Datasets:

x-g85

/

x_g85_fn_dataset

like 1

Follow

X_G85 4

Insane Iowa Republicans Literally Want To Let Toddlers Carry GunsIf Iowa Republicans have their way, toddlers will be able to carry guns, which makes the state the scariest in the nation.The Iowa House literally passed a series of gun bills on Tuesday, including House File 2281, that if allowed to become law would let kids under the age of 14 carry a gun. Because what could possibly go wrong?According to Iowa Public Radio,Democrat Kirsten Running-Marquardt asked what kind of gun would fit into the hands of a two or three year old. I ve got the bill right in front of me, Running-Marquardt said. It s a valid question. You re missing the whole point of the bill, replied Johnston Republican Jake Highfill. I think this is one of the best bills we ve done for second amendment rights. Current Iowa law prohibits children under the age of 14 from possessing handguns and ammunition, which is a reasonable measure considering 10,000 kids are injured or killed every year by guns, one-fifth of which are accidents.And that s not even counting the accidental shootings of adults by children who handle guns.Democratic Rep. Mary Mascher pointed out that a nine-year old girl had parental and instructor supervision at an Arizona gun range when she accidentally shot and killed the instructor because she couldn t handle the gun. Unfortunately the instructor and the parents made the wrong decision and someone died, Mascher said. Every three hours in this country a child dies from gun violence. And that s not the only example showing why kids should not be allowed to have access to guns.In January 2015, a five-year-old boy killed his little brother with a gun that he found lying around the house.In August of the same year, a four-year-old boy shot and killed his own mother after finding a gun in the car that he thought was a toy.Then there s the 11-year-old boy who killed a little girl because she wouldn t let him pet her puppy.Or how about the three-year-old boy who has to live with the knowledge that he accidentally shot and killed his mom in 2014 after finding a loaded gun under the couch.And then there s the story of a five-year-old boy who shot and killed his little sister with a rifle he had just been given for his birthday. His parents believed that a child safety feature would be enough to keep the gun from accidentally being fired.The bottom line is that toddlers have no clue what a gun is and lack the physical and mental capacity to handle a firearm responsibly, no matter what the NRA says. And there are clearly many parents who are stupid when it comes to mixing guns and kids, the results of which are horrifying and heartbreaking. And you can be sure that there will be more dead kids and parents if this bill becomes law.The bill now heads to the Democrat-controlled Iowa Senate, where logic and reason will hopefully prevail.Featured image via Freakout Nation

Netanyahu and Abbas to Begin Direct Mideast Peace Talks

U.S. military says no civilians killed in August Somalia raidNAIROBI (Reuters) - The U.S. military did not kill any civilians when it accompanied Somali forces on a deadly raid in August, U.S. Africa command said late on Wednesday, the first public statement on the findings from an investigation into the raid. The two-paragraph statement referred to a joint raid by U.S. and Somali troops on the village of Bariire. Eyewitnesses told Reuters that 10 civilians were killed and the military had been drawn into a local clan conflict. The survivors and relatives of the dead said they wanted blood money and an apology. The U.S. military denied that any civilians were killed, although it did not offer any details on the investigation. The statement described the dead as enemy combatants and the military later said in a Twitter message that they were members of al Shabaab, the al-Qaeda linked insurgency. Africa Command did not provide any proof for their claim. After a thorough assessment of the Somali National Army-led operation near Bariire, Somalia, on Aug. 25, 2017 and the associated allegations of civilian casualties, U.S. Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAF) has concluded that the only casualties were those of armed enemy combatants, the two paragraph statement read. Before conducting operations with partner forces, SOCAF conducts detailed planning and coordination to reduce the likelihood of civilian casualties and to ensure compliance with the Law of Armed Conflict. U.S. Africa Command and the Department of Defense take allegations of civilian casualties very seriously. Despite promising a public investigation, the embattled Somali government has made no public statement on the raid, and some Somali security officials said privately that it would not, for fear of alienating the powerful clan whose members were killed. Some Somali security officials have suggested privately that the survivors and relatives had misrepresented the incident to try to get cash and political advantages for their clan. The United States has stepped up operations in Somalia this year after President Donald Trump loosened restrictions on the military in March. A Navy SEAL was killed there in May, the first U.S. combat casualty there since a Blackhawk helicopter was shot down in 1993. The United States has also ramped up its use of air strikes, conducting twice as many strikes this year as last year. Somalia has been riven by civil war since 1991. It now has a weak, internationally-backed government, supported by African peacekeepers.

Papua New Guinean police evict asylum-seekers from Australian-run camp, UNHCR decries force usedSYDNEY (Reuters) - Papua New Guinean police cleared the remaining asylum-seekers from a shuttered Australian-run detention complex on Friday, ending a three-week protest which started with some 600 people surviving on rain water and smuggled food and supplies. Australia closed the Manus Island detention centre on Oct. 31, after it was declared illegal by a Papua New Guinea court, but the asylum seekers refused to leave to transit centres saying they feared for their safety. Despite the unsanitary conditions and lack of adequate food and fresh water, about 300 remained when Papua New Guinea police started removing people on Thursday and Friday. The refugees are leaving the prison camp, Kurdish journalist Behrouz Boochani told Reuters in a text message on Friday. We did our best to send out our voice but the government does not care. Australia s Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said in a statement on Friday that all of the asylum seekers had now departed for alternative accommodation. Advocates should now desist from holding out false hope to these men that they will ever be brought to Australia, Dutton said. In Geneva, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR denounced the use of force by Papua New Guinean police to remove the refugees and asylum seekers and called for Australia to ensure their protection. The beating of refugees and asylum-seekers by uniformed officers with metal poles, shown by footage released today, is both shocking and inexcusable, UNHCR said in a statement. Several refugees were severely injured in the raid and needed medical treatment, it added, warning of a grave risk of further deterioration of the situation on the island. The fate of the asylum seekers, some of whom have been detained for years and come mostly from Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Syria, remains unclear. Australia steadfastly refuses to allow them entry under its strict sovereign borders policy and the asylum seekers have refused to resettle in Papua New Guinea. Australia and Papua New Guinea both say the asylum seekers are now the other s responsibility, although the Australian government said it had spent A$10 million ($7.6 million) on the transit facility and it wanted the men to move there. Under Australia s sovereign borders policy asylum seekers trying to reach its shores by boat are intercepted and detained in either Papua New Guinea or Nauru in the South Pacific. The United Nations and human rights groups have for years criticised Australia s policy, citing human rights abuses in the offshore detention centres and called for their closure. Papua New Guinea intensified efforts to clear the Manus facility on Thursday by bringing in buses to start moving the men and cutting off routes previously used to deliver smuggled supplies, said Christian pastor Jarrod McKenna, who was at the shuttered centre earlier this week helping the refugees. Pictures sent to Reuters by an asylum-seeker showed Papua New Guinean officials wearing army fatigues inside the camp on Friday, and a video distributed by advocacy group GetUp showed police armed with sticks pulling an asylum seeker to his feet. Buses are waiting for you, trucks are waiting for you...you will get on to them and you will move to your new location, you will not stay here, a man who identified himself as a police commander told the asylum seekers in a video posted to Facebook by Sudanese refugee Abdul Aziz. Papua New Guinea immigration and police officials did not return telephone calls from Reuters to seek comment. ($1 = 1.3118 Australian dollars)

