details about the tax loopholes and deductions that could be eliminated to help pay for tax cuts. “Our expectation is that it will be a bold transformative tax reform. That would mean a dramatic corporate rate cut, an aggressive stripping out of set-asides and special interest carve-outs and simplification,” said Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity, a political group backed by billionaire conservatives Charles and David Koch. White House spokeswoman Natalie Strom declined to comment on the blueprint. “We have always said that tax reform will include lowering rates, closing loopholes and broadening the base by ending special interest tax breaks. Those priorities will be reflected in the plan,” she said. The Big Six will likely address the estimated $2.6 trillion in U.S. corporate profits held overseas by requiring companies to bring the money home at rates of 3.5 percent for reinvested profits and 8.75 percent for on cash and equivalents, lobbyists said. To offset lost revenue, the Trump administration plans to forecast a flood of new tax revenue in coming years, based on aggressive assumptions of tax-fueled economic expansion. But Senate Republicans have shown signs of moving away from such “dynamic” scoring of any tax legislation impact. Two senators, including a prominent fiscal hawk, agreed this week to a “static” score that could allow tax reform to lose up to $1.5 trillion over the next decade. Senate Republicans also are likely to avoid budget baseline changes to generate savings for tax reform on paper. That could well mean the Big Six plan would balloon the federal budget deficit. “Without those, the price goes up. There’s no other way to look at it,” said John Gimigliano, a former House Ways and Means Committee tax counsel who leads federal legislative and regulatory services at KPMG LLP. | 1 |
7,234 | Losing immunity, German anti-immigrant party's co-head may face perjury charge | BERLIN (Reuters) - A regional parliament has lifted the immunity of the best known politician in the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, opening the way for prosecutors to pursue possible perjury charges against her. Frauke Petry, who is the AfD s co-chairwoman, has been dogged by allegations that she lied under oath to a committee of the Saxony parliament about how the party s campaign for the 2014 election in the state was financed. The ending of her immunity from prosecution adds to the right-wing party s problems less than four weeks before a national election. Weakened by infighting, it has bled support over the last year as voters concerns about immigration have eased. Prosecutors have pursued the case against Petry, who denies the allegations, for more than a year. Her immunity as a member of the Saxony s parliament ended at midnight, a spokesman for the assembly said. A spokesman for prosecutors in the state capital Dresden said they would await written confirmation of that from the parliament s president before any further proceedings could be agreed upon. The AfD is polling between 7 and 10 percent in opinion surveys - well down from a high of 15.5 percent at the end of 2016 but still clearing the 5-percent threshold needed to enter the federal parliament in the Sept. 24 national election. Petry cuts an increasingly isolated figure in the AfD, which she transformed from an anti-euro party at its founding in 2013 into a group that taps into voters concerns about migration. The party soared in the polls after Chancellor Angela Merkel s decision in 2015 to open Germany s borders to migrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond, of whom more than a million have since arrived. At a party conference in April, Petry suffered a humiliating defeat when delegates refused to discuss her plan to shift the party towards the mainstream. | 1 |
7,235 | Top Democrat slams Obama administration's response to Russian hacks | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Democrat on the U.S. House Intelligence Committee on Sunday criticized the administration of former President Barack Obama for not taking earlier and tougher action against Russia for its alleged hacks aimed at swaying the Nov. 8 election for Donald Trump. “The Obama administration should have done a lot more when it became clear that not only was Russia intervening, but it was being directed at the highest levels of the Kremlin,” said Representative Adam Schiff on CNN’s “State of the Union” program. The Obama administration imposed sanctions in December on two Russian intelligence agencies over their alleged involvement in hacking political groups during the election, but those sanctions were too little, too late, Schiff said. Schiff and his Senate counterpart, Dianne Feinstein, issued an unusual public statement in September condemning Russia for the alleged hacks. “We had to vet that with the intelligence community, but we took that step because we weren’t succeeding in getting the administration to do it itself,” Schiff said. | 1 |
7,236 | Russia, North Korea discuss bilateral 2015 treaty: Russian embassy | MOSCOW (Reuters) - The first meeting of a Russian-North Korea military commission is discussing the implementation of a 2015 agreement on preventing dangerous military activities signed by the two nations in 2015, Russia s embassy to Pyongyang said on its Facebook page on Thursday. Russia s defense ministry delegation arrived in Pyongyang on Wednesday. It will stay in North Korea until Saturday, an embassy official told the RIA news agency. | 1 |
7,237 | Trump Just Told Prince Charles To Eat Sh*t For An Absolutely RIDICULOUS Reason | Donald Trump is slated to visit Great Britain this summer, and meet with Prince Charles while he s there. And the White House warned Prince Charles to avoid lecturing Trump on issues like climate change:Members of Trump s inner circle have warned British officials that it would be counterproductive for Charles to lecture Trump on green issues during the president s June visit to Britain, and that the president will erupt if pushed, the Sunday Times of London reported.Well, isn t that a nice way of telling Prince Charles to fuck off if he brings up climate change. One could even take that to be some kind of veiled threat, but it s more likely that came from Trump needing to feel like he knows everything about everything and doesn t need to be educated on anything.Trump is a known climate-denier and also has, ahem, a tendency to fly off the handle when anyone tries to tell him he s wrong, he screwed up, or basically doesn t kiss his boots and his ass. He still hasn t grasped the fact that he s the least popular person to assume the highest office in our nation, let alone that people won t immediately acknowledge his amazing intelligence and understanding of the world.He s been looking to pull the U.S. out of the big Paris climate accord as quickly as possible, even looking for ways to circumvent the four-year process for withdrawing. He believes that environmental regulations are harmful to business and that we must do away with them. He wants to do away with them so badly he scrubbed all mention of climate change from the White House s website the instant he was sworn in, and started gagging federal agencies directly involved with environmental issues to boot.Prince Charles, however, has not ruled out bringing the subject up, even though he ll probably try and work to avoid the appearance of lecturing. Sadly, though, Trump will probably see any talk that doesn t fit his views to a tee as lecturing. The White House is treating Prince Charles like he s the egotistical know-it-all who should shut up and listen. But what can we expect from an administration that openly and loudly calls for members of the press to be fired for reporting facts they don t like?Photo of Prince Charles by Arthur Edwards -WPA Pool/Getty Images. Photo of Donald Trump by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images | 0 |
7,238 | Senator Delivers SCATHING Rebuke To His GOP Colleagues – ‘No One Is Safe’ Because Of You | It s been a tragic, but infuriating day for America. In the wake of the mass shooting at a church in Texas, we ve all heard the obligatory thoughts and prayers and May God be with yous, we ve come to expect from Republicans who are more concerned about their NRA ratings than they are about actual lives. So Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut blasted them for it in his official statement on the shooting.In it, he asks a very, very important question: How can you claim that you respect human life while choosing fealty to weapons-makers over support for measures favored by the vast majority of your constituents? This is something he wants each of his Republican colleagues to consider seriously as they go to sleep tonight, because many of these people (like Ted Cruz and Paul Ryan) claim to value human life in the abortion debate, but behave as though the deaths of thousands of people already here on this Earth due to gun violence is simply the price of freedom. That s not valuing life. That s valuing the money they get from various lobbies.Murphy went on to state his heartbreak, not just over high-profile mass shootings, but others as well: My heart breaks for Sutherland Springs. Just like it still does for Las Vegas. And Orlando. And Charleston. And Aurora. And Blacksburg. And Newtown. Just like it does every night for Chicago. And New Orleans. And Baltimore. And Bridgeport. Then he ended it with quite possibly the most powerful statement there is: The terrifying fact is that no one is safe so long as Congress chooses to do absolutely nothing in the face of this epidemic. The time is now for Congress to shed its cowardly cover and do something. Congress continually fails to act because Republicans won t. So while Murphy diplomatically says that we aren t safe because Congress is too cowardly to act, he s laying the blame for this squarely at his Republican colleagues feet. The saddest part is that the GOP won t heed this. The gun lobby will have to be shut down one way or another for Republicans to open their eyes to reality. You can read his full statement below:Whoa, this statement from @ChrisMurphyCT on the Sutherland Springs, Texas shooting is extremely powerful. Wow. pic.twitter.com/4qyP3sH9co Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) November 5, 2017Featured image via Erich Schlegel/Getty Images | 0 |
7,239 | Green Party raises $3.5 million for presidential vote recounts | MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein said on Thursday she has raised $3.5 million to force recounts of the Nov. 8 election results in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, three states where Donald Trump scored narrow wins. The campaign said it exceeded its initial goal for raising $2.5 million and has enough money to pay Wisconsin’s $1.1 million filing fee due on Friday. At the same time, the party said it raised its target to $4.5 million, with filing deadlines approaching in Pennsylvania on Monday and Michigan on Wednesday. Stein is pushing for recounts because experts pointed to statistical anomalies in the tallies in all three battleground states, according to the party’s website. Trump, a Republican who ran as an anti-establishment maverick, carried all three states by narrow margins despite public opinion polls pointing to victories by Hillary Clinton, the Democratic standard-bearer. “We deserve elections we can trust,” the campaign said, adding that the effort was not intended to help Clinton. A representative of the president-elect’s transition team could not be reached for comment. But Kellyanne Conway, a senior Trump adviser, suggested that efforts to force recounts were ironic, given harsh criticism of Trump before the election when he would not say whether he would accept the result of what he called a “rigged” political system. “Look who can’t accept the election results,” Conway said in a Twitter message, pointing to a headline in the New York Times that read “Hillary Clinton Supporters Call for Vote Recount in Battleground States.” Although Clinton won more votes than Trump on a nationwide basis, the real estate developer exceeded the number of votes in the Electoral College needed to take the presidency. Electoral votes are apportioned state by state, mostly on a winner-take-all basis. Stein took a little more than 1 percent of the popular vote, while Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson came in third place behind Trump and Clinton. Stein’s website said that the total cost of recounts in the three states was $6 million to $7 million, but it did not explain why the campaign’s new target was only $4.5 million. | 1 |
7,240 | This 19-Year-Old From Flint DESTROYS Trump, Calls For Him To End Campaign | Everyone has had it with the Donald Trump campaign. One person, in particular, has decided that enough is enough a 19-year-old named Cameron Edwards from Flint, Michigan. Edwards wrote a letter to Trump calling for him to end his campaign.In the letter, Edward writes that he did not view Trump s campaign as a joke like most people did. Edwards writes in the letter: Mr. Trump, when you first announced your bid to be Commander and Chief of this nation, the american people immediately dismissed your campaign as a complete joke, but not me. I genuinely believed that the people should take the time to listen to your campaign, I told others that it s possible that you may have something to offer, but in reality, I was very wrong. At that point, Edwards goes on to list some of the things that Trump has become known for over the past few months in the election. This includes the endorsement that Trump received from former KKK leader, David Duke. Trump s non-stop scapegoating of Muslims, immigrants, and people of color.Those, however, are criticisms anyone can make. Edwards, on the other hand, has a very good question that Trump would hate to answer. What exactly is so great that Trump is offering? Which is exactly what every Trump supporter should be asked. Why would Trump s America be great for a young black man living in Flint? Do you not see the message that you are sending to us? Why would someone like me even be interested in your America? Can you even give me ONE real reason why I should believe that I have an actual shot as a black teenager in your America? As far as I know, you haven t done anything to reach out to OBVIOUSLY concerned communities like mine. Please remember, I am a Flint resident, and like other members of this community, we are wondering why you and other republicans alike haven t reached out to us. The U.S. is a mosaic of people. Trump s America might be great for you if you are well of financially and are white (it still probably won t be, though). For everyone else, it would be a disaster. Every WASP supporter that Trump has to have at least one person in their life that would fall into the everyone else category.Edwards ends his blistering letter to Trump calling for him to end his campaign. Edwards writes: Mr. Trump, it is obvious that you are not interested in uniting this nation, and with the growing threat of violence within your campaign, I believe as a moral adult, that you MUST end your campaign to prevent people from getting hurt any further. It is simply the right thing to do. Outside of a few grammatical errors, there is only one major problem with Edwards letter. A reader pointed out the mistake immediately:The full letter is embedded below.// < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); // ]]>Dear Donald J. Trump My name is Cameron, I am a 19 year old, Flint, Michigan resident, and today, I would like to Posted by Cameron Edwards on Monday, March 14, 2016Featured image from Gage Skidmore via Flickr with screenshot added | 0 |
7,241 | AMERICAN SERVICEMEN ‘Sing God Bless America’ At World Series Game…The Left Goes Ballistic | Twitter exploded when God Bless America was beautifully sung by American servicemen at the World Series on Tuesday night. The left was triggered by the beautiful and patriotic song that they ve been trying to censor from MLB for some time. Several recent articles by Slate and other publications call for God Bless America to be omitted from being played at games:NYDN reported: Major League Baseball must permanently retire God Bless America, a song that offends everyone The Yankees still play it at every game, but most teams, like my beloved Mets, play God Bless America only on Sundays or holidays. But even that s too much. This is why what happened during the seventh inning stretch for game one of the World Series is a beautiful thing:Major League Baseball hit it out of the park by playing a song that s even more despised by the left than the national anthem. It was performed with a little help from American servicemen during the seventh inning stretch:God Bless America! Thank you God and America! Look NFL no whinny NFL babies #GoStros @nflcommish #NFLBoycott #BoycottNFLSponsors @MLB pic.twitter.com/FgfeFeoMaX IBC Medias (@ByChauvin) October 25, 2017Liberals went ballistic on twitter: The American jingoism is unbearable The left detests patriotism and anything to do with national pride. A very sick mindset.Mike Dalager, a petty officer at the United States Coast Guard second class performs this rendition of God Bless America during the 7th inning stretch at Game 1 of the 2017 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Houston Astros. Great performance: | 0 |
7,242 | Republican Senator Collins says she will not vote for Trump | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Susan Collins of Maine said on Monday she will not vote for fellow Republican Donald Trump for president. “This is not a decision I make lightly, for I am a lifelong Republican. But Donald Trump does not reflect historical Republican values nor the inclusive approach to governing that is critical to healing the divisions in our country,” Collins said in an opinion piece in the Washington Post. | 1 |
7,243 | An Open Letter To Decent Republicans: It’s Time To Leave Donald Trump’s GOP (VIDEOS) | The nation is still reeling from the fact that the so-called president, Donald Trump, attacked Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski in the most personal, vicious, misogynistic terms ever. However, we should not be surprised. We ve seen the scores of videos of him attacking a former Miss Universe over her weight, of his calling women pigs and dogs, of his making previous blood comments about former Fox host and current NBC host Megyn Kelly for asking tough questions about his misogynistic past in a GOP primary debate. We ve listened to Trump boasting of walking into the dressing rooms of teenage beauty pageant contestants. We all heard him brag of sexually assaulting women on the Access Hollywood tape. The apology for that damning audio only had Trump apologize in the asinine non-apology of if anyone was offended, with a pivot to Bill Clinton s behavior in the 1990 s, culminating in his gross parading of decades old Clinton accusers for debate cameras.Now that Trump is sitting in the Oval Office, Capitol Hill Republicans had no choice but to respond to his behavior. However, they knew what they were getting when they propped him up and got him elected. The #NeverTrump Republicans and assorted conservatives were shunned during the campaign for refusing to support a disgusting man who was so clearly unfit for office and unable to be president of all Americans due to his various bigotries, and for his obvious hatred of women in particular. Yet, they continued, due to the craven urge to put party before country and elect a Republican in order to get a conservative Supreme Court Justice which materialized in the form of Neil Gorsuch at the expense of the nation they claim to love. We all knew Trump s unfitness for the office he now holds and the damage he would do to the nation long before his American Carnage inauguration speech.However, there are Republicans calling Trump out on what he did to Mika Brzezinski. Almost universally, his comments were condemned. However, the GOP, with Trump as its standard-bearer, is defined by misogyny and all of his other bigoted opinions. He IS your party. That didn t stop GOP pundits who are not elected officials from criticizing him and the party harshly, though. Perhaps most prominently are CNN contributor and GOP strategist Ana Navarro and MSNBC s host of Deadline: White House Nicolle Wallace. Here are both of those proud Republican women s statements on Trump s latest antics. First, Nicolle Wallace, who sent some very good advice to the White House and Republicans everywhere that most likely will definitely not be taken:As a former WH comms director, my thoughts to the President s tweets: https://t.co/hhDNMWeAmL Nicolle Wallace (@NicolleDWallace) June 29, 2017Now, Ana Navarro s stinging response on CNN with Wolf Blitzer and others, amid a montage of outraged responses: This dude has got such a fixation with women and blood. What is wrong with him? This isn t normal. No, it s not normal. pic.twitter.com/m5cIL4YxKI Leanne Naramore (@LeanneNaramore) June 29, 2017Here is her full Blitzer segment:MUST WATCH: @ananavarro neuters Trump on live TV https://t.co/51a5TOnqTW Jason Morrell (@CNNJason) June 29, 2017Also, watch Ana Navarro unleash an attack on the silent GOP people who won t stand up to Trump:Holy Smoke! Watch Republican @ananavarro absolutely smash @realDonaldTrump and her Republican colleagues. pic.twitter.com/s7jUmRZm4k WING MAN (@USA_WINGMAN) June 30, 2017The thing you need to realize is this, Ana, Nicolle, and other Republicans who cannot abide Trump: Your party as you knew it is gone. You always had an issue with racism, misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, etc. That must be addressed, and it will continue until you do it. The thing the respectable members that are left of the GOP must recognize is this, though: with Donald Trump as your standard-bearer, those sentiments ARE the GOP. I know how much a part of one s identity a political party can be. I am a lifelong, dyed-in-the-wool Democrat. I d be HOWLING if anyone tried to force me to go Independent. However, if the Democrats ever came up with their own version of Donald Trump, I like to think I d run for the hills as fast as my fat little legs could carry me because my country will ALWAYS come before my party. I really hope you all have the stones to do the same in this instance.Remember, Republicans history will judge you on who you associated with and how you handled the Trump era. You don t want to be on the wrong side of it.Featured image via BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images | 0 |
7,244 | Trump denies obstructing FBI probe, says has no tapes of talks with Comey | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he had not obstructed the FBI’s probe into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and had not recorded his conversations with former FBI chief James Comey. Comey was leading the investigation into allegations Russia tried to sway the election toward Trump and the possibility Trump associates colluded with Moscow when the president fired him on May 9, sparking a political firestorm. “Look there has been no obstruction, there has been no collusion,” Trump told Fox News Channel in an interview set to air on Friday. Fox released a partial transcript of the interview on Thursday. The former head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation testified before a Senate committee that Trump had asked him to drop a probe into former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s alleged ties to Russia. Earlier on Thursday, Trump said he did not make and does not possess any tapes of his conversations with Comey, after suggesting last month he might have recordings that could undercut Comey’s description of events. “I have no idea whether there are ‘tapes’ or recordings of my conversations with James Comey, but I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings,” Trump wrote on Twitter. Lawmakers investigating allegations of Russian interference in the U.S. election had asked the White House for any such recordings. Shortly after dismissing Comey, Trump mentioned the possibility of tapes in a Twitter post. “James Comey better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!” Trump tweeted on May 12. Allegations of ties to Russia have cast a shadow over Trump’s first five months in office, distracting from attempts by his fellow Republicans in Congress to overhaul the U.S. healthcare and tax systems. Trump has privately told aides that the threat of the existence of tapes forced Comey to tell the truth in his recent testimony, a source familiar with the situation said. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, said Trump still had questions to answer about possible tapes. “If the president had no tapes, why did he suggest otherwise? Did he seek to mislead the public? Was he trying to intimidate or silence James Comey? And if so, did he take other steps to discourage potential witnesses from speaking out?” Schiff said in a statement. CNN reported on Thursday that two top U.S. intelligence officials told investigators Trump suggested they publicly deny any collusion between his campaign and Russia, but that they did not feel he had ordered them to do so. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and National Security Agency Director Admiral Mike Rogers met separately last week with investigators for special counsel Robert Mueller and the Senate Intelligence Committee, according to CNN. The two officials said they were surprised at Trump’s suggestion and found their interactions with him odd and uncomfortable, but they did not act on the president’s requests, CNN reported, citing sources familiar with their accounts. Reuters was unable to verify the CNN report. In his interview with Fox, Trump expressed concern about what he described as the close relationship between Comey and Mueller, who was appointed to take over the investigation after Comey was fired. “Well he’s very, very good friends with Comey, which is very bothersome,” Trump said, according to the Fox transcript. The Kremlin has denied U.S. intelligence agencies’ conclusion that Moscow tried to tilt the election in Trump’s favor, using such means as hacking into the emails of senior Democrats. Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion. | 1 |
7,245 | CLASSLESS HOLLYWOOD LIB ADDRESSES THOUSANDS AT COMMENCEMENT SPEECH…Drops “F-Bomb” In Whiny Opening Line | Just another whiny radical leftist keeping it classy. Birds of a feather Robert De Niro delivered the commencement speech to graduates of NYU s Tisch School of the Arts on Friday, opening up his remarks with a blunt warning: You re f***ed. The Oscar-winning actor grinned as he told the film, art, and media graduates at the Theater at Madison Square Garden that while those with degrees in law and business used reason and logic and common sense to research a career, the art school graduates would have to keep working to find steady employment. You discovered a talent, developed an ambition and recognized your passion, De Niro said, according to the Associated Press. When you feel that, you can t fight it. Just go with it. When it comes to the arts, passion should always trump common sense. You re an artist yeah, you re f***ed, the actor continued. The good news is that s not a bad place to start. De Niro, who won an Academy Award for both 1975 s The Godfather: Part II and 1981 s Raging Bull, also offered up some tips on how to make it in Hollywood, according to the Hollywood Reporter. He warned the graduates about facing a lifetime of rejection, but said you don t want to block the pain too much. Rejection might sting, but my feeling is that often, it has very little to do with you. When you re auditioning or pitching, the director or producer or investor may have someone different in mind, that s just how it is. That happened recently when I was auditioning for the role of Martin Luther King in Selma! Which was too bad because I could ve played the hell out of that part. I felt it was written for me! But the director had something different in mind, and she was right. It seems the director is always right.The Oscar-winner also told graduates to use the word Next to move from project to project. You didn t get that part? Next! You ll get the next one or the next one after that, he said. I know you re going to make it. Break a leg. Next! According to the New York Daily News, most of the graduates in attendance laughed off the actor s blunt advice. He was just being honest, 22-year-old graduate Jamie Jensen told the paper. We were all just laughing. It s so true in a way we all joke about it. You know it going in to art school. But Jensen s mother did not exactly approve of De Niro s colorful language. It was right at the beginning first line, Maria Jensen told the paper of the actor s many uses of expletives. You don t really want to use the F-bomb in front of thousands of people. That s just my take. Via: Breitbart News | 0 |
7,246 | French foreign minister visits Libya in new push for U.N. talks | TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya s rival factions should stick to a United Nations peace process and prepare for elections in spring 2018, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday, trying to give stalled U.N. talks a new push. The North African country has two rival governments, one in the east and a U.N.-backed administration in the capital Tripoli in the west, in a conflict stemming from the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. France was a leading player in the NATO intervention against Gaddafi, sending warplanes to bomb his forces. The United Nations launched a new round of talks in September in Tunis between the rival factions to prepare for presidential and parliamentary elections in 2018, but they broke off after one month. I noted the desire from the Prime Minister (Fayez al-Seraj) to stick to the calendar. We have a total convergence of views to implement this agenda, Le Drian said after meeting the Tripoli-based prime minister in the Libyan capital. Drian will later fly to the eastern city of Benghazi to meet the powerful eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar, who on Sunday called the U.N.-backed government and peace process obsolete. The U.N. talks had stumbled over the question of what role Haftar should play. He indicated on Sunday he wants to run as presidential candidate. Haftar remains popular among Libyans in the east who are weary of the chaos, but faces opposition in western Libya. The eastern-based House of Representatives on Tuesday widened divisions between east and west by approving a new central bank governor. The bank s Tripoli headquarters and U.N. rejected the move. Le Drian said a political deal would help solve crisis of thousands of illegal migrants stuck in detention centers in Libya where human rights groups said they often face abuse. Libyan officials deny this but say they are overwhelmed with a flood of migrants. Libya is to main departure point for illegal migrants heading for Europe by boat. | 1 |
7,247 | Albania woos luxury hotel brands with tax breaks | TIRANA (Reuters) - Albania is planning to try to lure five-star hotel brands with tax breaks, including scrapping profit and property taxes, to increase its appeal for the higher-end of the tourist trade. With travel and tourism accounting for 8.4 percent of gross domestic product in 2016, rising demand to visit the country between Montenegro and Greece washed by the Adriatic and Ionian Seas is not being met by present facilities and infrastructure. One of Europe s poorest but also most unspoiled countries, Albania has been wooing tourists by encouraging them to Go Your Own Way , counting on the appeal of adventure tourism. Now, to lure international hotel brands, the government is to pass a law this month to exempt them from profit tax for 10 years, scrap infrastructure tax and property taxes and have them pay a VAT tax of 6 percent for any service on their hotels or resorts. International hotel chains or anyone possessing a franchise from them is welcome provided they invest no less than eight million euros for a four-star hotel and no less than 15 million euros for a five-star hotel, said Elton Orozi, an official at the tourism ministry. Albania is trying to offer more to tourists who spend more time and money so as to get acquainted with the culture, history and nature, added Orozi. The incentives will apply to developers only if they do not sell on the units since the government wants to avoid villas being built on the seashore by wealthy Albanians using them as second homes. Building luxury hotels will also depend on whether the investors steer clear of land ownership troubles, which doomed an effort to lure the French Club Med holiday company to Albania more than a decade ago. | 1 |
7,248 | Factbox: Contenders, picks for key jobs in Trump's administration | (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is holding more meetings on Monday as he prepares to make high-level appointments, his transition team said. Below are people mentioned as contenders for senior roles as the Republican works to form his administration before taking office on Jan. 20, according to Reuters sources and media reports. See end of list for posts already filled. * Steven Mnuchin, former Goldman Sachs Group Inc executive and Trump’s campaign finance chairman * Jeb Hensarling, Republican U.S. representative from Texas and chairman of the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee * Tom Barrack, founder and chairman of Colony Capital Inc * John Allison, former chief executive officer of BB&T Corp * David McCormick, president of hedge fund Bridgewater Associates LP * Mitt Romney, 2012 Republican presidential nominee and former Massachusetts governor * Rudy Giuliani, Republican former mayor of New York City * David Petraeus, retired U.S. general and former CIA director * John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Republican President George W. Bush * Bob Corker, Republican U.S. senator from Tennessee and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee * Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. ambassador to Iraq * James Mattis, retired Marine Corps general * David Petraeus, former CIA director and retired Army general * Tom Cotton, Republican U.S. senator from Arkansas * Jon Kyl, former Republican U.S. senator from Arizona * Duncan Hunter, Republican U.S. representative from California and early Trump supporter, member of the House Armed Services Committee * Jim Talent, former Republican U.S. senator from Missouri who was on the Senate Armed Services Committee * Rick Perry, former Republican Texas governor * Stephen Hadley, former national security adviser under President George W. Bush * Tom Price, Republican U.S. representative from Georgia, orthopedic surgeon * Rich Bagger, former pharmaceutical executive and former top aide to Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie * Bobby Jindal, former Republican Louisiana governor * Michael McCaul, Republican U.S. representative from Texas and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee * David Clarke, Milwaukee county sheriff and vocal Trump supporter * Joe Arpaio, outgoing Maricopa County, Arizona, sheriff who campaigned for Trump * Kris Kobach, Kansas secretary of state * Frances Townsend, homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to Republican former President George W. Bush * Jeff Holmstead, energy lawyer, former EPA official during George W. Bush administration * Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon Investors * Leslie Rutledge, Republican Arkansas attorney general * Carol Comer, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management * Scott Pruitt, Republican Oklahoma attorney general * Harold Hamm, Oklahoma oil and gas mogul, chief executive of Continental Resources Inc * Kevin Cramer, Republican U.S. representative from North Dakota * Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon Investors * Larry Nichols, co-founder of Devon Energy Corp * James Connaughton, chief executive of Nautilus Data Technologies and a former environmental adviser to President George W. Bush * Rick Perry, former Republican Texas governor * Sarah Palin, former Alaska governor, 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee * Jan Brewer, Republican former Arizona governor * Forrest Lucas, founder of oil products company Lucas Oil * Harold Hamm, Oklahoma oil and gas mogul, chief executive of Continental Resources Inc * Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon Investors * Mary Fallin, Republican Oklahoma governor * Ray Washburne, chief executive of investment company Charter Holdings * Cathy McMorris Rodgers, U.S. representative from Washington state and House Republican Conference chair * Wilbur Ross, billionaire investor, chairman of Invesco Ltd subsidiary WL Ross & Co * Linda McMahon, former World Wrestling Entertainment executive and two-time Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Connecticut * U.S. Navy Admiral Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency * Ronald Burgess, retired U.S. Army lieutenant general and former Defense Intelligence Agency chief * Robert Cardillo, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency * Pete Hoekstra, Republican former U.S. representative from Michigan * Rudy Giuliani, Republican former mayor of New York City * Dan DiMicco, former chief executive of steel producer Nucor Corp * Andrew Puzder, chief executive officer of CKE Restaurants * Victoria Lipnic, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission commissioner and former Labor Department official during the George W. Bush administration * Elaine Chao, former labor secretary and deputy transportation secretary under Republican Presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush, respectively. Chao is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell * Harold Ford, Democratic former U.S. Representative from Tennessee * Dr. Ben Carson, former 2016 Republican presidential candidate and retired neurosurgeon The Trump transition team confirmed he would choose from a list of 21 names he drew up during his campaign, including Republican U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah, and William Pryor, a federal judge with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. * Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus * Steve Bannon, former head of the conservative website Breitbart News * Jeff Sessions, Republican U.S. senator from Alabama and senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee (subject to Senate confirmation) * Republican U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo from Kansas (subject to Senate confirmation) * Michael Flynn, retired Army lieutenant general and former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency * Nikki Haley, Republican South Carolina governor (subject to Senate confirmation) * Betsy DeVos, Republican donor and former chair of the Michigan Republican Party | 1 |