Spanish Catalonia to press independence bid with a 400 Km human chain

Mexico president replaces finance minister after damaging Trump visitMEXICO CITY (Reuters) - President Enrique Pena Nieto on Wednesday replaced his close ally and finance minister, Luis Videgaray, after the two were heavily criticized for Republican U.S presidential candidate Donald Trump’s controversial visit to Mexico last week. A somber-looking Pena Nieto told a news conference that Videgaray, who officials said was the architect of Trump’s visit, would make way for former Finance Minister Jose Antonio Meade. Pena Nieto was widely pilloried for hosting Trump at short notice last Wednesday. The New York businessman has repeatedly vowed to build a border wall to keep out illegal immigrants - which he said Mexico would pay for. Trump has further infuriated Mexicans by threatening to carry out mass deportations and rewrite trade treaties crucial to their economy, and by referring to some immigrants from the United States’ southern neighbor as rapists or drug runners With economic growth sluggish, the president’s popularity at record lows and tensions palpable between the finance minister and other Cabinet members, rumors of Videgaray’s impending departure had bubbled under the surface in Mexico for months. “The proverbial last straw was the Trump visit,” said Agustin Barrios Gomez, a politician from the opposition leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution, and a driving force behind a draft bill sent to Congress this week to empower the government to retaliate against Trump if he threatens Mexican interests. “(It) was seen as such a fiasco that he no longer had the credibility necessary to do his immediate job,” he added. Senior diplomats said Videgaray, 48, had been instrumental in arranging the American’s visit, in which the government had hoped to impress upon Trump the need to moderate his tone and reconsider his more divisive campaign proposals. But within hours of leaving Mexico, Trump was telling a cheering crowd of supporters in Arizona that Mexico would pay for the border wall “100 percent,” prompting fresh ridicule of Pena Nieto at home. Instead of teaching Trump a lesson, the visit “legitimized him as a potential head of state,” said Andres Rozental, a former deputy Mexican foreign minister. “It just shows how little thought went into it.” Trump commented on the resignation during a forum with U.S. veterans on NBC television when he was asked if the United States could take a chance with him as commander-in-chief. “Well, I think absolutely,” he said. “I think if you saw what happened in Mexico the other day...I let them know where the United States stands. I mean, we’ve been badly hurt by Mexico...And if you look at what happened, look at the aftermath today where the people that arranged the trip in Mexico have been forced out of government. That’s how well we did.” Videgaray ran Pena Nieto’s election campaign, and was long regarded as the most powerful Cabinet minister, with a huge influence on policy after orchestrating the country’s landmark energy, telecommunications, tax and education reforms. Both men were embroiled in conflict-of-interest scandals in late 2014, after Pena Nieto’s wife and Videgaray were found to have acquired property from a major government contractor. Pena Nieto ordered an inquiry, which cleared both of any wrongdoing. The respected new finance minister, Meade, is a friend of Videgaray and had started in the administration as foreign minister before moving to the social development ministry. Videgaray’s departure from the Cabinet means Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, on whose watch capo Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman escaped from prison before being recaptured, is now the most visible potential presidential candidate in 2018 for the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI. Polls show the main hopefuls for 2018 face a tough battle, with Osorio Chong leading prospective PRI contenders. Meade, who was also once energy minister, is among those hopefuls. He must now steer next year’s budget through Congress, with the draft plan to be announced on Thursday. Senator Ernesto Cordero, a former finance minister from the center-right opposition, said he expected a smooth handover to Meade, whose experience in government he underlined. “He’s been a minister five times, and on those five occasions he’s done a good job,” Cordero said. The economy has consistently fallen short of government growth forecasts during Videgaray’s tenure, and contracted in the second quarter for the first time in three years. The new budget will be under close scrutiny after rating agency Standard & Poor’s last month said it could cut Mexico’s credit rating following a marked increase in debt. Videgaray, who has also been rumored as a potential 2017 gubernatorial candidate for the PRI in the State of Mexico, a populous region next to the capital, will not take another public post, a finance ministry spokeswoman said.

China Urges The U.S. To Tread Carefully On 'Core Interests'

Aussie here: Just want everyone to know that Brazil and Sri Lanka are suffering flooding too, and probably need more aid than we do. (120,000 homeless, hundreds dead)

European Union Moves Toward Bonus Cap for Bankers

(Video) Yes! Cong. Chaffetz Announces Support For Cong. Trey Gowdy For Speaker!What a fantastic choice!!! Congressman Trey Gowdy would be a fantastic Speaker of the House to replace John Boehner. It s like night and day! Gowdy is a man with loads of character!

Trump says will discuss military issues, Qatar with Kuwait's emirWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he would discuss trade and military issues with the emir of Kuwait at the White House on Thursday, as well as tensions over Qatar. Trump, welcoming Kuwait s Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah to the White House, said Kuwait was helping the United States in the Gulf and things were coming along nicely. Kuwait has been trying to heal a bitter dispute between Qatar and four Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, which say Doha supports regional foe Iran and Islamists, charges Qatar s leaders deny.

House Financial Services chairman sees Dodd-Frank reform this yearWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Reform of Wall Street rules and consumer protects imposed after the 2008 financial crisis is likely this year, and much of the law could be undone through a number of ways, the Republican chairman of a key House of Representatives committee said. “Dealing with Dodd Frank is a this-year priority. Clearly it comes behind Obamacare, clearly it comes behind tax reform,” House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling said in a CNBC interview on Tuesday.

U.S. signs agreement for $11 billion arms sale to Qatar

Fukushima reactor #4 is on fire (it's a new one)

UK is now in recession for the first time since 1991.

100ds tons of weaponry, ten times the size of the Karine A shipment of 2002, were seized in an overnight raid by the Israeli navy, some 100 nautical miles west of Israel, officials said. The ship seized was sailing under an Antiguan flag.

House to write tax reform bill this fall: House speakerWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives will start drafting legislation to overhaul the nation’s tax code after lawmakers’ upcoming summer recess, House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Wednesday. “The budget that’s going through Congress now is just the budget, it’s not the actual tax reform bill. That’s something that will be written in the fall,” Ryan said in an interview with Wisconsin-based WBEL-AM Radio’s “The Stan Milam Show.”

Girl has stomach removed after consuming a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen.

An elephant has survived being shot in the head by suspected poachers in Zimbabwe. It was found by vets in Mana Pools national park and is believed to have had the bullet lodged in its head for up to six weeks.

Kosher Copenhagen deli targeted in anti-Semitic attack. Vandals smash window, scrawl Jewish pigs on wall; police say they will give extra focus to incident

Landowner stunned to find 1,000 yr. old anchor while draining his land to plant potatoes on Scotland's Isle of Skye.

China is building the world's largest radio telescope to detect signs of life billions of light years away

Snowden slams UK government over encryption 'backdoor' plans | The UK government wants backdoor access to communications for "everything people actually use", Edward Snowden has claimed

One of the greatest rivalries in the history of chess is due to resume as Garry Kasparov takes on Anatoly Karpov in the Spanish city of Valencia.

Female students banned from speaking at Islam seminar and forced to walk through separate 'sisters only' entrance at leading London university

Norway's Progress Party demands personal apology from Obama after his nomination for Norway's new ambassador described its members as "fringe elements" who "spew out their hatred"

Germanys Policy of Avoidance: How Blunt Can One Be about Integration?

On Monday, news broke that a father had let his 20-year-old daughter drown off a beach in Dubai because he did not want her to be touched by a strange man. The story, according to one source, is nearly two decades old.

Air Force bombs ISIS HQ after terrorist posts selfie online

Israel Considering Saudi Peace Deal

Trump believes House will pass healthcare bill Thursday: White HouseWASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump believes the House of Representatives will pass a key healthcare bill on Thursday, despite reports that too many Republicans plan to vote against it for passage, a White House spokesman said on Wednesday. “I feel confident when the vote comes up, we’ll have the votes,” spokesman Sean Spicer told a news briefing when asked about opposition to the law to replace President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law. “There is no Plan B. There is Plan A and Plan A. We’re going to get this done,” Spicer said, adding: “Piece by piece, member by member, we’re getting there,” he said.

Uruguay vice president quits amid probe into use of public fundsMONTEVIDEO (Reuters) - Uruguay s Vice President Raul Sendic presented his resignation on Saturday amid accusations that he misused public funds while heading state oil company Ancap. He first made the announcement at a special meeting of the Frente Amplio (FA) governing party. I presented to the plenary of the FA my irreversible resignation from the vice presidency. I also told President Tabare Vazquez, he wrote in a tweet. The party s ethics committee has ruled that Sendic used his Ancap credit cards to buy personal items including books and furniture. He headed the oil company from 2008 to 2009 and 2010 to 2013. No criminal charges have been filed against Sendic.

US Presidential Debates Much More Corrupt Than You Might ThinkBrasscheck TVNearly 30 years ago, two criminal enterprises known as the Democratic and Republican parties hijacked the presidential debates process. Previous to that, presidential debates were run by a non-partisan, non-political group.No more, now the two criminal parties get to shape the show to their liking.BOTTOM LINE: No hard questions and the parties get to pack the audience with their brainless operatives. No real people allowed.Watch the discussion on the Jimmy Dore Show here:

ROSEANNE BARR PAID HIGH PRICE For Crossing Hillary: My Show Was Cancelled By “Rapist Bill Clinton” For Interviewing Paula Jones [VIDEO]Add one more person whose career or life has been destroyed by the Clinton s as they scratch and claw their way into the White House Actress and comedienne Roseanne Barr revealed that she paid a high price for crossing Hillary Clinton.Barr believes her talk show was cancelled after she gave Paula Jones, who accused former president Bill Clinton of sexual harassment, a platform to speak in 1998.The 63 year-old actress is sure the fate of her show was sealed when she interviewed Jones and did not support the Clinton narrative that the former president was innocent of the allegations. Liberal Hollywood took note and Barr s show ended, despite its former success, she believes. There really is a deeper issue underneath the Clintonite spin of this right-wing conspiracy because apparently conservatives are not letting the President keep his pants zipped up, or something. Here is her 1998 interview with Paula Jones who accused Bill Clinton of sexual abuse: Barr has made no secret of her dislike for the Clintons and has filled her social media with criticism of the Democratic presidential nominee and her husband. She even caught the attention of Donald Trump who tweeted his thanks for one of her comments.Via: DownTrend

The Nobel Peace Prize 2015 was awarded to National Dialogue Quartet "for its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011".

Gaza tunnel deaths: 4 die in smuggling tunnel after toxic gas pumped in, then dynamite used to blow it up.

Polio virus found in Egypt linked to Pakistan

Mossad linked to massive explosion at Iranian facility

Pakistan Taliban: "India is our domain, and we will attack to take possession of it...whether they are Hindus or Jews, they all are the same"

Israeli soldiers assault two Reuters cameramen

French company fined 25,000 euros for altering Wikipedia article of its competitor; they tracked the company based on the IP address of the submission

YIKES! NEW BILL CLINTON RAPE Details Emerge: “Her mouth was all swollen up…It was cut…Her pantyhose were all ripped”Hillary s all about protecting women who are victims of rape unless of course her husband is the accused rapist In her first extensive interview in over a decade, the nurse who found Juanita Broaddrick in her hotel room immediately after Bill Clinton allegedly raped Broaddrick recounted what she says she witnessed in that room 38 years ago. She was crying, recalled Norma Rogers, a nurse who worked for Broaddrick, who at the time was a nursing home administrator volunteering for then-Arkansas Attorney General Bill Clinton s 1978 gubernatorial bid. And the thing I think I remember most is that her mouth was all swollen up. It was cut. Her pantyhose were all ripped, Rogers stated in dramatic, lengthy new testimony.Rogers drove Broaddrick back home after the incident. This week, she recounted that emotional drive. I think we stopped at least twice to get ice. I would go up and get fresh ice and put it on her mouth because she was trying to keep her face from bruising and looking like something bad had happened to her, you know. It was just crazy. The whole situation was just crazy. Rogers was speaking in a lengthy interview on this reporter s talk radio program, Aaron Klein Investigative Radio, broadcast on New York s AM 970 The Answer and NewsTalk 990 AM in Philadelphia.Events leading to incidentRogers took listeners back to the spring of 1978 when she traveled to Little Rock for an industry convention along with her nursing home boss, Broaddrick. The two shared a room at the city s Camelot Hotel.In an interview with me in November, Broaddrick herself provided background on her personal encounters with Clinton leading up to that infamous day.Broaddrick said Clinton previously singled her out during a campaign stop at her nursing home. He would just sort of insinuate, you know when you are in Little Rock let s get together. Let s talk about the industry. Let s talk about the needs of the nursing homes and I was very excited about that. Broaddrick said she finally took Clinton up on that offer when she traveled to Little Rock with Rogers for the convention.Broaddrick says she phoned Clinton s campaign headquarters to inform him of her arrival and was told by a receptionist that Clinton had left instructions for her to reach him at his private apartment. I called his apartment and he answered, Broaddrick recounted during our November interview. And he said, Well, why don t we meet in the Camelot Hotel coffee room and we can get together there and talk. And I said That would be fine. Clinton then changed the meeting location from the hotel coffee shop to Broaddrick s room. A time later and I m not sure how long it was, he called my room, which he said he would do when he got to the coffee shop. And he said, There are too many people down here. It s too crowded. There s reporters and can we just meet in your room? And it sort of took me back a little bit, Aaron, she said of Clinton s request. But I did say, okay, I ll order coffee to the room, which I did and that s when things sort of got out of hand. And it was very unexpected. It was, you might even say, brutal. With the biting of my lip. In the new interview, Rogers confirmed Broaddrick s version of events:I just know when I left that morning it was my understanding that she was going to be meeting with Mr. Clinton downstairs in the coffee shop for a meeting that they had planned ahead of time to discuss nursing home issues.Bloody lip. Ripped pantyhose. State of shock.Broaddrick previously recounted the aftermath of the incident, when her friend Rogers came back to the room after Broaddrick failed to show up to the convention.In our radio interview, Rogers recounted what she says she saw upon entering the room.I went back to the room and I can t remember if it was because she didn t come down to the meeting because I expected her to have a short meeting and then come to the meeting. And so I went back up to the room and when I went back into the room and she was just very, very upset. She was crying.And the thing I think I remember most is that her mouth was all swollen up. It was cut. And she just told me. She started then telling me the story of how he had just basically overtaken her and bit her lip in order to keep her quiet and to keep her from trying to leave or get away from him. And then she proceeded to tell me that he had pushed her onto the bed, and had raped her.Her pantyhose were all ripped. And she was just in a terrible state. Crying and just, she began telling me, you know, what had happened.But in the meantime she was starting to get her things together and she said we are leaving now. And you know we just started getting our stuff together and I drove her home.Asked whether Broaddrick s lip was bleeding, Rogers replied, There were obviously open spots where he had bitten her. It was open but not openly bleeding. You know it was just open spots on her lip. Read entire story here: Breitbart News

UK: Police raid dozens of homes as climate change activists arrested

City of Kathmandu shifted 10 feet by earthquake

An Iranian website calling the Holocaust "the great lie" and depicting an alternative version of events in Jewish history in cartoon form has been launched

Trump weighs recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital: officialsWASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is considering recognition of Jerusalem as Israel s capital, a move that could upend decades of American policy and ratchet up Middle East tensions, but is expected to again delay his campaign promise to move the U.S. embassy there, U.S. officials said on Thursday. After months of intense White House deliberations, Trump is likely to make an announcement next week that seeks to strike a balance between domestic political demands and geopolitical pressures over an issue at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict the status of Jerusalem, home to sites holy to the Jewish, Muslim and Christian religions. Trump is weighing a plan under which he would declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel, the officials said, deviating from White House predecessors who have insisted that it is a matter that must be decided in peace negotiations. The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, and the international community does not recognize Israel s claim on the entire city. Such a move by Trump, which could be carried out through a presidential statement or speech, would anger the Palestinians as well as the broader Arab World and likely undermine the Trump administration s fledgling effort to restart long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. It could, however, help satisfy the pro-Israel, right-wing base that helped him win the presidency and also please the Israeli government, a close U.S. ally. Trump is likely to continue his predecessors policy of signing a six-month waiver overriding a 1995 law requiring that the U.S. Embassy be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the officials said. But among the options under consideration is for Trump to order his aides to develop a longer-term plan for the embassy s relocation to make clear his intent to do so eventually, according to one of the officials. However, the U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, cautioned that the plan has yet to be finalized and Trump could still alter parts of it. No decision has been made on that matter yet, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Thursday. Trump pledged on the presidential campaign trail last year that he would move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. But Trump in June waived the requirement, saying he wanted to maximize the chances for a peace push led by his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner. Those efforts have made little if any progress. The status of Jerusalem is one of the major stumbling blocks in achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it, a move not recognized internationally. Palestinian leaders, Arab governments and Western allies have long urged Trump not to proceed with the embassy relocation, which would go against decades of U.S. policy by granting de facto U.S. recognition of Israel s claim to all of Jerusalem as its capital. However, if Trump decides to declare Jerusalem as Israel s capital, even without ordering an embassy move, it would be certain to spark an international uproar. A key question would be whether such a declaration would be enshrined as a formal presidential action or simply be a symbolic statement by Trump. Some of Trump s top aides have privately pushed for him to keep his campaign promise to satisfy a range of supporters, including evangelical Christians, while others have warned of the potential damage to U.S. relations with Muslim countries.