7,249 | THE SHOCKING REASON THE STATE DEPT IS HIDING Details of its Payments to Refugee Resettlement Contractors | The reason the State Department is hiding payments to the 9 agencies that resettle refugees is because it s so much money. They know if you know how much money is spent that Americans will be even more outraged by the thousands of mostly muslim refugees being shipped in quietly to America.If you re not familiar with the refugee resettlement scam that costs BILLIONS, the information below from Judicial Watch will shock you. The information is being hidden/redacted by the State Department because they don t want Americans to know what they give to the 9 resettlement agencies per year. It s mind blowing! Here s just one example: The State Department paid a VOLAG called United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) a ghastly $22,838,173 in one year to resettle refugees that came mostly from Muslim countries. Please listen to Ann Corcoran in the video below:State Dept. Hides Big Chunks of $22.8 Mil Contract to Resettle Muslim RefugeesThe U.S. government spends billions of dollars to resettle foreign nationals and transparency on how the money is spent depends on the agency involved. Judicial Watch has been investigating it for years, specifically the huge amount of taxpayer dollars that go to voluntary agencies , known as VOLAGs, to provide a wide range of services for the new arrivals. Throughout the ongoing probe Judicial Watch has found a striking difference on how government lawyers use an exemption, officially known as (b)(4), to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to withhold records. All the cases involve public funds being used to resettle foreigners on U.S. soil and Americans should be entitled to the records.The (b)(4) exemption permits agencies to withhold trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person which is privileged or confidential. Depending on the government agency and the mood of the taxpayer-funded lawyers handling public records requests, that information is exempt from disclosure. In these cases, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) disclosed a VOLAG contract to resettle tens of thousands of Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) that entered the U.S. through Mexico under the Obama administration while the State Department withheld large portions of a one-year, $22.8 million deal to resettle refugees from Muslim countries. Most of the UACs came from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala and the Obama administration blamed the sudden surge on violence in the three central American nations. The agency responsible for resettling the minors and issuing contracts for the costly services is HHS.As a result of Judicial Watch s work HHS furnished records with virtually nothing redacted. Disclosed were employee salaries of VOLAGs contracted by the agency to provide services for the illegal immigrant minors, the cost of laptops, big screen TVs, food, pregnancy tests, multicultural crayons and shower stalls for the new arrivals. The general contract was to provide basic shelter care for 2,400 minors for a period of four months in 2014. This cost American taxpayers an astounding $182,129,786 and the VOLAG contracted to do it was government regular called Baptist Children and Family Services (BCFS). The breakdown includes charges of $104,215,608 for UACs at Fort Sill, Oklahoma and an additional $77,914,178 for UACs at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.HHS rightfully provided all sorts of details in the records, including the cost of emergency surge beds ($104,215,608) for just four months; food for the illegal alien minors and staff ($18,198,000); medical supplies such as first aid kits, latex gloves, lice shampoo and pregnancy tests ($1,120,400); recreation items such as board games, soccer balls and jump ropes ($180,000); educational items like art paper and multicultural crayons ($180,000); laptops ($200,000) and cellphones ($160,000). Hotel accommodations for the BCFS staff was $6,765,000, the records show, and the salary for a 30-member Incident Management Team was $2,648,800, which breaks down to $88,293 per IMT member for the four-month period. It was outrageous that the Obama administration spent nearly $200 million of taxpayer funds to provide illegal alien children with the types of extravagant high-tech equipment and lavish benefits many American families cannot even afford for their own children.This has become a heated issue for the government which may explain why other agencies aren t as forthcoming in providing specific figures, thus abusing the (b)(4) exemption. The State Department, for instance, redacted huge portions of records involving contracts with VOLAGs to resettle refugees from mostly Muslim countries. The files illustrate the disparate redaction treatment given by different government agencies to the same types of records. The State Department paid a VOLAG called United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) a ghastly $22,838,173 in one year to resettle refugees that came mostly from Muslim countries. Unlike HHS, the agency redacted information related to what the USCCB charged the government for things like furniture, personnel, equipment and other costs associated with contracts to resettle refugees. Why did one government agency hand over the same types of records that another agency claims are trade secrets? Judicial Watch is challenging the State Department s (b)(4) exemption and will provide updates as they become available.HHS and the State Department work with nine VOLAGs to resettle refugees and the voluntary agencies have hundreds of contractors they like to call affiliates. It s a huge racket that costs American taxpayers monstrous sums and Judicial Watch is working to pinpoint the exact amount. Besides BCFS and USCCB, other VOLAGs with lucrative government gigs to resettle refugees are: Church World Service, Ethiopian Community Development Council, Episcopal Migration Ministries, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, International Rescue Committee, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Lutheran Immigration Refugee Services and World Relief Corporation.Via: Judicial Watch | 0 |
7,250 | HILLARY Mentions Support For Country She And Bill Screwed…Starts Coughing Again…”It Chokes Me Up” [VIDEO] | Watch:Here s the truth about the Clinton Foundation and how they helped the Haitians:https://youtu.be/26GC23zZi2A | 0 |
7,251 | Angola's opposition loses appeal to annul election result | LUANDA (Reuters) - Angola s Constitutional Court rejected on Wednesday an appeal by the largest opposition party to annul the results of last month s election, which gave a landslide victory to the ruling MPLA party. In a 38 page court document, the Constitutional Court said the evidence presented by The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) did not prove there were any irregularities or biases in the electoral process. The ruling is final and cannot be appealed. A spokesperson for UNITA said the party did not have any immediate comment. The People s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) won the Aug 23 vote with 61 percent, with UNITA second on 27 percent. UNITA had argued that in multiple provinces the results presented by the National Electoral Commission differed considerably from their own tally, alleging the results were not the product of local vote counting but were instead centrally engineered. The Constitutional Court dismissed this argument, saying the polling station tallies presented by UNITA did not show any bias against the party. | 1 |
7,252 | Catalan speaker freed on bail but gagged for election campaign | MADRID (Reuters) - The Catalan parliament s speaker was released from prison on Friday but the terms she agreed to seem likely to prevent her campaigning on a pro-independence ticket in a regional election next month. Carme Forcadell appeared in the Supreme Court in Madrid on Thursday to answer charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds, after she enabled a declaration of independence by the Catalan parliament in late October that prompted the Spanish government to take control of the region. She was released on bail of 150,000 euros after agreeing to renounce any political activity that went against the Spanish constitution, according to the court s ruling. Those terms threaten to further undermine an independence movement in which cracks are starting to appear. Court sources had quoted Forcadell and other summoned Catalan lawmakers as telling the judge that the independence declaration had not been legally binding - comments that the Spanish government welcomed on Friday. We see ... in the statements from the separatist leaders how the return to a constitutional order is starting to become a reality, Spanish government spokesman Inigo Mendez de Vigo told reporters. Judge Pablo Llarena said the court could reconsider its ruling if it found evidence of Forcadell offending again, in effect banning her from campaigning for independence in the Dec. 21 election. Following the independence declaration, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy used his power to fire the administration of Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, dissolve Catalonia s parliament and call a new election. Puigdemont at the time called the declaration a major step toward establishing an independent Catalan state, and Forcadell described Rajoy s response as a coup and an attack against democracy . On Tuesday, the PDeCAT party of Puigdemont who flew to Brussels after being deposed failed to agree on a united ticket to contest the election with another secessionist party, denting the pro-independence camp s hopes of pressing ahead with its bid to split from Spain after the election. In a last-ditch attempt at a united front, Puigdemont said on Friday he was still willing to lead an independent civic group, but none of the parties immediately offered it any backing. Forcadell left the Alcala Meco prison outside Madrid after the Supreme Court said in a statement it had received her bail payment. Forcadell tweeted: We re returning home. With the calm knowledge of having acted correctly: guaranteeing freedom of expression in the parliament, the center of national sovereignty. Authorities are continuing to investigate her role in Catalonia s banned independence drive, and the court confiscated her passport and ordered her to report to authorities once a week. The court had summoned her along with five Catalan lawmakers, four of whom were released on Thursday on 25,000-euro bail after surrendering their passports. The fifth was released without bail or conditions. Eight former members of the Catalan government and the leaders of the two main pro-independence grassroots groups remain in prison pending a separate investigation by the High Court. Puigdemont, who also faces charges of rebellion and sedition, is appealing in Belgium against an international arrest warrant served by Spain. A grassroots Catalan pro-independence group, the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), said it had paid Forcadell s bail and called a protest for Saturday to demand the release of the others. | 1 |
7,253 | Megyn Kelly Makes STARTLING Revelation About Her Spat With Donald Trump (VIDEO) | Megyn Kelly has been around for a while as a reporter. Like the majority of people in her field, her work has been praised by some and not liked by others. Yet, ever since her spat with Donald Trump, she has been catapulted to a level of unprecedented notoriety. In some ways, her new found fame has had positive ramifications, but in other ways it has been frightening, especially when you factor in Donald Trump. He seems to have inspired many people, some of them with racist and violent tendencies.Kelly knows first hand what it is like to get on the bad side of Trump supporters because she has been receiving death threats. Kelly said, It s not so much what he writes or says, it s how he gins up anger among so many, so it manifests in my life in several ways. Kelly has cause to worry that someone s gonna hurt me in the presence of my children. As disturbing as this revelation is, one has to keep in mind that there has been a consistent thread of violence or calls to violence when it comes to Donald Trump and his campaign: People have been attacked and/or kicked out of his rallies for opposing his views and Trump has repeatedly called for violence against those who oppose him at his cult-like rallies.The hope is that the simmering nightmare that is Trump will go away and he will not have an opportunity to have actual tangible power in the form of the presidency.Watch video here: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjWEoD9aj0I]Featured image via video screenshot | 0 |
7,254 | 2 MILLION HITS IN 2 DAYS: See Why Trump’s “USA Freedom Kids” Are A YUGE Viral Hit! [VIDEO] | The lyrics seem to have been inspired by Donald s Trumpisms. These are not your typical little beauty pageant girls. These girls are rockin liberty and Trump s fans can t get enough of them!Watch, and you ll see why this video has already received over 2 million hits in 2 days: | 0 |
7,255 | Exclusive: Flying into the eye of Hurricane Irma with U.S. 'Hurricane Hunters' | THE EYE OF HURRICANE IRMA (Reuters) - The sky darkened, lightning flashed and a jolt of turbulence shook the cabin of the hulking Air Force turbo-prop aircraft as it plied its way toward the eye of Hurricane Irma, one of the strongest Atlantic storms ever recorded. Piloting the four-engine, WC-130J aircraft was Air Force Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Jim Hitterman, who over the past 22 years has flown into 40 to 50 hurricanes. Every storm is different but he likens the experience to driving through a car wash - with one big difference. As you re driving through that car wash, a bunch of gorillas start jumping on top of your car, Hitterman said, adding that sometimes shaking gets so bad, he cannot see his instruments. On Friday and Saturday, Reuters accompanied the Air Force Reserves Hurricane Hunters, whose hard-won data taken directly from the center of storms like Hurricane Irma are critical to U.S. forecasts that save lives. Experts say U.S. satellite data simply cannot do the job. We can estimate by satellite what the strength and size of a hurricane is. But only if you go into the hurricane can you really get an accurate measure of its exact center location, the structure, the maximum winds, said Rick Knabb, a hurricane expert at the Weather Channel and a former director the National Hurricane Center. The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron s Hurricane Hunters are based at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. Its members trace the origin of hurricane hunting to a 1943 barroom dare by two then-Army Air Corps pilots to fly through a hurricane off Texas. Today, the missions are carried out largely by Air Force reservists who, after a few days or weeks of chasing storms, return to their jobs in the civilian world. Hitterman, 49, flies for Delta Airlines most of the time and, as a hobby, races motorcycles. The flight meteorologist, Major Nicole Mitchell, is an experienced television news meteorologist and mother of an eight-month-old baby boy. She normally lives in Minnesota. The way Mitchell sees it, the more accurate her data is, the more accurate the forecasts can be that tell U.S. citizens whether to evacuate their homes as Irma or other storms advance. It s a fact that we make a difference, she said. Mitchell s plane would make four passes in total through Irma s eye during that mission, some entries and exits more turbulent than others. Its final pass came on Saturday, as Hurricane Irma walloped Cuba s northern coast. Irma s interaction with Cuba s terrain weakened the storm from a Category 5 to a Category 4 hurricane but U.S. National Hurricane Center warned the storm was anticipated to strengthen again. Irma was expected to hit Florida on Sunday morning, bringing massive damage from wind and flooding to America s fourth-largest state by population. Millions of Florida residents have been ordered to evacuate. Despite the severity of storms like Irma and the undeniable danger on the ground, these U.S. flights into hurricanes have an incredible safety record - not one aircraft has been lost in more than four decades. The last time was in 1974. But they are not without risk. Some six hurricane or typhoon hunting aircraft have been lost in total, costing 53 lives, according to the Weather Underground website. Jeff Masters, director of meteorology of The Weather Underground, recalled an extremely close call during a flight into Hurricane Hugo in 1989 organized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which also fields its own turbo-prop aircraft. The pilot lost control of the aircraft, one of the engines caught on fire, and the aircraft descended rapidly, all because satellite data had given his crew the sense they were flying into a Category 3 storm. It turned out to be a Category 5. They were flying much too low for a storm that potent. We went in at 1,500 feet, which is a no-no in a Category 5 and we got clobbered, recounted Masters. The pilot was able to recover control after entering Hugo s eye. On the mission into Irma, jolts of turbulence also shook the equipment in the cabin as it neared the eye of the hurricane. Emergency parachutes swayed. But then, suddenly, everything in the plane settled down. It was safe enough to take off seat belts. The flying was smooth. Inside the eye, the sky opened up. The dark eyewall - the surrounding ring of clouds - could be seen outside the cockpit window. Masters says someday drones might be able to do the risky job now done by experienced air crews. But, from the cockpit of this Hurricane Hunter flight, that possibility still seems distant. This aircraft, like all of the 53rd s 10 WC-130J planes, are specially equipped to gather meteorological data and send it to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Some of that equipment is operated manually. That includes releasing sensors through the belly of the aircraft that, as they fall, transmit storm data including Irma s pressure, wind speed and direction. As the mission got underway, the sensors - known as dropsondes - appeared to be malfunctioning. Technical Sergeant Karen Moore, the loadmaster who releases the dropsondes from the aircraft, among many other duties, said she could not get its GPS signal as it fell into Irma s winds. So, Moore took out a screwdriver and literally started fixing them on the fly, one by one. That is something a drone would not be able to do. Hitterman said he also could see a future where pilotless planes fly into hurricanes to get the data Americans need. But I think it s a ways off, he said. | 1 |