Malaysian plane: India to search uninhabited islands in Andaman Sea | World news

Wake Up America! “SEED COMMUNITIES” Of Muslim Refugees Are Sprouting Up All Over The U.S.Be aware and be ready to push back on this effort by the State Department and the United Nations to spread seed communities (their term) all over the U.S. Pretty soon we ll be covered up in refugees who are mostly (90%) muslim. We already have millions of illegals from Central America that we cannot and should not support. We now know that small towns across America like Athens, GA and Spartanburg, SC are being targeted for a influx of muslim refugees. Because it s very secretive (for obvious reasons), you need to keep your ear to the ground and push back like Athens and Spartanburg. Below is a fantastic piece that will fill you in on what s REALLY going on:With Muslim immigrants streaming into the United States at a rate of 100,000 per year, some of the communities targeted for new arrivals are seeking information on their new neighbors, only to be frustrated by federal bureaucrats and their hired contractors.How does a city get on the U.S. State Department s list of 190 communities selected for refugee resettlement? How can cities find out who will be coming and when? What services will they use, and what will be the cost to taxpayers?And, the granddaddy of all questions: Can the communities be assured that foreign nationals with ties to ISIS, al-Shabab and other Islamic terrorist groups won t slip through the government s porous screening process posing as refugees ?The answers to these questions are simple. Very little information is available. And there are no guarantees that some very bad apples won t arrive in your town, says a leading expert on the refugee resettlement program. One community that is trying to get information right now is Spartanburg, South Carolina.On March 16, Ann Corcoran, author of the Refugee Resettlement Watch blog, spoke at a national security summit in Columbia, South Carolina, hosted by former Defense Department analyst Frank Gaffney. A few days before that conference, on March 9, a story broke in the local Spartanburg newspaper that World Relief, one of the nine resettlement agencies that works under contract with the federal government, was planning to open an office in Spartanburg.When an agency like World Relief opens an office in a city, it means refugees will be arriving soon. There are no public hearings or announcements in local media, Corcoran said. Typically a story will appear in the local newspaper just before or after the first arrivals appear in town.Corcoran met some activists at Gaffney s conference who wanted to find out more about the plans for resettling United Nations-certified refugees in their city. It is like pulling teeth to get any information, Corcoran said. And these are long-term grassroots activists who know how to get information. One of the activists is Christina Jeffrey, a political science professor and former U.S. House of Representatives historian who ran against Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., in last year s Republican primary. Gowdy is now chairman of the House subcommittee on immigration and refugees. He is chair of this committee, and so they want to set up a refugee office in his home district, and we still can t get any information, Corcoran said.Jeffrey has asked the federal government to prepare a comprehensive impact statement, detailing the impact the refugees will have on Spartanburg s public services. Schools, health facilities, housing, the job market and public welfare programs will all be affected, but so far nobody is saying to what extent.The mayor of Athens, Georgia, who asked for the same type of report last year, encountered the same blackout of information.St. Cloud, Minnesota, residents have also inquired about how many more Somali refugees will be arriving in light of recent problems with Somali student protests at a local community college. Dozens of other Somalis have either left the country to fight for al-Shabab or ISIS while others have been charged and convicted with sending material support to overseas terrorist organizations. They re trying to get information because residents have heard the rumor that there are 1,500 more Somalis getting ready to be resettled there in St. Cloud, Corcoran said.The resettlement agencies hold lots of meetings and place lots of phone calls with stakeholders in the targeted communities, but these collaborative efforts almost always occur outside of the public spotlight. The term stakeholders does not apply to you, the taxpayer footing the bill for all of this, Corcoran said.According to a March 8 article in the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, a partnership of faith leaders called Come Closer Spartanburg issued an invitation more than a year ago to World Relief to open a refugee office in Spartanburg. The March 8 article was the first public revelation of this effort even though World Relief had been working behind the scenes with stakeholders for a year. An initial group of 65 refugees will arrive this year, starting in April or May, from Congo, Bhutan and Syria.Jeffrey, in a March 30 op-ed in the local newspaper, shed more light on the group, Come Closer Spartanburg, and its goals: On its website, Come Closer Spartanburg describes the city of Spartanburg as home to what has been identified as the fifth most dangerous neighborhood in the United States. We have extremely high rates of unemployment, poverty and domestic violence. Overall, we were recently listed as the fourth most miserable city to live in our country. It does not take long to realize that we are a city in need of transformation. Jeffrey discovered that the objective is to plant a seed community in Spartanburg that will eventually blossom and transform the city. The federal government is creating communities within communities often pitted against each other economically and culturally.It s the same tactic that has been used for decades in Europe. Looking at other U.S. cities with new refugee communities, it appears that contractors often keep sending refugees to the same place until there is a community within a community. Unassimilated communities have created problems in Europe, and we are beginning to have similar problems here in the United States (witness Milwaukee, Wis., and Lewiston, Maine), Jeffrey writes.Corcoran said the word assimilation is no longer used by the resettlement agencies and their friends in the federal government. Rather, the new buzzword is integration. The goal of integration is to have a multitude of diverse cultures living side by side in coexistence but never assimilating.President Obama issued an executive memorandum dated Nov. 21, 2014, to all federal agencies directing them on Creating Welcoming Communities and Fully Integrated Immigrants and Refugees. This sort of backroom dealing between the federal government, its hired resettlement contractors and local officials is not designed to provide information to the people who live and work in the targeted refugee cities, Corcoran said. They don t like this whole idea that their town is being secretly selected, she said. This has been going on for over a year now in Spartanburg, and the refugees are now due to start arriving in a month or so. And these people have no information until it s actually upon them. The mayor of Athens, Nancy Denson, requested a plan. The city of Spartanburg is asking for the same consideration. That s what these people in Spartanburg are asking for, and they are asking that when you have a plan that you present it publicly at a public hearing, Corcoran said. They don t want to have to show any of that to the public. They re saying it s only 65; well, it s only 65 for the first year. It will continue to be more every year afterward once you become a seed community. Of the more than 500 Syrian refugees brought to the U.S. so far this past year, 90 percent of them have been Muslim, Corcoran said.Read more: wnd

Hassan Rouhani suggests resuming direct flights between Iran and US

Mass Killings Uncovered Near Damascus

AND SO IT BEGINS…INSPIRED BY GAY MARRIAGE RULING…Polygamists Apply For Marriage LicenseWell, that didn t take long. Look for the first beastiality marriage license request in 5 4 3 2 1 Nathan Collier said he was inspired by the recent Supreme Court decision that made marriage equal. He said he was particularly struck by the words of dissenting Chief Justice John Roberts who claimed giving gay couples the right to marry, might inspire polygamy.And so this week, Mr Collier and his two wives, Victoria and Christine, entered a courthouse in Billings, Montana, and sought an application to legalise the trio s polygamous union, Right now we re waiting for an answer, Mr Collier told The Independent. I have two wives because I love two women and I want my second wife to have the same legal rights and protection as my first. He added: Most people are not us. I am not trying to define what marriage means for anybody else I am trying to define what marriage means for us. The practice of bigamy holding multiple marriage licences is outlawed in all 50 of the US states, Montana among them. But Mr Collier said he planned to sue if his application was denied.Mr Collier said he was former Mormon who had been excommunicated for polygamy and now owned a refrigeration business in Billings.He married his first wife, Victoria, 40, in 2000. The 46-year-old, who appeared in the reality TV show Sister Wives, held a religious ceremony to marry second wife, Christine, in 2007 but did not sign a marriage license to avoid bigamy charges.His first wife, Victoria, said that she and her husband s second wife got along like sisters .Via: Independent UK

SNL ‘President Barbie’ Commercial Jokingly Highlights Progress Of Feminism (VIDEO)The May 8 episode of Saturday Night Live featured a spoof commercial for Mattel s new President Barbie. The commercial and the product are both fictional creations from the SNL team, who used the mock ad to highlight how far feminism has come in the 21st Century.As the video opens the narrator proclaims in a sing-song voice: We know our little girls can go as far as their imaginations will take them. As cheerful music plays in the background viewers are entertained with scenes of pre-teen girls playing with things like rockets and engineering sets.The narrator goes on, saying: To show just how far we ve come, Mattel is proud to introduce President Barbie, the first Barbie Commander In Chief. After this exciting build up, the scene shifts back to the girls, who just don t seem that into the doll. Oh, neat, one of them replies half-heartedly, before putting the Barbie down to return to the construction set in front of her. Don t you want to play with her? the narrator asks, adding, She s a girl, just like you. The girl responds by saying, Ya, but girls don t have to play with dolls. We can play with whatever we want. The narrator replies, That s true, you don t have to play with dolls, but it would be great if you played with this doll right now. To this, one of the girls replies, I like Legos. The mock spokesperson tries to boost the kids interest in the doll by saying: Oh but look, President Barbie even comes with sunglasses and a smart phone with Snapchat. Do you like her now? The girls remain unimpressed. One of them replies, It feels like she s trying too hard. The narrator explains: She is trying hard because there was a time when Barbie couldn t even be president. In response one of the kids sums it up by saying: I wasn t alive then. Watch the video below, via Saturday Night Live on YouTube: Image credit: video screen capture via Saturday Night Live on YouTube