7,256 | Mexico Senate committee OK's air transport deal with United States | MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A key committee in Mexico’s Senate on Thursday ratified a deal with the United States that would boost competition in air transportation, a Senate spokesman said, paving the way for expansion of the world’s second largest cross-border market. The deal, which both governments have already signed and modifies a 1960 agreement, would open up new routes for airlines to fly between the countries and allow for an unlimited number of flights. Mexico’s full Senate must still ratify the agreement for it to take effect, which is likely to happen in the coming days. While some analysts have welcomed the deal, saying it would lower airfares by boosting traffic, Mexican airline workers have complained it would put the country’s airlines at a disadvantage. The United States, which has a fleet of 7,500 planes compared to Mexico’s 300, accounts for 65 percent of total flights in Mexican airspace, well above the 22 percent offered by Mexican carriers. Ratification would also remove the main hurdle to a closer tie-up between Delta Air Lines Inc and Grupo Aeromexico SAB de CV. The carriers have asked the U.S. government to grant them immunity from antitrust law so they can coordinate better flight connection times as well as prices, a request that cannot be granted until the aviation accord comes into force. Delta said last week its deal to buy up to 49 percent of Aeromexico is expected to close this summer. | 1 |
7,257 | #BlackPrivilegedLives: Truth Behind The (Not So) Poor Oppressed Black Mizzou Student Who Went On “Hunger Strike” Over “White Privilege” [Video] | We ll wait for Nancy Pelosi to call this movement exactly what it is an astro-turf movement. The hate cops and hate white people movement is a George Soros funded, Obama, Eric Holder and Al Sharpton inspired movement created to pit the haves and the have nots against each other. To hell with America and it s great people, this is about something much more important to the Left, it s about a divided nation totally dependent upon the government.No justice no peace! We have nothing to lose but our chains -Jonathan Butler, son of very successful multi-millionaire parents.Jonathan Butler, a central figure in the protests at the University of Missouri, is an Omaha native and the son of a railroad vice president, the Omaha World-Herald reports.Butler refused food last week in a move to force the university system s president, Timothy M. Wolfe, from office. Wolfe resigned Monday and Butler ended his hunger strike.Jonathan Butler played high-school football at Omaha Central High, where he won a state championship, and earned a bachelor s degree in business administration from Mizzou, the newspaper reports. He is working toward a master s degree in educational leadership and policy.He is a member of a prominent Omaha family. The newspaper says that Butler s father is Eric L. Butler, executive vice president for sales and marketing for the Union Pacific Railroad. His 2014 compensation was $8.4 million, according to regulatory filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Via: SLTButler s turn from silent type to activist wasn t a complete surprise to his old football coach, Jay Ball, who remembered how Butler worked hard to bulk himself up in order to make the move from the junior varsity team to varsity. In his senior year, Butler started on a team that won the state title.Ball said Butler wasn t a big guy standing about 5-foot-9, tops. But Ball practically had to kick Butler out of the weight room because the aspiring player spent so much time there, pushing himself. I can remember watching him squat, Ball said. His eyeballs bulged out. Ball said Butler led by example, not rah-rah bravado. He was really smart, Ball said, a very coachable kid. Ball said Butler s drive, tenacity and effort probably served him well these past weeks.In his senior yearbook, Butler is shown twice: once in a tie for his class portrait and once in a tiny football team photograph. According to teachers and administrators, he was not the kind of student who organized events or served on the student council. Instead, he was a quiet, solid student who paid attention.Now Butler is the public face of a protest that drew national attention and felled two top leaders. Butler and others have said he s not the center several women at Mizzou plus the school s student body president took more public positions earlier. But his hunger strike, which stretched for eight days, seems to have been the catalyst.Where did this activism come from?Butler did not respond to a World-Herald reporter s requests for interviews. His parents declined to comment. They traveled to Missouri on Monday. A family friend described the family as incredibly humble and low profile.Butler has said in news reports that his paternal grandfather, an attorney helping the poor in New York City, was a big influence. So were his parents: Eric is a Union Pacific executive and Cynthia is a former educator who runs an advocacy program. They founded Joy of Life Ministries in their basement, and it has grown into a church now based at 56th Street and Sorensen Parkway.Butler has said that the police shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson in 2014 and the subsequent protests there marked a turning point for him. He spent time in Ferguson, a two-hour drive from Columbia, lending his voice two summers ago.Here is Butler, the self proclaimed speaking to students. I am a revolutionary. | 0 |
7,258 | CHINESE IMMIGRANT BEHEADS, CANNIBALIZES Total Stranger On Greyhound Bus…Granted TOTAL FREEDOM…NO Monitoring Necessary | Manitoba s Criminal Code Review Board announced Friday it has given Will Baker, formerly known as Vince Li, an absolute discharge, meaning he is longer subject to monitoring.Baker, a diagnosed schizophrenic, killed Tim McLean, a young carnival worker who was a complete stranger to Baker, in 2008. A year later he was found not criminally responsible due to mental illness.McLean s mother, Carol de Delley, has been outspoken against granting Baker freedom, saying there would be no way to ensure he continued to take his medication.She declined comment in a post on Facebook Friday, saying I have no words. Baker was initially kept in a secure wing of a psychiatric hospital but was given more freedom every year.He has been living on his own in a Winnipeg apartment since November, but was still subject to monitoring to ensure he took his medication.Baker s doctor, Jeffrey Waldman, told the board earlier this week that he is confident Baker will remain on his medication and will continue to work with his treatment team if released. Waldman testified that Baker knows it s the medication that keeps his illness at bay.In a written decision, the review board said it is of the opinion that the weight of evidence does not substantiate that Mr. Baker poses a significant threat to the safety of the public. Waldman said Baker plans to visit his native China if released but would live in Winnipeg for the next two to three years. He is on the waiting list for a post-secondary training program and plans on establishing a career in the city. Baker emigrated to Canada from China in 2001 and became a Canadian citizen four years ago. Fox NewsSurely this immigrant from China must have had some sort of medical record that may have caused the person or group reviewing his file to think twice about allowing him to become a Canadian citizen, right? | 0 |
7,259 | Trump seeks help of insurers to smooth Obamacare transition | NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump sought on Monday to bring the nation’s largest insurance companies on board with his plans to overhaul Obamacare, saying their help was needed to deliver a smooth transition to the Republicans’ new plan. “We must work together to save Americans from Obamacare – you people know that and everyone knows that - to create more competition and to bring down prices substantially,” Trump told insurers at a meeting at the White House. The gathering took place a day before Trump was to deliver a major policy speech to the U.S. Congress. In attendance at the meeting were insurers who participate in the Obamacare health insurance exchanges as well as some that have pulled most or all of their Obamacare individual insurance offerings. The president needs insurers to participate in the individual insurance market to keep up competition and keep costs in check. The speech to Congress is a chance for Trump to elaborate on his healthcare policy, one of his top domestic priorities. Trump and Republicans have vowed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obama’s signature piece of domestic policy, but have not released details yet. Trump told the insurers that his changes would include expanded healthcare savings accounts, which are tax-free savings accounts typically used with high-deductible insurance plans, and the sale of health plans across state lines. He also said that he wanted states to have more flexibility but did not provide details. Trump previously discussed these ideas on the campaign trail. It is unclear how they would be implemented, or what changes he might make to Medicaid expansion, another key component of the Obamacare law. Trump told insurers, including UnitedHealth Group Inc, Anthem Inc and Aetna Inc, that he was directing Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price to work with them “to ensure a smooth transition to the new plan.” The administration recently granted the insurers one of their biggest requests and proposed a rule that would tighten eligibility verification for subsidized plans and allow them to seek unpaid premiums. Trump is also seeking support from the nation’s governors for changes. The Obamacare law, which extended health insurance to 20 million Americans, has been popular in many states, even those controlled by Republicans. But it has also been criticized for its steep premium increases. At a meeting with Trump and governors on Sunday, Price said he expected to have a new healthcare plan in three to four weeks, to which Trump responded he hoped to see a plan in two weeks, said Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe. Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval said many conversations during this weekend’s meeting of the National Governors Association centered on Medicaid, the massive government health insurance program for the poor, and how to ensure those who received coverage under the Medicaid expansion could maintain coverage. Trump said on Monday that he wanted to win support from Democrats for the plan. McAuliffe, a Democrat, said it would be “disastrous” for Republicans to repeal Obamacare without a proper replacement. “The political rhetoric of the campaign has hit the reality of governing,” he said. | 1 |
7,260 | Trump clears way for controversial oil pipelines | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump signed orders on Tuesday smoothing the path for the controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines in a move to expand energy infrastructure and roll back key Obama administration environmental actions. Oil producers in Canada and North Dakota are expected to benefit from a quicker route for crude oil to U.S. Gulf Coast refiners. But going ahead with the pipelines would mark a bitter defeat for Native American tribes and climate activists, who successfully blocked the projects earlier and vowed to fight the decisions through legal action. Trump campaigned on promises to increase domestic energy production. Before taking office he said the Dakota pipeline should be completed and that he would revive the C$8 billion ($6.1 billion) Keystone XL project, which was rejected in 2015 by then-President Barack Obama. U.S. crude imports have fallen dramatically in recent years as domestic production has boomed, but the world’s largest oil consumer still relies heavily on imports. Even though Canada is already the biggest source of U.S. crude imports, boosting the flow from a close ally is seen in Washington as a way to improve U.S. energy security. “It goes to show we as a nation build infrastructure that is part of a comprehensive energy plan to make our energy secure,” Republican Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota told Reuters. TransCanada Corp said it would resubmit an application for a permit for Keystone XL after Trump signed an order saying the company could re-apply. The application will be reviewed by the U.S. State Department, which has 60 days to reach a decision. The orders look set to undo victories won by protesters in North Dakota against Energy Transfer Partners, which has nearly completed construction of the Dakota line. Despite the advanced phase of the project, the Obama administration in December denied the company a permit to tunnel under the Missouri River. Protesters rallied for months against plans to route the $3.8 billion pipeline beneath a lake near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, saying it threatened water resources and sacred Native American sites. At one point, nearly 10,000 people had flocked to federal land in North Dakota, including 4,000 veterans after protests turned violent at times. The main protest camp has dwindled to several hundred after the Standing Rock tribe asked activists to leave when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied the easement. In a statement on Tuesday, the Standing Rock Sioux said they would fight the orders. “Americans know this pipeline was unfairly rerouted towards our nation and without our consent. The existing pipeline route risks infringing on our treaty rights, contaminating our water and the water of 17 million Americans downstream,” said Dave Archambault II, chairman of the Standing Rock tribe. The North Dakota Petroleum Council, the trade group for state oil producers relying on Dakota Access to expand their crude transport options, cheered Trump’s order. About 1 million barrels a day are currently produced in North Dakota. “We think this is a great step forward for energy security in America,” said Ron Ness, the council’s president. The more than 800,000 bpd Keystone XL pipeline would bring heavy crude from Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast. The project was conceived nearly a decade ago, but since then the U.S. shale revolution has redefined oil flows, with domestic refiners finding themselves awash with supply and needing fewer imports. Canadian Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr said in Calgary that Keystone XL has all the regulatory approvals it needs in Canada, and that the project would be “very positive for Canada.” Environmental activists campaigned against the Keystone XL pipeline for more than seven years, eventually winning a victory when Obama rejected the project in 2015. Trip Van Noppen, president of nonprofit environmental law organization Earthjustice, said in a statement that Trump “appears to be ignoring the law, public sentiment and ethical considerations” with the decision. TransCanada shares closed up 2.7 percent on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Trump said on Tuesday in Washington that Keystone XL would create 28,000 jobs, but that figure is at odds with a 2014 U.S. State Department environmental study that said the project would create 3,900 construction jobs and 35 permanent jobs. Shares of ETP, the company building the 450,000 barrel-a-day Dakota pipeline, ended the day up 3.5 percent in U.S. trading. Trump owned ETP stock through at least mid-2016, according to financial disclosure forms, and ETP’s chief executive, Kelcy Warren, donated $100,000 to his campaign. The protest against the 1,172-mile (1,885 km) Dakota pipeline was concentrated around blocking a permit to tunnel under Lake Oahe, a reservoir that forms part of the Missouri River, adjacent to the Standing Rock reservation. The Army Corps earlier this month said it would begin an environmental assessment that could delay the project further. Tuesday’s White House memoranda said the Army and the Army Corps of Engineers should review and quickly approve permits for Dakota Access. In Cannon Ball, North Dakota, protesters, many of whom have stayed at the camp for months, said they would continue fighting to protect the environment. At a protest in front of the White House, a few hundred demonstrators shouted slogans and carried signs, including one that read: “Now environmental rapist.” “What happened today is an attack on our homes,” said Jade Begay, a spokeswoman for the Indigenous Environmental Network, which fights against mining and dumping on native lands. “We are going to continue to show up at your home, Donald Trump.” In New York City, about 300 protesters gathered outside the Trump International Hotel and Tower, chanting slogans such as “If all lives matter, then Native lives matter” and “You can’t drink oil, even in the soil.” Actress and activist Jane Fonda, speaking to protesters with a bullhorn, called Trump “the predator in chief” and warned of the danger of oil spills. Graphic of proposed Dakota Access pipeline here - tmsnrt.rs/2kpvmic | 1 |
7,261 | (Video) Obama in Africa: I’m Proud To Be First Kenyan-American President | Is he smoking something? He chuckles as he says this knowing it will upset many Americans. | 0 |
7,262 | Taiwan says its 23 million people will decide their future | TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan s government said on Wednesday that it was absolutely the right of Taiwan s 23 million people to decide their future, after Chinese President Xi Jinping said any attempt to separate the island from China would be thwarted. The perpetration of Taiwan s democratic system is a core value of Taiwan s, the Mainland Affairs Council said in reaction to Xi s speech. China considers democratic and self-ruled Taiwan to be a wayward province, to be brought under Beijing s control by force if necessary. | 1 |
7,263 | Conservative Christians Sob Into Their Coffee Over Trump’s Nomination – ‘There’s Nobody Left’ | Right after Ted Cruz suspended his presidential campaign, evangelical Christians went nuts, pouring sadness and fear all over social media about their own fate now that their personal government crusader was not going to make it to the White House. Now, it seems they ve gone into complete, total and utter despair, crying that there s nobody left to represent them and their dominionist ideals.According to the Washington Post, Nebraska Pastor Gary Fuller had a Sunday service planned around Ted Cruz remaining in the race. Instead, he had to tell his congregation to vote according to their convictions because he didn t know what else to say. He also said: In a sense, we feel abandoned by our party. There s nobody left. Honestly, B-O-O H-O-O. Religion needs to be left out of government, and if they have to learn that lesson the hard way, tough bananas.The Post notes that evangelicals tend to vote according to social and moral issues, and Ted Cruz ran his campaign on those issues. Candidates that run on social issues tend not to do well, though, because there are far more pressing issues on which to vote than who s screwing whom, who s marrying whom, and what women are having done in their doctors offices.These people have a problem with Trump s being married three times to three different women, and the fact that he doesn t have much interest in fighting for their ideals on social issues. He s a hardliner on immigration, and his main focus has been on that, plus jobs and the economy, however crazy and unworkable his ideas actually are. Social issues are non-issues to Trump right now, which, if the GOP unifies behind him, makes them non-issues for the entire party.Russell Moore, of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, whined to the Post: This year the Republican Party has not just surrendered on the culture wars, they ve joined the other side. And that s a unique situation. Many evangelical Christians don t seem to believe in the 1st Amendment some, like disgraced Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore, even think religious protection only applies to Christianity. Anything else is infringement on their beliefs, even if it doesn t directly affect them.Ted Cruz was their savior, and now he s out.To this, we say our hearts bleed pink carbonated peanut butter for them and their dashed hopes for turning us into a Christian nation this year.Featured image by Richardlwelsh. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons | 0 |