Ukraine troops blocked in Kramatorsk as tension rises

Maine, New Jersey lawmakers scramble to end partial government shutdowns(Reuters) - Partial government shutdowns in Maine and New Jersey stretched to a second day on Sunday as lawmakers returned to their respective state capitals in a bid to break budget impasses that have led to the suspension of many nonessential services. In Maine, a bipartisan budget committee met in Augusta in hopes of breaking a stalemate between Republican Governor Paul LePage and Democratic lawmakers. The shutdown came after LePage threatened to veto a compromise reached by lawmakers in the state’s $7.055 billion, two-year budget. At New Jersey’s statehouse in Trenton, there was little evidence of progress in resolving a fight over a health insurance bill that Republican Governor Chris Christie said must be passed alongside the state’s budget. Maine state police, parks and all offices responsible for collecting revenue planned to operate during the shutdown, the state’s first since 1991, but the majority of 12,000 state employees will be furloughed. New Jersey residents were not so lucky. With the July 4 holiday weekend in full swing, the shutdown there included the closure of Island State Beach Park, one of New Jersey’s few free public beaches, and all other state parks. Although he beach park was closed to the public, Christie took a state helicopter on Saturday to a gubernatorial residence there to be with family and said he would go back on Sunday night. “That’s just the way it goes. Run for governor, and you have can have a residence there,” he said when pressed on the issue. At a news conference on Sunday afternoon, the governor said he had not spoken since Friday to Democratic holdouts. The impasse could mean a furlough for 30,000 to 35,000 state employees on Monday. In Maine, the stalled budget proposal would have repealed a measure voters approved in November for a 3 percent income tax hike on residents earning more than $200,000 a year. It also contained a 1.5 percent increase in the lodging tax, while increasing funding for public education by $162 million. LePage has promised to veto any spending plan that raises taxes. A six-member bipartisan House-Senate budget panel huddled into the evening on Sunday seeking to reach a deal that would win the two-thirds vote needed for passage of an emergency budget bill in both legislative chambers. Mary-Erin Casale, a spokeswoman for Democratic House Speaker Sara Gideon, said a new compromise could be ready for a vote as early as Monday morning, about the time state employees planned to protest the shutdown at the capitol. A spokeswoman for the governor could not be reached for comment on Sunday. At the center of New Jersey’s stalemate was a plan by Christie to shake up the state’s largest health insurer, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, which he said lacked sufficient transparency and spent too much on salaries. He threatened to cut $150 million in school funding and other items unless lawmakers adopt his proposal, which would redirect some of Horizon’s reserves to drug addiction treatment and other services. Christie offered to hear Democrats’ proposals for breaking the impasse, saying: “It should end today,” but acknowledged a settlement was unlikely so soon. Christie, a former presidential contender whose reputation was tarnished by the Bridgegate traffic scandal involving some of his closest aides, ranks as the least popular governor in state history. He is in his second and final term. Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto and other Democrats have criticized the Horizon bill as “bad public policy,” insisting that it be considered after the budget is passed. Christie blamed Prieto for the shutdown and vowed on Sunday to stand by the Horizon bill, saying: “I got elected by a lot more people than Vinnie Prieto did.”

Bill O’Reilly: I’ll Flee The Country If Sanders Is Elected President (VIDEO)Fox News blowhard Bill O Reilly really doesn t want the future to give us a President Bernie Sanders. That s no surprise; after all, O Reilly is obviously as far right as Sanders is left. However, O Reilly has taken his fear of another left-winger as president to a whole other level. In fact, he says that if Sanders gets in, he ll move to Ireland.On a recent edition of the O Reilly Factor, the bloviating talking head said that things would be even worse than they are under President Obama, because Sanders would take all of Obama s policies and amp them up. He says that Sanders would dismantle current social programs, specifically Obamacare in the sense that it would be Berniecare and it would be much more than it is now. That s when he said he ll be leaving the United States if forced to live under such rule. And you know, look, I m fleeing. If Bernie Sanders gets elected president, I m fleeing. I m going to Ireland. And they already know it. I shouldn t say it publicly because that will get Sanders more votes. But I m not going to pay 90 percent of my income to that guy. I m sorry. I m not doing it. Well, I got news for ya, Bill-O. Look at the clown car that makes up your side of the aisle. It s gonna be either Bernie or Hillary for the next eight years, if the good people of this nation have any sense at all. So, you better be packing your bags and getting your affairs in order. Go ahead, leave. One less right-wing talking head stoking fear and hate in the minds of ignorant viewers.Watch the comments below:Featured image via screen capture from Raw Story

China deletes Weibo account of critic of President Xi Jinping

Unreal! DOJ Paying Off Minnesota Muslims To NOT Be TerroristsYes, big government is using YOUR money to pay off bad actors so they won t terrorize America. It s really unreal but if you ve been watching the fundamental transformation in Minnesota you d know it s probably par for the course in that state. Minnesota was chosen to be flooded with Somali Muslims who ve since not made any effort to assimilate and have been basically a royal pain to the community. Recently, six young Somali refugees were charged with conspiring to support ISIS in Syria. So the government is calling this bribe to would-be terrorists crime prevention . Why not just kick them out of America if they plan on supporting any terrorist organization?Hibaaq Osman has a glow that changes the energy in a room, or in her case, the energy of the restaurant her family owns in Karmel mall, the oldest Somali mall in Minneapolis. The cafe is right near the mosque on the top floor of the building, past rows of entrepreneurs selling wares in individual stalls, sipping hot drinks in small cups and chatting in Somali.Osman retains her glow, even in anger. And after a press conference held outside the mosque, she is upset. I feel like we as a community need to wake up, she said. We need to wake up and say, You know what? Enough is enough. We are citizens, we are taxpayers, we own businesses, we need people to understand that we also are part of this country just the way anybody else is. [ ]Opponents of the CVE program point out that these 40 individuals make up less than 0.3% of Minnesota s Somali population.Already, the CVE pilot program has been re-branded with a new name, Building Community Resilience. Luger s office says it captures the essence of his vision: to keep teens from Minnesota from traveling to the Middle East and blowing themselves up. Luger says it will do so by providing $216,000 in federal funds in addition to other local and private support which will be disbursed to community groups through a grant-making organization.The social services supported by the funding serve as crime prevention, he contends.But a statement issued from a coalition protesting the program asserted: The Minnesota Muslim community is united over its growing concerns of the CVE pilot program, which so far has only alienated the very communities it was seeking to influence. While attempting to derail the communities own initiative to enhance its ability to build community resilience. Via: The Guardian

France raises prospect of new sanctions on Iran over ballistic programPARIS (Reuters) - France s foreign ministry suggested on Monday that new sanctions could be imposed on Iran if needed over its ballistic missile program. Iran rejected on Sunday a call by French President Emmanuel Macron for talks on Tehran s ballistic missiles, saying they were defensive and unrelated to a nuclear agreement with world powers. As you know, the European Union has already placed sanctions on Iranian entities involved in the ballistic program, foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes Romatet-Espagne said. She was responding when asked to clarify comments made by Macron during a trip to the United Arab Emirates last week about the prospects of possible sanctions with regard to those activities. If needed, new sanctions could be taken, she said. The United States accused Iran on Tuesday of supplying Yemen s Houthi rebels with a missile that was fired into Saudi Arabia in July and called for the United Nations to hold Tehran accountable for violating two U.N. Security Council resolutions. Saudi Arabia and its allies accuse Iran of supplying missiles and other weapons to the Houthis, saying the arms were not present in Yemen before conflict broke out there in 2015. Iran denies the charges and blames the conflict on Riyadh. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will be in the Saudi capital later this week and intends to travel to Iran before the end of the month. The political dialogue between France and Iran is active and makes it possible to address all topics, including strategic and regional issues, Romatet-Espagne said. Mr Le Drian will have a firm dialogue when he goes to Iran.