7,264 | States discussing lawsuit over Trump immigration order | (Reuters) - A group of state attorneys general are discussing whether to file their own court challenge against President Donald Trump’s order to restrict people from seven Muslim-majority countries entering the United States, officials in three states told Reuters. Democrat attorneys general are expected to be a source of fierce resistance to Trump, much as Republican AGs opposed former President Barack Obama. A lawsuit brought by states would heighten the legal stakes surrounding the president’s executive order, signed late on Friday, as courtroom challenges to the ban have so far mostly been filed by individuals. Officials in the offices of attorneys general in Pennsylvania, Washington and Hawaii said on Saturday they were evaluating what specific claims could be filed, and in which court. “We do believe the executive order is unconstitutional,” Hawaii attorney general Douglas Chin told Reuters on Saturday. He declined to give further detail. The states could decide not to file, and it is unclear how many states would ultimately sign on for such an effort. “There certainly are conversations underway,” said Joe Grace, a spokesman for Pennsylvania attorney general Josh Shapiro. A Trump representative could not be reached immediately for comment. Trump, a businessman who successfully tapped into American fears about terror attacks during his campaign, had promised what he called “extreme vetting” of immigrants and refugees from areas the White House said the U.S. Congress deemed to be high risk. He told reporters in the Oval Office on Saturday that his order was “not a Muslim ban” and said the measures were long overdue. However, his order hit a roadblock late on Saturday when a federal judge in New York said stranded travelers could stay in the country. The American Civil Liberties Union, which sought the emergency court order, said it would help 100 to 200 people with valid visas or refugee status who found themselves detained in transit or at U.S. airports after Trump signed the order. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement it would comply with judicial orders but that Trump’s immigration restrictions remained in effect. | 1 |
7,265 | Exclusive: EU dismisses smoke regulation, looks into tougher fire safety tests | BRUSSELS/LONDON (Reuters) - There is no need for Europe-wide rules on toxic smoke from building materials, according to a report expected to be signed off by the EU executive over the coming weeks, disappointing campaigners who say regulation is urgently needed following London s deadly Grenfell Tower fire. The European Commission is, however, considering EU-wide fire safety testing for building facades and will conclude a study early next year, according to EU sources, who asked not to be named. Debate on fire safety has intensified since the Grenfell Tower apartment block fire that killed about 80 people in June. An investigation into the fire is underway and it remains unclear what role, if any, smoke played in the tragedy. More generally, firefighters say one of their biggest concerns is smoke because of research linking it to cancer. They also say synthetic materials produce more deadly smoke than natural products. The responses received do not agree that regulation of toxicity of smoke from construction products is required, extracts from the final report seen by Reuters showed. It found there was not sufficient evidence that member states want EU-wide smoke regulation and cited concerns it could add to building costs. There is general agreement that regulation of toxicity of smoke of construction products could increase product costs and potentially remove some products from the market, is another conclusion. It does not name them. Two sources, who asked not to be named, said the Commission expected to review, finalize and publish the report after the end of this month, but a publication date had yet to be confirmed. The Commission had asked for the report to help resolve an argument between fire safety campaigners and the plastics industry. Trade body Plastics Europe, which represents companies such as ExxonMobil, Total and BASF, says there is no evidence that rules on smoke would save lives and there are multiple factors to consider when assessing a building s safety. Toxicity criterion for construction products will not per se guarantee more safety in the eventuality of a fire, Plastics Europe said in a position paper. The European Commission declined to comment. Firefighters and other safety campaigners say labeling products according to their toxicity when burned would address a lack of clear fire safety regulations for builders. Had the construction products regulation incorporated fire toxicity into the product labeling, it would have been very clear to the architects and designers that they were putting the occupants of Grenfell in danger, said Richard Hull, a professor of fire science at the University of Central Lancashire in England. For now, the EU only sets standards to ensure construction materials can be shipped across borders within the bloc, although EU sources said the Commission decided long before the Grenfell fire to draw up the planned rules to harmonise fire-safety tests for building facades. In addition, the Grenfell Tower fire led the Commission to set up a Fire Information Exchange Platform to share safety information among member states. It met in Brussels for the first time on Oct. 16. Sian Hughes, chair of Fire Safe Europe, said harmonized testing for facades would be a step forward but for high-rise buildings it was impossible for any test to accurately predict a real-life fire. We must design the risk out of these buildings and that means only permitting non-combustible materials in these buildings from the start, she said. Fire Safe Europe brings together fire fighters, representatives of the concrete and cable industries, and equipment and insulation companies including Danish-listed Rockwool and Germany s Knauf Insulation. It says around 40 percent of deaths in fires are caused directly by smoke, while a further 20 percent are caused by a combination of severe burns and smoke. | 1 |
7,266 | WATCH: Megyn Kelly Takes A Shot At Hannity By Wondering When Trump Will Talk To A Real Journalist | Fox News host Megyn Kelly seemed to take a shot at Sean Hannity on Monday night after the much anticipated first presidential debate when she had to throw the live coverage to an interview between her colleague and Republican nominee Donald Trump.Hannity has been a prime target for just about everyone ever since Trump was formally nominated during the last night of the Republican National Convention in July. Former Daily Show host Jon Stewart got the ball rolling that night by torching Hannity for being a complete hypocrite when it comes to how he has covered President Obama in the past to how he treats Donald Trump now.Not long after that, Wall Street Journal foreign affairs columnist Bret Stephens called Hannity the dumbest anchor on Fox News, and the Washington Post followed up by calling Hannity out for lying about Trump coming to the rescue of U.S. Marines.Then CNN s Brian Stelter piled on by nailing Hannity for lying about Hillary Clinton, and Newsweek reporter Kurt Eichenwald slammed Hannity for claiming that Hillary suffers seizures.And now Hannity is getting shade from one of his own colleagues.During the post-debate analysis on Fox News, Kelly had to introduce Hannity s interview with Donald Trump. And as she introduced the interview, Kelly wondered if Trump would be talking to the actual journalists in the room afterward. We ve got Trump speaking to our own Sean Hannity. We ll see whether he speaks to the journalists in this room after that interview. Here s the video via YouTube.Trump and Hannity proceeded to trash Hillary Clinton, but it looks like the main focus will be on Kelly for basically telling a lying commentator like Hannity to go f*ck himself.And he definitely deserved the shade. After all, Hannity is not a real journalist. He ignores facts and peddles bullshit and frankly shouldn t be allowed anywhere near the airwaves. Hannity is Trump s puppet and he clearly cannot be fair and balanced as the network he works for advertises.Featured image via screen capture | 0 |
7,267 | MAN ROBS TAXPAYERS OF $1.4 Million In Food Stamp Scam…Using Fish! | Feldman operates Upstate Fish, a market at 826 Joseph Ave. His father, Jack, a Holocaust survivor, opened the store under the name Jack s Modern Fish Market in 1954 and is a well-known figure in the community. A year ago, the elder Feldman was among a number of Holocaust survivors who had Hanukkah dinner with the Obamas and the president of Israel at the White House.Irving Feldman was accused of two different schemes, one netting more than $1.2 million and the other more than $200,000.The more lucrative scheme involved unlawfully buying $1,227,063 worth of food stamps from willing recipients for less than half their face value, according to the news release. The recipients received cash, and Feldman was able to reap a considerable profit by redeeming the food stamps with the federal government for their full value. This fish market owner was caught running a food stamp fraud scheme that was truly breathtaking in scale, state Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott said.Feldman also admitted to a second scheme in which he induced food stamp recipients to use their benefit cards to buy fish from other retail markets, then sell the fish to him at steeply discounted prices. The recipients pocketed cash, and Feldman got inventory he could sell at full value.The value of that scheme was about $202,000, the official statement said.Read more: DandC | 0 |
7,268 | CIA Finally Puts Biggest Lie About Iraq War To Rest; Bush/Cheney Should Be In Prison | If you or your conservative friends, as many still do, ever believed that the Iraq war was a response for 9/11, the CIA finally put that myth to rest. Not only was the Iraq war one of the most fiscally and internationally irresponsible moves the George W. Bush administration could have made, it was based on lies and, as the CIA just confirmed, a political agenda.As recently as a year ago, polls were conducted that said that more than half of Americans still believe the lie that Saddam Hussein was responsible for 9/11. He wasn t. The success of that massive lie is no doubt what led us to the fact free world which gave us Donald Trump.Instead of waiting to gather all the intelligence, according to the CIA, the Bush administration was fully committed to pulling the trigger immediately following the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.Discussing the first days of the Bush administration on BBC Radio 4 s Today Programme, (former CIA analyst John) Nixon said: We had gotten word that they saw Iraq as unfinished business . We never really understood at that point what unfinished business meant, but we knew that they wanted to do something. He added: You know, they had their minds made up from day one. And then after 9/11, that s when the death warrant for Saddam Hussein was signed. Source: IndependentNixon didn t offer any speculation as to why Bush had it in for Hussein, but a number of explanations have been floated, such as it was (as Nixon seems to imply) the younger Bush finishing what his father started when the George Bush Sr. invaded Iraq. Another possible explanation is even worse. It s war profiteering, plain and simple. It s also highly likely that it was both. The bottom line, though, is that we never should have been in Iraq and that was a giant failing of not just Washington, but of our media. Unfortunately, neither the media nor Washington seems to have learned their lessons and we will be led by lies from now until at least the end of the Trump administration.Featured image via Mike Heffner/Getty Images | 0 |
7,269 | WOW! TX Congressman On IMPEACHMENT And REMOVAL Of Hillary If She Wins Election | Fox News host Bill Hemmer asked Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX), If she wins next Tuesday, what happens to that investigation? McCaul: Well that s something I ve been talking about that hasn t been mentioned very much, and that is, this investigation will continue whether she wins or not. But assuming she wins, and the investigation goes forward, and it looks an indictment is pending, at that point and time under the Constitution, the House of Representatives would engage in an impeachment trial, they would go to the Senate and impeachment proceedings and removal would take place https://twitter.com/TEN_GOP/status/793918006359298048 | 0 |
7,270 | Pastor’s Massive Drug Operation Had Help From Cops, Teachers, Clowns (VIDEO) | Robert Jaynes Jr. of Irvington, Indiana s Bible Baptist Church was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal drug charges earlier this week.According to Indy Star, Jaynes, described as a fire and brimstone, fundamentalist preacher, used the church as a cover for a multi-million-dollar drug enterprise, which reached from New Palestine to China. More than a dozen others were arrested in connection with the Bible Baptist Church drug ring, during an FBI sting that encompassed several states.Those involved in the drug operation included a ring of police officers, school teachers, even a traveling clown who ran as a Libertarian candidate for the Indiana senate, Doug Sloan.Another man accused of running a front for the drug operation, David Neal, killed himself while awaiting trial. According to Indy Star, Neal operated a business called IDK (I Don t Know) Anything LLC. He was accused of purchasing more than $240,000 worth of drugs from the pastor, which he then sold through another business, Beautiful Cars of Indiana.Jaynes, Sloan and others involved in the drug operation reportedly all have ties to Russell Taylor, the former head of Jared Fogle s Foundation, who is now in prison for child pornography.All-in-all authorities say that the pastor produced over a 100 tons of synthetic marijuana, bringing in more than $2.6 million through the synthetic drug sales.As Indy Star reports:Jaynes employed church members in his drug enterprise, and members wrote personal checks to foreign suppliers of illegal substances used to make spice. Some laundered profits through personal bank accounts. Others produced and packaged the drugs at warehouses run by Jaynes and Parsons. One even kept the drug ring s books.According to Esquire, most of Jayne s church members believed that they were helping the pastor run a potpourri business.Indy Star reports that through it all Jaynes continued to preach the word of God, fervently imploring his parishioners to turn away from earthly temptations. Here s video from Indy Star. Featured image via video screen capture via Indy Star | 0 |
7,271 | CHICAGO: 20-YR-OLD MUSLIM WOMAN Drops Baby To Death From 8th Floor Apartment Window…Judge Sentences Her To 4 Years Probation | Mubashra Uddin, a 20-year-old Muslim college student and daughter of Pakistani immigrants dropped her newborn infant out of an eight-story apartment window in Chicago on November 11, 2015, and was just sentenced to only four years of probation.In the strict Muslim home where Uddin was raised, even speaking to boys particularly African-American ones was forbidden, relatives said.When her Pakistan-born parents found out about her boyfriend, they pulled her out of the high school and home-schooled her for her last two years, according to her family and friends.Uddin found out she was pregnant when she was 19 and only told her boyfriend and her closest friend. But in the strict Muslim home where Uddin was raised, even speaking to boys particularly African-American ones was forbidden, relatives said. When her Pakistan-born parents found out about her boyfriend, they pulled her out of the high school and home-schooled her for her last two years, according to her family and friends.She gave birth in her room in a three-bedroom apartment shared with her family in Chicago s Uptown neighborhood.Shortly after giving birth, she heard her mother coming down the hall and dropped her newborn out of her eight-story window.The newborn suffered broken ribs, a fractured skull, and spine, and a lacerated aorta and liver. A neighbor found the infant, still alive, on the ground, wrapped her up, and brought her to the hospital where she later died. The act of dropping a newborn out of an eighth-story window to its eventual death is exceedingly evil, exceedingly cruel, Judge James Brown said Thursday as he ordered Uddin held without bail. With all her family has put her through, I m surprised she didn t jump out of the window herself, said the mother of Uddin s former boyfriend, who asked not to be identified in order to keep her son s identity secret. Sometimes she felt under pressure to be this perfect daughter even pressure to be this perfect Muslim woman that prayed, fasted, was humble and also didn t make mistakes, a longtime friend, identified only as Nina O., wrote to the judge.Uddin loved babies, according to family and friends.Prosecutors said that after she admitted guilt, police searched her home and found bloody sheets, bloody scissors and blood on the floor next to her bed, as well as near and on the window. Chicago TribuneIn contrast: Earlier this year a Connecticut Dad was sentenced to 70 years in prison without parole for dropping his infant son off of a bridge. See story here. | 0 |
7,272 | Argentina intensifies search for missing submarine with 44 crew | BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - An Argentine submarine with 44 crew on board was missing in the South Atlantic two days after its last communication, prompting the navy to step up its search efforts late on Friday in difficult, stormy conditions. The ARA San Juan was in the southern Argentine sea 432 km (268 miles) from the Patagonian coast when it sent its last signal on Wednesday, naval spokesman Enrique Balbi said. The emergency operation was formally upgraded to a search-and-rescue procedure on Friday evening after no visual or radar contact was made with the submarine, Balbi said. Detection has been difficult despite the quantity of boats and aircraft involved in the search, Balbi said, noting that heavy winds and high waves were complicating efforts. Obviously, the number of hours that have passed - two days in which there has been no communication - is of note. The navy believes the submarine, which left Ushuaia en route to the coastal city of Mar del Plata in Buenos Aires province, had communication difficulties that may have been caused by an electrical outage, Balbi said. Navy protocol would call for the submarine to come to the surface once communication was lost. We expect that it is on the surface, Balbi said. The German-built submarine, which uses diesel-electric propulsion, was inaugurated in 1983, making it the newest of the three submarines in the navy s fleet, according to the navy. President Mauricio Macri said the government was in contact with the crew s families. We share their concern and that of all Argentines, he wrote on Twitter. We are committed to using all national and international resources necessary to find the ARA San Juan submarine as soon as possible. Argentina accepted an offer from the United States for a NASA P-3 explorer aircraft, which had been stationed in the southern city of Ushuaia and was preparing to depart to Antarctica, to fly over the search area, Balbi said. A Hercules C-130 from the Argentine Air Force was also flying over the operational area. Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, Britain and South Africa had also formally offered assistance. | 1 |
7,273 | Hawaii Attorney General HUMILIATES Jeff Sessions For Whining About Judge On ‘Island In The Pacific’ | Donald Trump s Attorney General just got schooled on the Constitution.Earlier this week, Jeff Sessions bitched about a judge on an island in the Pacific having the power to block an executive order. I really am amazed that a judge sitting on an island in the Pacific can issue an order that stops the President of the United States from what appears to be clearly his statutory and constitutional power, Sessions said.Of course, Sessions is a hypocrite because he cheered on judges who blocked executive orders issued by President Obama.But because the order was issued by his rich white boss, Sessions is all of a sudden complaining.Judge Derrick Watson stood up to Trump and his racist administration a couple months ago by blocking parts of the immigration ban that barred Muslims from certain nations from entering the country. Trump s ban caused international chaos and violated the civil rights of thousands.Hawaii is not merely an island in the Pacific, however. It s also an official state under the same Constitution that Jeff Sessions and Donald Trump violate on a daily basis.In the Constitution, the founding fathers created the Judicial Branch of our government to serve as a check on executive and legislative power. The judiciary has the power to review executive orders and laws and can block and strike them down if they are found to be unconstitutional.Judge Watson exercised his judicial power.Sessions statement is a disgraceful attempt to undermine the judicial branch.Hawaii Attorney General Dougal Chin fired back at Sessions on Thursday by explaining how the Constitution works. President Trump previously called a federal judge in California a so-called judge. Now U.S. Attorney General Sessions appears to dismiss a federal judge in Hawaii as just a judge sitting on an island in the Pacific. Our Constitution created a separation of powers in the United States for a reason. Our federal courts, established under Article III of the Constitution, are co-equal partners with Congress and the President. It is disappointing Sessions does not acknowledge that. Indeed, America needs an Attorney General who actually understands the Constitution, and Sessions clearly does not.One of Sessions Justice Department lackeys even tried to pathetically clarify the offensive remarks. Hawaii is, in fact, an island in the Pacific a beautiful one where the Attorney General s granddaughter was born. The point, however, is that there is a problem when a flawed opinion by a single judge can block the President s lawful exercise of authority to keep the entire country safe. Wrong. If Trump and his administration think the ruling is flawed then they should seek opinions from higher courts. That s how the system works. The White House and Justice Department can t just ignore a court ruling because they disagree with it. Also, national security should not be used as an excuse to ignore the Constitution. That s a slippery slope to tyranny. If that excuse were acceptable Trump and Sessions would use it all the time to justify anything and everything they do.Jeff Sessions should be embarrassed for attacking the judicial branch the way he did and he definitely deserved the humiliation he has been receiving. Frankly, he should resign in disgrace.Featured Image: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | 0 |
7,274 | WATCH: Anderson Cooper Leaves Trump Supporter DUMBFOUNDED For Hypocrisy On Sexual Assault | Trump mouthpiece Jeffrey Lord got his a** handed to him by Anderson Cooper on Wednesday night for once again bringing up Juanita Broaddrick in response to sexual assault allegations against the Republican nominee.During the segment, Cooper and the panel were discussing the women who have come forward to tell their stories about how Donald Trump groped them when Lord interrupted to complain that the women didn t talk about Jaunita Broaddrick and her accusations against Bill Clinton, even though Broaddrick has nothing to do with Trump s own behavior.Lord called the women s accusations into question, but Cooper was quick to drop the hammer on his hypocrisy. Why do you believe Juanita Broaddrick and not these two women, Cooper asked, leaving a dumbfounded Lord to claim that the media isn t giving Clinton s accusers an equal forum. But Clinton s accusers have no bearing on this election because Bill Clinton is not running for president, as other panelists reminded Lord. Furthermore, Bill Clinton was never charged with committing any crimes. Juanita Broaddrick filed a sworn affidavit stating that the rape allegations against Clinton are untrue. And these accusations against Clinton are 20 years old and have received a ton of media coverage over the years, especially during Clinton s presidency. The allegations against Trump, meanwhile, are new and haven t received near as much coverage.But Lord whined that the New York Times hasn t interviewed Broaddrick and then brought up a ridiculous anecdotal claim about meeting a couple from Virginia who supposedly think the media the treating Trump unfairly.When it became clear that Lord and Trump s other surrogates were not going to win this fight they resorted to calling Hillary Clinton an enabler of Bill Clinton behavior who supposedly bullied the women accusing Bill of sexual misconduct.But the other panelists would have none of it and proceeded to smack them down.Here s the video via YouTube:[ad3media campaign= 1136 ]The accusations against Bill Clinton have nothing to do with this election. Hillary Clinton is running for president, not her husband. Trump, on the other hand, IS running for president and the allegations against him are new and should be covered by the media.Donald Trump is unfit to be president and the fact that his supporters have to resort to bringing up Bill Clinton and his accusers in a lame effort to distract from that proves it.Featured Image: Screenshot | 0 |
7,275 | Trump says ending chain migration will be part of a DACA deal: Fox interview | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday ending so-called chain migration, which allows legal immigrants to apply for relatives abroad to come to the United States, would be part of any legislation to help young immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. “Yes it will be part of a DACA deal,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News Channel, referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that benefits the young immigrants. Trump is ending the program in March 2018. “I don’t think any Republican would vote for anything having to do with leaving chain migration. Chain migration is a disaster for this country and it’s horrible,” he said, adding that funding for a wall on the border with Mexico would also be part of a DACA deal. | 1 |
7,276 | Tennessee governor endorses Rubio in Republican presidential bid | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam on Thursday endorsed U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida for the Republican party’s presidential nomination. “With Marco standing next to Hillary Clinton on a debate stage, the choice between the future and the past will be clear to every American. Marco has the innovative policy agenda to reclaim the American Dream for all our people, and his conservative ideas will bring the Republican Party – and America – into the future,” Haslam, a popular second-term Republican governor, said in a statement. Rubio and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas have been trailing real estate billionaire Donald Trump in most polls in the race to represent the party in the Nov. 8 presidential election. (Reporting by Eric Walsh; Editing by Susan Heavey) 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 |
7,277 | Turkey detains 54 former university staff in Gulen-related operation: Anadolu | ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish police have detained 54 staff from a university shut down after an attempted coup last year that was blamed on U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, state-run Anadolu news agency said on Wednesday. It said the police had arrest warrants for a total of 171 academics and staff from Istanbul s former Fatih University, which was regarded as having close ties to Gulen. The cleric has denied any involvement in the failed putsch of July 15, 2016. Fatih University was shut under a state decree following the coup attempt and Anadolu said staff there were found to have been users of ByLock, an encrypted messaging application which the government says was commonly used by Gulen s supporters. Since the coup attempt more than 50,000 people, including civil servants and security personnel, have been jailed pending trial and some 150,000 suspended or dismissed from their jobs. Rights groups say the crackdown has been exploited to muzzle dissent. The government says the measures have been necessary due to the security threats which has Turkey faced since the putsch, in which 250 people were killed. | 1 |
7,278 | Trump's 'Paterno' comment sparks jeers on social media | (Reuters) - Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump drew guffaws and derision on social media after he asked a campaign rally in Pittsburgh, “How’s Joe Paterno?” The legendary Penn State University football coach died four years ago. “I went to school in this state. I know a lot about Pennsylvania and it’s great,” Trump said. “How’s Joe Paterno? We gonna bring that back? How about that whole deal?” The term "Joe Paterno" quickly became a top trending topic on Twitter, with many asking if Trump knew Paterno was dead. A video clip was posted on YouTube. Paterno, once one of the most revered college athletic coaches in the United States, was fired by Pennsylvania State University in 2011 over a child sexual abuse scandal involving assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. Paterno died on Jan. 21, 2012. Sandusky was later convicted on child sex abuse charges. Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said the candidate was referring to a statue of Paterno that was removed from the campus in 2012. A Quinnipiac University survey in 2015 showed that many Pennsylvanians want it returned to the campus. Penn State spokesman Ben Manning said on Thursday the university does not comment on candidates’ campaign speeches. Social media users mocked Trump for seemingly implying that he would bring Paterno back to life. "Someone should tell Trump that Joe Paterno is dead and also that he conspired with a serial child rapist," tweeted kept_simple (@kept_simple). BuzzFeed political editor Katherine Miller (@katherinemiller) tweeted, "Trump obviously meant when are we going to bring back the Paterno statue and then, subsequently, Paterno back from beyond, through sorcery." Twitter users with accounts geo-tagged to the university’s home, the town of State College, had mixed reactions. "Bring Paterno back? @realdonaldtrump has odd expectations of his abilities, and responsibilities, as president," tweeted Holly Swanson (@StateCollegeMom). Not all reaction was negative. "All Trump has to do is say he'll bring the Paterno statue back. He'll win PA in a landslide," Kalooz (@Kalzony53). Trump had weighed in on the fallout from the Sandusky scandal in July 2012 when the National Collegiate Athletic Association levied sanctions against Penn State’s football program. He said in a tweet that the program should be suspended. | 1 |
7,279 | Scaramucci’s New Yorker Interview Is More Than Just Gross, It May Be A Felony | Donald Trump s pick for Communications Director took an already vulgar administration down another notch or 3,000 in an interview with the New Yorker. It sounded more like the ramblings of a low-level mob hitman than of a Harvard Law grad who s been tapped to manage the message of the supposed leader of the free world. Here are a few snippets (not suitable for most children, or for most adults):On Chief of Staff Reince Priebus: Reince Priebus if you want to leak something he ll be asked to resign very shortly. And Reince is a fucking paranoid schizophrenic, a paranoiac Let me leak the fucking thing and see if I can cock-block these people the way I cock-blocked Scaramucci for six months.' On leakers: What I want to do is I want to fucking kill all the leakers and I want to get the President s agenda on track so we can succeed for the American people. On Steve (whatever his job is) Bannon: I m not Steve Bannon, I m not trying to suck my own cock. The interview, which would have made Richard Nixon blush, was potentially more than just obscene. It may have been a felony. In talking about leaks (he wants to kill all the leakers), one quote got the attention of the FBI: This is going to get cleaned up very shortly, O.K.? Scaramucci said. Because I nailed these guys. I ve got digital fingerprints on everything they ve done through the F.B.I. and the fucking Department of Justice. Source: Daily BeastThere s just one problem. Scaramucci doesn t actually work for the White House yet. He has no security clearance. He isn t supposed to have any digital fingerprints or any information from the FBI or the fucking Department of Justice. If he does have that information, he s potentially in a lot of trouble. If an FBI agent turned over digital evidence demonstrating who did particular leaks, that would be wildly inappropriate, said Ken White, a former federal prosecutor who now practices criminal defense and first amendment litigation. It could be illegal. It could be a felony depending on the nature of the evidence and how it was acquired. It would certainly be a flagrant breach of FBI protocol. Of course, Scaramucci is a Trumpster, which means that as with any Trump marriage, he and truth likely sleep in separate bedrooms. Or, as White says, Scaramucci s claim is just dumbass popped-collar chest bumping, which describes pretty much the entire Trump fiasco of an administration.Featured image via Mark Wilson/Getty Images. | 0 |
7,280 | Solution to Catalonia crisis only under Spanish law: Germany | BERLIN (Reuters) - A dispute between the Spanish government and the leaders of Catalonia over the region s efforts to seek independence could only be solved through talks based on the Spanish constitution, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Wednesday. A unilateral declaration of Catalonian independence would be irresponsible, Gabriel said in a statement. A solution can only be found through talks on the basis of the rule of law and within the framework of the Spanish constitution. | 1 |
7,281 | France condemns Idlib offensive, urges Russia to abide by de-escalation deals | PARIS (Reuters) - France on Thursday condemned bombings by Syrian government forces and its allies against civilian populations in Idlib and Hama province, and called on Russia to abide by commitments it had made to de-escalate violence in the area. These acts violate international humanitarian law, foreign affairs ministry spokeswoman Agnes Romatet-Espagne said in a statement. France calls on Russia and the allies of the Damascus regime to respect the commitments made in Astana and to prevent these air strikes from continuing, she added. The Russian Defence Ministry on Thursday denied allegations that Russian and Syrian jets had killed at least 150 civilians in over a week of bombing, saying it had been careful not to hit civilians. | 1 |
7,282 | Ireland says would insist on Northern Ireland role if power-sharing not restored | DUBLIN (Reuters) - The Irish government would insist on a role in the running of Northern Ireland if power-sharing devolved government is not restored in the British province, but it hopes that will not happen, Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on Wednesday. The British government moved on Wednesday to directly set Northern Ireland s budget after the province s main political parties failed to reach agreement on restoring a power-sharing government that collapsed in January. We will have to fall back on the full detail of the (1998) Good Friday agreement, in terms of the structures that are required in the absence of devolved government, Coveney told Irish state broadcaster RTE. The prospect of direct rule in Northern Ireland and the Irish government s insistence on having a role in that an appropriate role consistent with the Good Friday Agreement is not where we want to be, he said. | 1 |
7,283 | Clinton leads Trump by 5 points in presidential race: Reuters/Ipsos poll | NEW YORK (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton leads Republican rival Donald Trump by 5 percentage points among likely voters, roughly the same advantage she has held over the past several weeks, according to the Reuters/Ipsos national tracking poll released Friday. The Sept. 30-Oct. 6 opinion poll showed that 43 percent of likely voters supported Clinton while 38 percent supported Trump. Clinton has consistently led Trump by 4-6 points in every weekly poll since the beginning of September. During this period, the candidates faced off in the most-watched presidential debate in history - a matchup that a majority of Americans believed Clinton won. The New York Times also released portions of Trump’s 1995 tax returns that showed the celebrity real estate developer had reported a loss that was big enough to have allowed him to avoid paying personal taxes for a number of years. Clinton and Trump will meet again in their second debate on Sunday night, which will be in a town hall format, with the Nov. 8 election fast approaching. At this point in 2012, the race was tighter between Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney: Obama led Romney by less than 2 percentage points among likely voters in the Reuters/Ipsos poll during the first week of October. The incumbent eventually won the 2012 election by nearly the same margin in the popular vote. This year, however, both candidates appear to have a bigger opportunity to shake up the race and improve their numbers in the final weeks, given that a larger proportion of the electorate appears to be uncommitted. When asked in the poll, roughly one out of every five likely voters would not pick either major party candidate and instead selected options such as “Other,” “Wouldn’t Vote” or “Refused.” That was twice the number of uncommitted voters as there were in the Reuters/Ipsos poll at the same point in 2012. Americans have expressed a dim view of both Clinton and Trump this year. Both candidates are disliked by a majority of likely voters, according to the poll, and an increasing number of women have expressed an “unfavorable” view of both candidates this week. In a separate poll that includes alternative-party candidates, Clinton led the field by 5 percentage points. Among likely voters, 42 percent supported Clinton, 37 percent supported Trump, 8 percent picked Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and 2 percent supported Jill Stein of the Green Party. The Reuters/Ipsos poll is conducted online in English in all 50 states. The poll included 1,695 people who were considered likely voters due to their registration status, voting history and stated intention to vote in the election. It has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 3 percentage points. National opinion polls have differed this year in how they measure support for Clinton and Trump. Some polls, like Reuters/Ipsos, try to include only likely voters, while others include all registered voters. The Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll also gathers responses every day and reports results twice a week, so it often detects trends in sentiment before most other polls. An average of major opinion polls aggregated by RealClearPolitics showed Clinton ahead of Trump by 5 percentage points on Friday. | 1 |