BREAKING: OBAMA’S DOJ WILL NOT CHARGE HILLARY Even If FBI Says She Broke The LawLoretta Lynch is claiming she doesn t have to pursue criminal charges if the FBI recommended them. What a sham! Attorney General Loretta Lynch indicated Wednesday that the law doesn t require the Justice Department to pursue criminal charges against Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email system, even if the FBI recommends criminal charges.Lynch was asked in a hearing by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, what her department would do if the FBI were to recommend that step. If the FBI were to make a referral to the Department of Justice to pursue a case by way of indictment and to convene a grand jury for that purpose, the Department of Justice is not required by law to do so, are they are you? Cornyn asked.Lynch didn t answer directly, but seemed to indicate the department has some wiggle room, and can consult with officials before deciding what to do. It would not be an operation of law, it would be an operation of procedures, Lynch said in reply. She added that the decision to pursue a criminal case would be done in conjunction with the agents involved in the investigation. It s not something that we would want to cut them out of the process. Read more: Washington Examiner

Moby LITERALLY Laughs At Donald Trump’s Invitation To DJ At His InaugurationDonald Trump is getting nothing but bad news when it comes to finding performers willing to degrade themselves at his inauguration.Earlier today, internationally renowned vocalist Charlotte Church told Trump that he should not have even bothered asking her to sing at his inauguration because she doesn t perform for tyrants.@realDonaldTrump Your staff have asked me to sing at your inauguration, a simple Internet search would show I think you re a tyrant. Bye???? Charlotte Church (@charlottechurch) January 10, 2017Church s tweet drew outrage from Trump supporters but she wasn t the only musician to reject Trump.As it turns out, Trump and his team also invited Moby to DJ at the inauguration. And Moby responded by laughing hysterically in Trump s face and told him he d only consider on one condition. And Trump isn t going to like it. Hahahahaha, I was just asked by a booking agent if I would consider djing at one of the inaugural balls for #trump Hahahahaha, wait, Hahahaha, really? I guess I d DJ at an inaugural ball if as payment #trump released his tax returns. I m still laughing, Moby continued. Hahahaha. So #trump what do you think, I DJ for you and you release your tax returns? Here s the full statement via Instagram.Hahahahaha, I was just asked by a booking agent if I would consider djing at one of the inaugural balls for #trump Hahahahaha, wait, Hahahaha, really? I guess I d DJ at an inaugural ball if as payment #trump released his tax returns. Also I would probably play public enemy and stockhausen remixes to entertain the republicans. I m still laughing. Hahahaha. So #trump what do you think, I DJ for you and you release your tax returns?A photo posted by moby X X (@moby) on Jan 9, 2017 at 8:52am PSTDonald Trump refused to release his tax returns throughout the presidential campaign, breaking decades of precedent and setting a dangerous new precedent for future presidential contenders.And it s very clear why Trump refused to release his taxes and continues to do so. When the New York Times obtained a copy of just one year of Trump s tax returns it showed that he wrote off a nearly $1 billion loss that allowed him to avoid paying federal income taxes for nearly 20 years. So not only is Trump a draft-dodger, he s a tax dodger as well.It s also clear that Moby is not a fan of Trump. He was a supporter of Hillary Clinton and has been mocking Trump ever since Election Day, including this gem commenting on Trump s cozy relationship with Vladimir Putin.Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah.A photo posted by moby X X (@moby) on Jan 9, 2017 at 10:39am PSTTrump must be truly desperate if he s seriously asking Moby to perform.Featured image via Instagram

SPINELESS: Paul Ryan Actually RAN AWAY From Reporters After Trumpcare FAIL (VIDEO)Everyone knows Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has absolutely no backbone, but what he did yesterday was an entirely new low for the Republican Party.Yesterday was a disaster for the GOP to begin with. Donald Trump pathetically failed to gain enough votes for the disastrous American Health Care Act, and the GOP suffered a major humiliation as the glorious plan they ve been promising to implement and do away with Obamacare with for the past seven years deteriorates before their eyes. After such a horrible, embarrassing day, it was clear that Ryan didn t have it in him to face the press and answer the many critical questions that Americans have about Trumpcare.Ryan emerged from the failed discussions over Trumpcare, visibly frustrated and not in the mood to make nice with reporters. He gave a short statement in which he was clearly angry and uncomfortable: For seven and a half years, we have been promising the American people that we will repeal and replace this broken law because it s collapsing and it s failing families, and tomorrow we re proceeding. He ended his address abruptly, literally running off and away from reporters demanding answers. You can watch this disgusting behavior below, courtesy of the Rachel Maddow Show: This is clearly a sign that the GOP knows how badly they ve just failed, and they re aware of how pathetic the party looks right now. This could not be a more painful time for the GOP their disastrous reality television star of a candidate won the election and even though he s only been in the White House a little more than two months, he s f*cked things up more than anyone thought he would. With Trump s help, the Republican Party has done irreversible damage to its reputation and they only have themselves to thank. Ryan s cowardly behavior only solidifies the fact that the GOP is crumbling before our very eyes.Featured image via screenshot

The Dangerous Neighbor: Vladimir Putin Takes on a Powerless West

Nigerian VP Osinbajo says running for presidency not 'on the cards'LONDON (Reuters) - Nigeria s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who has served as acting president for much of this year, said on Monday he had not given any thought to contesting the country s next presidential election in 2019. Nigeria has faced heightened uncertainty over whether President Muhammadu Buhari plans to contest the next election. Buhari, 74, took power in 2015 but has been absent for much of this year due to illness. Osinbajo, a 60-year-old law professor, served as acting president during Buhari s absences, succeeding in calming tensions in the oil-producing Delta region and pushing small steps to improve the business climate, including foreign currency reforms. Some business leaders say he could provide stability by running for president himself in Feb 2019. Asked at the FT Africa Summit in London if he had considered running, Osinbajo said he hadn t thought about it, adding: None of that is on the cards . Osinbajo also said that militants in the oil-producing Niger Delta region no longer posed a significant threat to oil production. He said Nigeria had lost as much as 1 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil production last year amid militant attacks on oil and gas infrastructure, which is concentrated in the southern Delta region. It was now pumping roughly 1.85 million bpd and climbing toward 2 million bpd. That is closer to its top production of around 2.2 million bpd. Still, he added that Nigeria needed to diversify its oil-dependent economy and take advantage of the resource while it was still in high demand. We don t have all the time in the world with oil, he said. We have to use oil while it makes sense to do so.

India busts child trafficking racket to US

Schoolgirl given razor blade to self harm, supervised by a teacher.

Racist Donald Trump Actually Has The NERVE To Speak About March On Washington Anniversary (TWEET)Monday, August 29, happens to be the 53rd anniversary of the Civil Rights March on Washington, in which civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr. made his iconic I Have a Dream speech. It is a landmark point in the history of Black Americans gaining legal civil rights. Therefore, the last person who should be speaking out on this event is the racist Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump. But, speak out he did, and he actually had the unabashed gall to try and pretend he cares about equality. Here is the tweet:Today is the 53rd anniversary of the March on Washington today we honor the enduring fight for justice, equality and opportunity. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 28, 2016Now, you must understand, Donald Trump has a long and well-documented history of racism. Here are just a few of those instances:I could go on, but you get the picture. This guy is a dyed in the wool, bona fide racist. He DARES to try and say he cares about equality and justice for minorities, but clearly, he doesn t just look at his actions, the bigoted nature of his campaign, as well as the people he surrounds himself with. Further, his so-called outreach is only Trump s attempt to be a white whisperer to those white people who are too uncomfortable to vote for him if they sincerely believe him to be a racist. Newsflash, folks: Donald Trump IS a racist. His history and the nature of his campaign shows it. He s only pandering for votes because he knows he cannot win in November with only white people. Do not be fooled Trump is a racist demagogue, and no amount of attempting to pander and change his language changes that.Featured image via Ralph Freso/Getty Images

Vaping is 95% safer than smoking and could lead to the demise of the traditional cigarette, Public Health England (PHE) has said in the first official recognition that e-cigarettes are less damaging to health than smoking tobacco.

Netanyahu sees 'many' nations following U.S. move on JerusalemJERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday many countries would follow the United States in recognising Jerusalem as Israel s capital and contacts were underway. Wednesday s announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump reversed decades of peace-making policy on Jerusalem, which both Israelis and Palestinians claim, and drew censure from many countries, among them key allies of Washington. I would like to announce that we are already in contact with other countries which will issue a similar recognition, Netanyahu said in a speech at Israel s Foreign Ministry. He did not name any of these countries. The United States plans to open an embassy in Jerusalem, a move it says could take three to four years. The U.S. Embassy is currently in Tel Aviv, Israel s economic hub, as are those of other countries. I have no doubt that the moment the American Embassy moves to Jerusalem, and even before then, there will be a movement of many embassies to Jerusalem. The time has come, Netanyahu said. Palestinian Islamist group Hamas called on Thursday for a new uprising against Israel after Trump s recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

CHARLES BARKLEY DROPS TRUTH-BOMB: Blacks, Not White People Or Cops Are Keeping Blacks Down It s a dirty, dark secret; I m glad it s coming out WOW I guess we won t be seeing Charles Barkley sitting for the national anthem because he s resents the White man or neighborhood cop for keeping him down NBA legend and all around awesome person, Charles Barkley, was recently interviewed by a local Philadelphia radio station about the current racial issues plaguing America. During the interview, Barkley stated that unintelligent, brainwashed African-Americans are the ones keeping successful ones down, not white people, or cops.What prompted Charles Barkley s response was a question posed to him on the radio show, Afternoons with Anthony Gargano and Rob Ellis; he was asked about a rumor that Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was being accused by his fellow teammates of not being black enough. Colin Kaepernick s and Chris Brown s most recent debacles are prefect examples of Charles logic.Charles Barkley finished out his interview by stating:Via: Blue Lives Matter

Germany takes political vacuum in its stride, for nowBERLIN (Reuters) - Largely unperturbed by Angela Merkel s failure to form a government after a September election, many Germans are taking the prospect of several more months of coalition talks in their stride. The country is used to lengthy transitions but this is the longest since reunification in 1990. It is 87 days since the election and few experts see a government in place before March. EU leaders fear delays to euro zone integration plans, some of which are to strengthen the banking system, and many economists warn Europe s biggest economy must reform and invest in broadband and infrastructure to stay competitive. But as caretaker chancellor, Merkel is voting at EU summits, parliament is passing laws required by international mandates, local authorities are wading through asylum applications and a bright outlook in Europe s biggest economy is buoying the mood. I haven t noticed much difference from before, said Nadja Helling, 36, cradling a steaming mug of gluehwein at a Berlin Christmas market. It s not ideal but nobody is panicking. Domestic and foreign demand are driving solid growth and the effects of low borrowing costs and European Central Bank stimulus are supporting record-high employment levels and rising real wages. We have jobs and are enjoying the Christmas markets, said Helling s friend, Silvia. What s the problem? The Munich-based Ifo institute raised its forecasts last week and expects the German economy to expand by 2.6 percent next year, the highest rate since 2011, adding, however, that this might be the peak. The IfW institute in Kiel said the delayed formation of a government does not pose an economic risk , but also sounded a warning for the longer term. A boom may feel good but it carries the seeds of a crisis. The view that a boom is harmless, as long as consumer prices are under control, falls short, said the IfW s Stefan Kooths. The reality experienced by many Germans belies dire warnings from commentators last month about looming instability and even new elections after Merkel, weakened by losing votes to the far-right, was humiliated by the collapse of 3-way coalition talks. She is now wooing the Social Democrats (SPD), reluctant partners after voters punished them for sharing power with Merkel s conservatives over the last four years. Germany s transition pales into comparison with some other EU partners, such as Belgium and the Netherlands where a coalition took 225 days to clinch a deal this year. I suspect the process will take some time yet but people who talk about instability are mistaken. We have a stable caretaker government, an effective parliament and a democracy that is functioning very well, said Nils Diederich, politics professor at Berlin s Free University. Confounding some predictions, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), dogged by infighting, has so far failed to capitalize on the lack of a proper government despite being the third-biggest party. Opinion polls have barely changed since the Sept. 24 election, indicating there is little sense of crisis. The Ifo institute said on Tuesday uncertainty about the shape of the government was growing but that a surprise drop in its business moral survey in December after a record high the previous month was nothing too unusual. Indeed, seasonally adjusted unemployment is at the lowest level since 1990 and Christmas sales forecasts are bright, with the HDE retail industry association expecting sales over the festive season to rise by 3 percent to a record high. Merkel, unruffled as ever, has sought to reassure voters and investors that it is business as usual in Germany, with most incumbent ministers staying on in an interim government. If anything, there is a striking lack of urgency about the talks, partly to keep skeptical SPD rank and file on board. After party leaders meet on Wednesday to draw up a rough timetable, no further talks are expected before January. Meanwhile, the Bundestag lower house has agreed to roll over military missions in Afghanistan and Mali and debated topics from Brexit to planned job cuts by Siemens. Germany s federal structure means much business that affects ordinary people, including dealing with asylum applications, housing and school issues, goes ahead regardless of Berlin. Deutsche Bahn has launched a much delayed fast train link between Berlin and Munich, complete with the usual teething problems, and Christmas markets have opened, albeit with tight security after last year s attack. The impasse has had little effect on Brexit talks because there is consensus among Germany s main parties about the German, and EU, position towards Britain. Plans for euro zone reform, however, are more contentious, although Merkel said on Monday, she hoped to make progress on the issue by March. The main possible negative effect is that the momentum in Europe (for reform), that was desired after the Brexit vote might be lost, said Thomas Jaeger, politics professor at Cologne University. The SPD, determined to stamp its identity on any coalition deal with Merkel, backs deeper integration than Merkel s conservatives, but is split over whether it should agree to a grand coalition with Merkel. Its leader Martin Schulz has championed French President Emmanuel Macron s proposals for a euro zone budget and finance minister and wants a United States of Europe by 2025. The only political crisis in Germany is the struggle for direction by the main parties, in particular the SPD, said Diederich. The SPD needs time to overcome this.

Lost Nazi nuke-project uranium found in Dutch \r\nscrapyard

In high-level talks, U.S. asks China to do more to rein in North KoreaWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States pressed China to exert more economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea to help rein in its nuclear and missile programs during a round of high-level talks in Washington on Wednesday. The meeting of top U.S. and Chinese diplomats and defense chiefs was held a day after President Donald Trump said China’s efforts to use its leverage with Pyongyang had failed, raising fresh doubts about his administration’s strategy for countering the threat from North Korea. The death of American university student Otto Warmbier this week, after his release from 17 months of imprisonment in Pyongyang, has further complicated Trump’s approach to North Korea, his top national security challenge. “We reiterated to China that they have a diplomatic responsibility to exert much greater economic and diplomatic pressure on the regime if they want to prevent further escalation in the region,” U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters at a joint news conference with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Mattis vowed to “continue to take necessary measures to defend ourselves and our allies” against North Korea, which is working to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States. But with the long-standing option of pre-emptive military strikes seen as far too risky for now, Trump’s aides are stressing economic and diplomatic pressure. Tillerson said Trump would make a state visit to China this year, and Mattis said both sides agreed to expand military-to-military ties, signaling the new administration’s determination to continue efforts to improve relations between the world’s two largest economies, despite frustration over North Korea. North Korea topped the agenda at the newly established Diplomatic and Security Dialogue, which paired Tillerson and Mattis with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and General Fang Fenghui, chief of joint staff of the People’s Liberation Army. While the U.S. officials stressed agreement on the goal of North Korean denuclearization, the talks also dealt with China’s sweeping territorial claims in the South China Sea, with the Americans reaffirming opposition to Beijing’s militarization of islands it is building in the strategic waterway. Tillerson urged China to help crack down on illicit North Korean activities that fund its nuclear and missile programs, and said the Chinese had agreed their companies “should not do business” with sanctioned North Korean entities. Tillerson stressed the need to choke off funding sources including money laundering, labor export and computer hacking. “Countries around the world and in the U.N. Security Council are joining in this effort, and we hope China will do their part as well,” he said. China, North Korea’s main trading partner, has been accused of not fully enforcing existing U.N. sanctions on its neighbor, and has resisted some tougher measures. Washington has considered further “secondary sanctions” against Chinese banks and other firms doing business with North Korea. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said China did not exert “so-called economic or diplomatic pressure” in its interactions with other countries. “What we do is to develop friendly and cooperative relations on the basis of five principles of peaceful coexistence,” the spokesman, Geng Shuang, told a regular briefing on Thursday. Trump has had high hopes for cooperation from China to exert influence over North Korea, leaning heavily on Chinese President Xi Jinping for his assistance. The two leaders met in Florida in April and Trump has praised Xi for working on the issue, despite only modest steps so far by Beijing. At the same time, Trump has mostly held back on attacking Chinese trade practices, which he railed against during the presidential campaign. “While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi & China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out. At least I know China tried!” Trump wrote on Twitter on Tuesday, a day after Warmbier died following his return from captivity in a coma. The tweet puzzled even Trump’s own aides. Asked whether Trump had lost faith in China’s ability to restrain North Korea, Mattis said the president’s view represented Americans’ “frustration” with Pyongyang’s provocations and after seeing “a young man go over there healthy, and with a minor act of mischief, come home dead, basically.” Later on Wednesday, Trump said in a speech in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, that the United States has a “great relationship with China and I really like President Xi.” The talks followed what a U.S. official said on Tuesday were new movements detected by U.S. spy satellites at North Korea’s nuclear test site. But it was unclear if Pyongyang was preparing for a sixth nuclear test.