7,284 | mexicos richest oligarch loses billions on news of trump victory | st century wire says
one of the great myths being spun by the establishment media was that donald trump had no support from women latinos and blacks in the us as it turned out this was a lie propagated in a failed attempt to margnalize republican voters and give a false impression of a liberal democratic mandate in america in the end trump gathered of latinos of african americans and of college educated white women for months mainstream media pundits and polls insisted that all of these demographics were exclusively for hillary clinton how could they have got it so wrong
psychologist and intenet radio personality kiki green explains how blacks were conned into voting for hillary clinton by the partnership between the democratic party hollywood and the clinton campaign by cynically using celebrities like beyonce jay z and katie perry
warning adult language please be advised
read more election news at st century wire files
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7,285 | Spicer Giggles Like An Idiot After Admitting Trump Only Believes News When It Favors Him (VIDEO) | In a deeply disturbing moment during Press Secretary Sean Spicer s latest bonkers press briefing, he read verbatim a quote given to him by Trump that admitted the sitting President of the United States only believes facts when they make him look good. Everything else is fake news. Spicer was asked during the briefing about the latest jobs report which showed America gaining a very healthy number of jobs. (There is no evidence to suggest this is due to Donald Trump, and in fact, it merely fits with the pattern of unrelenting job growth that came to define Obama s presidency. Trump has thus far done little to help the economy and nothing to help middle class workers, again suggesting this economic growth isn t the result of his presidency but merely his good fortune for having inherited a booming economy from his Democratic predecessor.)Despite the fact that there is little evidence of Trump s influence, his administration has been taking victory laps over the economic news. A reporter correctly noted that it s a bit odd that Trump would be so willing to trust the jobs report this time when he has previously gone on record to suggest that jobs reports under Obama were fabricated and false a claim which, in 2015, earned him a pants on fire Politifact rating. Why the sudden change?The answer is so obvious that even Trump had no problem admitting it: He only believes the news when it benefits him. They may have been phony in the past, but it s very real now. Q: Trump has said jobs rpts are "phony", what about now?SPICER: "They may have been phony in the past, but it's very real now." via @MSNBC pic.twitter.com/PDt1Q8hrbp Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) March 10, 2017Rather than find that mindset pathological and terrifying, Spicer thought it was hilarious. Even more troubling, the reporters in the room burst into laughter too. Everyone laughing should be ashamed. It wasn t a joke. Trump is signaling the fact that his administration will be run on the premise that he defines what is real and what is fake. If it s pro-Trump, it s legitimate. If it s inconvenient, it s fake news created by the Deep State and the liberal media out to get him.That s the kind of paranoid delusions that quickly spiral into fascism. And Spicer is giggling about it.Featured image via Twitter | 0 |
7,286 | WATCH: Joe Scarborough Gets MOCKED For Comparing Ivanka To RFK, He Doesn’t Respond Well AT ALL | Joe Scarborough is not having the best morning. On Morning Joe earlier today, the conversation turned to the number of Trump family members who are serving in the White House and the rampant nepotism there. This led Scarborough to compare President Donald Trump s daughter, Ivanka, to a Robert F. Kennedy.Scarborough said that having Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, working for him in the West Wing created the same kind of situation that upset so many Republicans during the Kennedy administration. When Host Mika Brzezinski questioned that logic, Scarborough did not take it well.Scarborough s rant went like this, You don t have to be so snotty. I was about to say, you didn t let me get it out. You don t have to be so rude. The fact of the matter is that they are not Bobby Kennedy as I was about to say but you wanted to get your cheap shot in so you got your cheap shot in. No I am not saying Jared and Ivanka are Bobby Kennedy. Maybe it s time for the host to switch to decaf.Here s the video:Featured image via Carolyn Cole/Getty Images. | 0 |
7,287 | Huge WW2 bomb to be defused close to German gold reserves | FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Frankfurt s city center, an area including police headquarters, two hospitals, transport systems and Germany s central bank storing $70 billion in gold reserves will be evacuated on Sunday to allow the defusing of a 1.8 ton World War Two bomb. A spokesman for the German Bundesbank said, however, the usual security arrangements would remain in place while experts worked to disarm the bomb, dropped by the British air force and uncovered during excavation of a building site. The Bundesbank headquarters, less than 600 meters from the location of the bomb, stores 1,710 tonnes of gold underground, around half the country s reserves. We have never defused a bomb of this size, bomb disposal expert Rene Bennert told Reuters, adding that it had been damaged on impact when it was dropped between 1943 and 1945. Airspace for 1.5 kilometers around the bomb site will also be closed. Frankfurt city officials said more than 60,000 residents would be evacuated for at least 12 hours. The evacuation area would also include 20 retirement homes, the Opera house and the diplomatic quarter. Bomb disposal experts will make use of a Rocket Wrench to try and unscrew the fuses attached to the HC 4,000 bomb. If that fails, a water jet will be used to cut the fuses away from the bomb, Bennert told Reuters. The most dangerous part of the exercise will be applying the wrench, Bennert said. Roads and transport systems, including the underground, will be closed during the work and for at least two hours after the bomb is defused, to allow patients to be transported back to hospitals without traffic. It is not unusual for unexploded bombs from World War Two air raids to be found in German cities, but rarely are they so large and in such a sensitive position. | 1 |
7,288 | Israel's Netanyahu to speak with Trump on Sunday | JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he would later in the day hold his first conversation with Donald Trump since his inauguration as U.S. president. The White House later said the conversation would take place at 13:30 ET. “A telephone conversation will be held this evening between President Trump and me. Many matters face us, the Israeli-Palestinian issue, the situation in Syria, the Iranian threat,” Netanyahu said in broadcast remarks at the start of an Israeli cabinet meeting. | 1 |
7,289 | Philippine military removes navy chief, but won't say why | MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines relieved its navy commander of duty on Tuesday, four months ahead of his retirement, with the armed forces offering no explanation for his removal. Military spokesman Colonel Edgard Arevalo confirmed to reporters that Vice Admiral Ronald Joseph Mercado was no longer in charge of the 23,000-strong naval forces, but declined to say why. The reason for this change of command will be explained in due time, Arevalo told reporters. Military sources quoted in media reports said Mercado s removal was connected to controversy that had surfaced over the procurement of two frigates from South Korea, which are due to be delivered by 2020. A defence official privy to the decision to remove Mercado said it concerned equipment to be purchased for those frigates. The official told Reuters the former navy chief had lost the trust and confidence of Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. Lorenzana did not respond to a request for comment on Mercado s removal and calls to Mercado s mobile phone went unanswered. There were some policy differences between the defense department and the navy over the 18 billion pesos ($358 million) acquisition of two brand-new frigates from South Korea, the military official said, requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. Rear Admiral Robert Empedrad was promoted to navy commander at a low-key ceremony at the armed forces headquarters in Manila. Congressman Gary Alejano, a former marine officer, said he would request a formal congressional inquiry take place over the navy s frigate acquisition project, having found Mercado s sudden removal unusual . The Philippines is in the midst of a five-year, 125 billion peso ($2.5 billion) plan to modernise its ill-equipped armed forces, acquiring new boats, planes, helicopters, rifles, radars and communication equipment. ($1 = 50.2810 Philippine pesos) | 1 |
7,290 | Hungary says it is facing 'frontal assault' from U.S. financier Soros | BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary is facing a frontal assault from U.S. financier George Soros who is attacking the country via his non-government organizations and European Union bureaucrats, a top ruling party politician said on Monday. Fidesz Vice Chairman Gergely Gulyas said Soros claims that the Hungarian government lied in its campaign against him were not substantial , adding the billionaire and the European Union pushed the same pro-migrant agenda. He rejected charges by Soros that the government s campaign stoked anti-Muslim sentiment and employed anti-Semitic tropes. | 1 |
7,291 | Trump’s FCC Will Decimate Internet Freedom (VIDEO) | Republicans on the Federal Communications Commission have net neutrality in their sites again. This time, Trump appointed FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai, is leading the charge to undo Obama-era regulations that gave the FCC the power to restrict internet providers (ISPs) from having complete control over broadband delivery. Pai plans to ignore public protests, industry expert recommendations, and court opinions to hand over the reigns of the internet to ISP s.Ajit Pai is an ex-lawyer for Verizon and staffer for Jeff Sessions. He claims to support a free and open internet, but he does not agree with the FCC s rules. Pai would rather have Congress who s members think it s cute to use the word internets protect net neutrality than an agency full of industry experts. The Internet was not broken in 2015, Pai said during Thursday s hearing. The utility-style regulations known as Title II were and are like the proverbial sledgehammer being wielded against the flea. Except that here, there was no flea. The FCC voted Thursday afternoon to roll back President Obama s 2015 policies using Pai s rule-changing proposal titled Restoring Internet Freedom . The rule change would strip the FCC of oversight abilities, and it would result in a report on the economic impact of strict net neutrality rules. The lone Democrat on the FCC Commission, Mignon Clyburn, renamed the proposition Destroying Internet Freedom .Critics like Commissioner Clyburn argue that fair competition in the internet must be protected among other things. Without net neutrality, many argue, ISP s can suppress first amendment rights by slowing down some webpages and applications. They could also alter speed and access to certain websites based on their bottom lines. For instance, if Hulu agrees to pay Comcast more than Netflix, Comcast could potentially slow Netflix s streaming and download speeds. Now that s scary.Not only does rolling back net neutrality protections disrupt internet fairness, without them it could become harder for those in rural, less populated areas to receive adequate coverage. A past report by the FCC concluded that net neutrality protects broadband users from discriminatory practices that whittle away public Internet. It went on to assert that Openness is not just another principle. The value of open networks is not a novel concept, but the Commission must act to ensure that the genius of the open Internet is not lost. Net neutrality rules are particularly important for rural broadband subscribers who may have only one provider. The report states that the FCC needs to be instrumental in watching for and adjudicating discriminatory practices.Why do Republicans, like Pai, want to put an end to net neutrality.An April Wall Street Journal op-ed hails Pai s plan because it would revert to the bipartisan consensus that the internet should be unfettered by Federal or State regulation . Supporters want freedom for the ISP s. Freedom, Democrat Commissioner Clyburn points out, that the courts have ruled against three times.Alas, the FCC voted 1-3 to begin the process to peel back neutrality rules. Her words of dissent fell on deaf ears, but they may come to be an epithet if the proposition passes. If you unequivocally trust that your broadband provider will always put the public interest over self interest, then the destroying internet freedom [proposal] is for you. You can watch the FCC Net Neutrality Debate here: | 0 |
7,292 | France ready to host international meeting on Lebanon if needed | PARIS (Reuters) - France is considering whether to host a meeting of the International Lebanon Support Group to discuss the political crisis in the country, a French presidential source said on Saturday. The source said there was no decision yet on whether it would take place or whether it would be a ministerial meeting. The group includes Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. (This story has been refiled to remove reference to Germany in third paragraph.) | 1 |
7,293 | Trump tax cut plan gains momentum after U.S. budget vote | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s tax reform plans won partial support on Friday when Republican U.S. Senator Rand Paul said he was “all in” for massive tax cuts, but the party was still far from united over how to achieve the main item on its domestic agenda. Trump’s drive to overhaul the U.S. tax code cleared a critical hurdle on Thursday when the Senate approved a budget measure that will allow Republicans to pursue a tax-cut package without Democratic party support. But Republicans, who control both the Senate and House of Representatives, have yet to produce a tax reform bill as a self-imposed deadline to overhaul the U.S. tax code by the end of the year approaches. The party’s lawmakers differ widely on what cuts to make and how to pay for them. They are under intense pressure to succeed on tax reform after failing so far to make good on their other main legislative ambition: scrapping Obamacare, the signature healthcare law of former President Barack Obama. On major world markets, stock prices advanced on Friday, bond yields rose, and the U.S. dollar strengthened on increased hopes that Trump could make progress on his fiscal plans. Democrats are likely to reject the Trump administration’s tax plan, which promises to deliver up to $6 trillion in tax cuts to businesses and people but will bloat the federal deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next decade. Senator Rand Paul, a fiscal hawk, was the lone Republican to vote against the budget measure on Thursday. He objected to spending levels that he said would exceed agreed caps by $43 billion, and called for spending reforms for so-called entitlements such as the Medicare and Medicaid health insurance programs. On Friday, Paul said in a post on Twitter that he was “all in” for the “biggest, boldest cuts possible - and soon!” But he did not address the specifics of the tax plan. Trump on Friday expressed optimism about the tax reform, saying Paul would eventually back the proposed tax measure when it comes up for a vote. “The Budget passed late last night, 51 to 49. We got ZERO Democrat votes with only Rand Paul (he will vote for Tax Cuts) voting against,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “This now allows for the passage of large scale Tax Cuts (and Reform), which will be the biggest in the history of our country!” Trump told Fox Business Network in a television interview set to air on Sunday that he thinks Republicans have the votes to pass a big tax cut package. He said he had been thinking about tying tax legislation to an infrastructure spending bill but that it was not clear a combined package would gain more votes. “I don’t want to take any chances cause I feel we have the votes right now the way it is,” he said, according to a transcript provided by the cable news outlet. The budget resolution passed by the Senate on Thursday has to be reconciled with a markedly different version passed by the House, where Republicans say negotiations on a unified measure could take up to two weeks. The House budget resolution calls for a revenue-neutral tax bill and would combine tax cuts with $203 billion in spending cuts to mandatory programs, including food assistance for the poor. As far as spending cuts go, the Senate version only instructs the Energy and Natural Resources Committee to save at least $1 billion over the next decade. That difference could set up a possible conflict between Republicans in the Senate and House as they negotiate a final budget blueprint. Overhauling the complex U.S. tax code has defied Washington since 1986. In the current effort, some Republican senators question the planned repeal of a 40 percent inheritance tax levied on estates worth more than $5.5 million, or $11 million for married couples, a tax paid only by the wealthiest American taxpayers. Republican lawmakers from high-tax states such as New York are also seeking compromise on repealing the deduction from federal taxes for state and local tax payments. The party’s lawmakers agree roughly on lowering the corporate income tax rate from 35 percent but have not settled on a final number. Trump seeks to cut the corporate rate to 20 percent, which he says would create jobs and boost wages for blue-collar workers. Asked how he would make the case that the plan would not be a tax cut for the wealthy, House Speaker Paul Ryan told CBS, “That’s why we’re introducing the fourth bracket, so that high-income earners do not see a big rate cut and those resources go to the middle class ... and closing loopholes and carve outs which disproportionately benefit the very high-income people.” | 1 |
7,294 | Iraq holds victory parade after defeating Islamic State | BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An Iraqi military parade in Baghdad s heavily fortified Green Zone celebrated final victory over Islamic State on Sunday, with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi looking on as troops marched in formation, their bodies spelling victory day in Arabic. Abadi, who is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces, listened solemnly to Quranic verses from a chapter titled al-Nasr, meaning victory. Iraqi forces recaptured the last areas still under Islamic State control along the border with Syria on Saturday and secured the western desert, marking the end of the war against the militants three years after they had captured about a third of Iraq s territory. The forces fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria now expect a new phase of guerrilla warfare. Watching the parade on Sunday, state television showed Abadi sat on a throne-like chair placed between two Iraqi flags with the country s official seal behind him, and with all other officials sat at a distance from him. Abadi declared Dec. 10 would be an annual national holiday. Fighter jets were seen and heard flying over Baghdad s skies. An announcer introduced various factions who took on Islamic State as troops marched, tanks rolled by and helicopters hovered, all brandishing Iraqi flags as Abadi stood up and waved. Those who fought were drawn from the army, air force, federal and local police, elite counter-terrorism forces, as well as Shi ite and Sunni paramilitaries and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. They received key air support from a U.S.-led global coalition. In his victory speech, delivered on Saturday, Abadi did not mention the Peshmerga, who played a big part in the fight against Islamic State. The central government in Baghdad is in conflict with the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government after the latter unilaterally held an independence referendum in September. Instead Abadi hailed the Iranian-trained and backed Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a group of Shi ite militias, many of whom are loyal to Iran. He also said that the state should have a legitimate monopoly on arms, however. Disarming the PMF is seen as Abadi s greatest challenge after Islamic State s defeat. The man who many saw as weak and ineffectual when he took over in 2014 from a predecessor who was blamed for the Islamic State takeover now heads towards an election next year as the commander who freed Iraqi lands. Or as one Western diplomat described him - the most popular man in Iraq. | 1 |
7,295 | Trump's pick to lead health agency calls EpiPen issue 'disturbing' | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s choice to lead an important health agency said on Thursday that the way pharmaceutical companies classify products as generic or branded needs to be reviewed in order to help hold down government spending, as she cited Mylan NV’s EpiPen emergency allergy treatment. Seema Verma, Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), did not answer questions about whether the U.S. government should negotiate with pharmaceutical companies over drug prices. “I think what happened with ... the EpiPen issue is very disturbing,” Verma said at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. “The idea that perhaps Medicaid programs, which are struggling to pay for those programs, that they could have potentially received rebates is disturbing to me.” Mylan has been criticized for listing EpiPen with Medicaid as a generic product even though it listed it with the Food and Drug Administration as a branded product. The classification led to Mylan’s paying significantly smaller rebates to the Medicaid healthcare program for the poor than if EpiPen were classified as branded. “I would like to review the processes in place there, in terms of the classifications, in terms of brand and generic, to ensure that type of thing doesn’t happen again,” Verma said. CMS said last year that it had “expressly advised” Mylan that the drugmaker had improperly classified EpiPen. Mylan said last month that U.S. antitrust authorities had launched an investigation into EpiPen. The company said suggestions it took any inappropriate or unlawful actions to prevent generic competition was “without merit.” Mylan has also come under fire for raising the price of a two-pack of EpiPens to $600 last summer from $100 in 2008. Mylan began selling a generic version of EpiPen for $300 per two-pack in December. Verma also said she would produce records of communication between the agency and Mylan, when questioned by Republican Senator Chuck Grassley. A statement from Grassley’s office said Mylan had overcharged states and taxpayers by “potentially hundreds of millions of dollars.” Democrats were not pleased with Verma’s sidestepping a question from Senator Debbie Stabenow about whether she agreed with Trump that the government should negotiate with drug companies over prices of drugs covered by the Medicare healthcare program for the elderly and disabled. “I don’t think that’s a simple yes or no answer,” Verma said. “The goal is to make sure that we’re getting affordable prices for our seniors.” | 1 |
7,296 | Airlines get ready for new U.S. security rules from Thursday | (This October 25 story has been refiled to clarify that IATA CEO remarks referred to March rules) By David Shepardson and Jamie Freed WASHINGTON/TAIPEI (Reuters) - New security measures including stricter passenger screening take effect on Thursday on all U.S.-bound flights to comply with government requirements aimed at responding to threats of hidden explosives, airlines said. Airlines contacted by Reuters said the new measures could include short security interviews with passengers at check-in or the boarding gate, sparking concerns over flight delays and extended processing time. They will affect 325,000 airline passengers on about 2,100 commercial flights arriving daily in the United States, on 180 airlines from 280 airports in 105 countries. U.S. Transportation Security Administration officials are giving some airlines or airports additional time to comply with the new interviews as long the U.S. government has approved security plans by Thursday. TSA will continue to work closely with our aviation partners and verify that all security enhancements are accurately implemented, TSA spokeswoman Lucy Martinez said in a statement Wednesday. The United States announced the new rules in June to end its restrictions on carry-on electronic devices on planes coming from 10 airports in eight countries in the Middle East and North Africa in response to concerns that explosives could be hidden in electronic devices. Those restrictions were lifted in July, but the Trump administration said it could reimpose measures on a case by case basis if airlines and airports did not boost security. European and U.S. officials said at the time that airlines had 120 days to comply with the measures, including increased passenger screening. The 120-day deadline is Thursday. Airlines had until late July to expand explosive trace detection testing. We see this as a big issue for China Airlines, Steve Chang, senior vice president of the Taiwanese firm told reporters on Wednesday, adding the airline was trying to consult with the American Institute in the country over the issue. Korean Airlines, South Korea s flagship carrier, also said it had a lot of concerns with the new measures. We are asking customers to show up at the airport early ... It s just inconvenient for the passengers, President and Chief Operating Officer Walter Cho told Reuters in Taipei. Lufthansa Group said on Tuesday the measures would be in place by Thursday and travelers could face short interviews at check-in or at the gate. Economy passengers on Lufthansa s Swiss airline have been asked to check in at least 90 minutes before departure. Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd said it would suspend in-town check-in and self bag-drop services for passengers booked on direct flights to the United States. The airline said passengers would also have short security interviews and it has advised travelers to arrive three hours before departure. Singapore Airlines Ltd said the security checks could include inspections of personal electronic devices as well as security questioning during check-in and boarding. Airlines for America, a U.S. trade group, said the changes are complex security measures but praised U.S. officials for giving airlines flexibility in meeting the new rules. Alexandre de Juniac, CEO of the International Air Transport Association, said the industry understood security threats to aviation were made regularly but in this case the U.S. government had not shared any specific dangers before announcing the initial Middle East and North Africa electronic device restrictions in March. What we have seen is very strange, he told reporters in Taipei. Unilateral measures announced without any prior consultation... That is something that is very concerning and disturbing. Airlines were however consulted after the March changes. At their annual meeting in Taipei, Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) members passed a resolution calling for security measures to be risk-based, outcome-focused and proportionate to the probable threat. Unilateral actions taken by individual governments reacting to emerging threats may result in unnecessary disruption or lead to unintended safety consequences, said the members. AAPA includes most large Asian airlines but not mainland Chinese carriers. The risk is other countries make similar demands, AAPA Director General Andrew Herdman said. U.S. authorities in June also ordered increased security around aircraft and in passenger areas, and other places where travelers can be cleared by U.S. officials before they depart and ordered enhanced screening of personal electronic devices. Some of those new requirements take effect this week as well. The TSA said in July it was imposing new security rules requiring U.S. domestic airline travelers to remove all electronic items larger than mobile phones such as tablets, e-readers and video game consoles from carry-on baggage for screening. | 1 |
7,297 | Ford chairman met with Trump over 'infuriating' Mexico comments | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co (F.N) Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. said on Wednesday he has met with Donald Trump to talk about the Republican presidential candidate’s extensive criticism of the automaker’s investments in Mexico. Ford told the Economic Club of Washington that he thought Trump’s criticism of the No. 2 automaker’s foreign investments were “infuriating and “frustrating” because of the company’s extensive investments and employment in the United States. Trump has threatened if elected to impose hefty tariffs on Ford imports from Mexico. Ford told reporters after the event that the session with Trump was a “great meeting” that took place a few months ago. “He was very thoughtful, asked good questions,” Ford said of Trump. “He certainly knows the facts.” Asked if Trump had changed his mind about his criticism, Ford did not directly answer but said, “The campaign trail is a different animal than anything I’m ever familiar with.” A person briefed on the matter said the meeting took place in New York this summer at the real estate mogul’s Trump Tower. The automaker had previously invited Trump to visit its headquarters at Dearborn, Michigan but he has not taken the company up on the offer. Ford rejected the criticism from Trump, noting that it employs more U.S. workers and builds more vehicles in the United States than its rivals. “We should be celebrated I think in some ways as the great American car company,” Ford said. “We make more cars and trucks here than anyone else.” Ford announced last month that all of the company’s small-car production would be leaving U.S. plants and heading to lower-cost Mexico, drawing another rebuke from the White House hopeful. Ford has repeatedly said no U.S. jobs will be lost because of the move — and it will produce two new vehicles at a Detroit area plant that built the small cars. Trump called Ford’s decision “horrible.” He has criticized Ford’s Mexican investments for more than a year and vowed to pressure the automaker to reverse course if elected. “We shouldn’t allow it to happen,” Trump said. Trump has also repeatedly misstated Ford’s plans at times, wrongly suggesting last month Ford would “fire all of their employees in the United States.” Many major automakers have announced big expansions in Mexico, where labor rates are much lower than what U.S. workers make. A spokeswoman for Trump did not immediately comment. Last year, Ford said that chief executive Mark Fields had written to Trump to explain its investments in Mexico. | 1 |
7,298 | 'No more woe is me': Senator McCain vows quick return to Washington | WASHINGTON/PHOENIX, Ariz. (Reuters) - U.S. Senator John McCain promised on Thursday he would return rapidly to Washington despite his newly diagnosed brain cancer, flashing the fighting spirit that has defined him since he was held in captivity as a Navy pilot during the Vietnam War. McCain, a veteran senator and former Republican presidential candidate known as a strong and sometimes fiercely independent voice on defense and security issues, was found to have an aggressive form of brain tumor, glioblastoma, after surgery last week for a blood clot above his left eye. The news, issued by his office late on Wednesday, drew a wave of support from across the political spectrum, and raised questions about how long McCain would be absent from the Senate, where Republicans have a narrow majority and are eager to notch up some legislative successes for President Donald Trump. “I greatly appreciate the outpouring of support - unfortunately for my sparring partners in Congress, I’ll be back soon, so stand-by!” McCain, 80, wrote on Twitter shortly before issuing a news release through his office related to Syria. McCain was making phone calls from his home in Phoenix, Arizona, to stay abreast of congressional matters. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one McCain’s closest friends in Congress, said the senator called him three times on Thursday morning. He wanted to discuss healthcare legislation that is at the center of the Senate’s attention, and a sprawling defense bill McCain would usher through as the Senate Armed Services Committee’s chairman, Graham said. Graham told reporters McCain admonished him, “‘No more woe is me.’ He is yelling at me to buck up. I’m going to buck up.” The son and grandson of admirals, McCain survived more than five years of captivity during the Vietnam War. As a lawmaker he has been a strong advocate for the U.S. military as well as being willing to cross the political aisle and work with Democrats. Among Republican lawmakers, he has been one of the most critical of Trump. Well-wishers included Democratic former President Barack Obama and Trump, who called McCain on Thursday to wish him well, the White House said. Senator Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, said the flood of “bipartisan respect and love for John McCain as he faces this cancer battle reminds us that, after all the meanness, there is a human side to politicians. Count this Democrat in John McCain’s corner.” Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common and most deadly form of brain and nervous system tumor, typically killing half its victims within a year. Patients rarely survive more than three years. Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy died of the disease in 2009. McCain’s doctors said he was recovering from surgery well, and praised his underlying health as excellent. His doctors told CNN on Wednesday that he had no sign of neurological impairment before or during his surgery. Treatment options include a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. McCain’s illness has potential policy implications for healthcare legislation and other agenda items in Washington. Republicans hold a narrow 52-48 seat majority in the Senate, and McCain’s absence has made it more difficult to gather the 50 votes needed to advance a healthcare bill. He has been recovering at his Arizona home since his initial surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix last week. It was not immediately clear when he would return to Washington. McCain has previously battled back from injuries suffered during his time as a prisoner of war, and has had non-invasive melanomas removed at least three times. McCain, who ran a failed White House race in 2008 against Obama, won a sixth six-year term in the U.S. Senate last November. If the senator were to retire or die before his term ends in January 2023, the state’s Republican governor would pick a Republican replacement, who would serve until a special election in November 2018. Whoever was elected would fill out McCain’s term. Arizona’s other senator, Republican Jeff Flake, is up for re-election next year. The state’s electorate is divided: one-third Republican voters, nearly one-third Democratic and one-third independent. Matt Roberts, spokesman for the Arizona Secretary of State’s office, said registered independents would soon exceed Republicans. But Republicans tend to turn out to vote on Election Day in stronger numbers than their counterparts. The Southwestern state is the birthplace of former Senator and 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, who some call the father of the Republican conservative movement. | 1 |
7,299 | news crowning achievement donald trump has just accomplished his lifelong goal of kicking the nations most powerful black family out of their house | email
if this story doesnt put a smile on your face literally nothing will
kimberly kovax an yearold girl from allentown pa has been interested in politics and government from a very young age and she followed the historic campaign of hillary clinton closely but when hillary lost on tuesday that meant something incredible for kimberly she still gets to dream of being the first female president
wow this must be a truly special moment for kimberly
the moment hillary clinton made her concession speech wednesday morning kimberlys opportunity to become the first woman elected to the oval office opened right back up though it may not be for maybe even years this key milestone in feminism is all kimberlys to aspire toward
some may say that another woman will be elected the first female president in the three decades before kimberlys even eligible to run but if the election is any indication it looks like she is still very much in the running to break the gender barrier in the oval office who knows kimberly could even be the first female president to relegalize abortion if roe v wade is overturned at some point in the next four years
it must feel truly incredible for girls in america to see that this huge accomplishment is still on the table theirs for the eventual taking the fact that americas ugliest most intolerant tendencies prevailed over clinton means millions of girls can still envisage themselves as the one to make that landmark feminist achievement and it doesnt get more powerful than that
yup were uplifted as hell right nowyou go kimberly when the time comes you can certainly count on our vote | 0 |
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