US Labor Department Website is being Operated by Chinese Hackers and serving Malware

Region must do more to pressure South Sudan leaders to end conflict: U.S. diplomatWASHINGTON (Reuters) - African countries should do more to pile pressure on South Sudan s political leaders, who seem incapable of resolving the country s four-year civil war, a top U.S. diplomat said on Wednesday. We think there is more our African colleagues can and should be doing at this point, especially in terms of focusing on leadership, that from our point of view is behaving in a way that is very irresponsible, Tom Shannon, U.S. under-secretary for political affairs at the State Department, told reporters. Shannon, speaking on the sidelines of a U.S-African Partnerships event at the U.S. Institute of Peace, said Washington had grown intolerant of South Sudan s leaders and the challenge was to work with African countries which are interested in seeing an end to the conflict. This is a manmade conflict of horrific dimensions, which is about political leaders measuring each other through force at the cost of their populations, said Shannon. His remarks come after the new USAID administrator, Mark Green, traveled to Juba on Sept. 2 to meet with South Sudan s President Salva Kiir and deliver a message from Washington that the United States was reviewing its relationship with his government. The Trump administration last week imposed sanctions on two senior South Sudanese officials and the former army chief for their role in the conflict, atrocities against civilians and attacks against international missions in South Sudan. South Sudan became the world s newest nation when it gained independence from Sudan in 2011. War broke out in late 2013 and more than a quarter of its population of 12 million have fled their homes. A confidential report by the United Nations last week said competing efforts to end South Sudan s civil war were allowing Kiir s government to exploit divisions among the international brokers. East African leaders said in June they want the warring sides to recommit to a peace deal they abandoned more than a year ago. . Among the international bodies trying to end the conflict are regional block IGAD, the U.N. Security Council, a troika of South Sudan s main Western backers prior to independence and an African Union panel.

MEXICO Mexican investigators have found a total of 116 bodies in pits near the U.S. border, 28 more than previously reported

Factbox: German coalition watch: Merkel seeks three-way allianceBERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel won a fourth term in office in a German national election on Sept. 24, but a fractured vote that brings the far-right into parliament means she is trying to work out a three-way coalition untested at federal level. The new alliance would compromise Merkel s conservative bloc - her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) - along with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and environmentalist Greens. Such a three-way tie-up is called a Jamaica coalition in reference to the three parties colors: black, yellow and green, which match those of the Jamaican flag. To secure a coalition agreement, the unlikely allies must overcome differences on a range of issues including immigration policy, Europe, tax and the environment. Following are coalition-related remarks from senior officials: I advise calm. A way will be found. With good will on all sides, it is possible. But it is not easy. I consider such an alliance to be very difficult. In any case, we will enter seriously into talks with the Greens and FDP. Whether this can be successful is strongly dependent on the flexibility of the Greens. We will conduct these discussions responsibly. After the years of a grand coalition and voters clear rejection of it ... Jamaica could mean a new, fresh wind for Germany. Maybe it s even a little bit sexy. The number of refugees coming to us has to be reduced. On disagreement between Merkel s CDU and Bavarian CSU over a cap on migrants: I am sure we will come to a common position. On an Oct. 8 meeting between the CDU and CSU to discuss a common position before any exploratory talks with FDP or Greens: I don t expect clarity to be achieved in one meeting. It is not about where to put a comma, this is about fundamentals. He described the CSU s demand for a cap on refugees as non-negotiable . In separate comments: We have to make sure that a year like 2015 is not repeated. The integrative capacity of our country has an upper limit. We are against a rigid upper limit on the admission of asylum seekers. But we must talk about a limit to the integration capacity of our country. There can be no upper limit. We should not focus on red lines, but rather on common horizons. (French President Emmanuel) Macron is a godsend. More cooperation in crime fighting, the military, asylum, energy and digital is within reach. In separate comments: We need there to be a way to leave the euro without having to leave the European Union. Conservative Wolfgang Schaeuble has agreed to relinquish the post of finance minister to become president of parliament, clearing the way for another party to take the key ministry. It would be fine to have a Green finance minister who cuts the tax burden on the middle classes. In separate comments: The uptake of new debts must still be ruled out. (Tax) relief and investments must be made possible in another way. In case the FDP becomes part of the government, a new fiscal policy will be of central importance.

AdBlock Plus secures another court victory in Germany

China is considering plans to build a high-speed railway line to the US

Ex-NSA/CIA chief Hayden jokes of putting Snowden on kill list

Israel seals off occupied West Bank

College Ad Welcomes New Students And Apologizes For Their Impending RapeIt doesn t matter how loudly Fox News protests, the fact is that there s an epidemic of sexual assault on college campuses all over America. Compounding and enabling the problem is the phenomenal resistance college administrations have to actually dealing with it. The preferred method is to intimidate the victim into silence and sweep the whole thing under the rug.But the Don t Accept Rape campaign has a much different idea:A print ad appearing in Harvard University s student newspaper on Saturday has a controversial message for students: The trauma of trying to get school administrators to take sexual assault seriously is becoming a routine part of the collegiate experience.The ad buy is timed to coincide with the school s accepted students weekend, when many high school seniors who are considering attending Harvard in the fall visit the campus. Styled like an acceptance letter that lets a prospective student know they ve been admitted, the ad makes the case that sexual assault may be one of the college memories in store for them.I imagine that Harvard s administration is none to happy about it but tough shit. If they d put more effort into treating rape victims like actual victims instead of potential embarrassments, this genius ad wouldn t be necessary:The Don t Accept Rape website also has several clever, if highly depressing, videos showing both male and female students reading their college acceptance letters explaining how they ll be sexually assaulted and then ignored or witness a rape and be pressured to keep quiet about it. I ve always been mystified by the impulse of colleges to cover up rapes on their campuses. I would think that making a huge stink about it and having law enforcement prosecute to the fullest extent of the law would be a selling point, not a potential public relations negative.But what do I know? I m just some guy on a computer and I m not being paid millions a year to protect the reputation of a school over the safety of my students.Featured image courtesy of dontacceptrape.com

CAN YOU GUESS THE ONE THING Majority Of Bernie Sanders Supporters Have In Common?The function of socialism is to raise suffering to a higher level. Norman MailerBernie Sanders has raised a lot of money during the 2016 Democratic primary. In fact, his supporters often brag about his fundraising as proof of his viability as a candidate, just like Obama supporters did back in 2008.With all that in mind, you ll never guess what most of Bernie s donors have in common.The Los Angeles Times reports:Who gives money to Bernie Sanders?Small-dollar contributions have been the fuel that has propelled Sen. Bernie Sanders presidential bid, making it one of the most successful insurgent campaigns in Democratic party history, but little has been known about those donors because campaigns don t have to publicize the names of people who give $200 or less.Now, a Times analysis of nearly 7 million individual contributions has provided unprecedented detail about the army of people behind the $27 donations Sanders mentions at virtually every campaign stop.Many resemble Emily Condit, 40 of Sylmar, who has contributed three times $5 each to the Vermont senator s campaign.Condit, who has several physical disabilities, is among the largest single group of Sanders donors those who don t have a job. Of the $209 million given to the Vermont senator s campaign, about one out of every four dollars came from those not in the workforce, who include the unemployed or retired.Here s a handy chart that puts things in perspective:So the free stuff candidate is being bankrolled mostly by people who aren t working.Anyone surprised?Via: Gateway Pundit

U.S. preparing plan to draw down embassy staff in Havana: sourcesWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is crafting a plan for a drawdown of staff from the American embassy in Havana in response to still-unexplained incidents that have harmed the health of some U.S. diplomats there, U.S. and congressional officials said on Thursday. The State Department’s plan, which was being finalized and could be announced within days, would call for the departure of non-essential staff and diplomats’ families, the sources said. But it was unclear whether leaving the island would be voluntary or compulsory, and one U.S. official said some details were still being worked out. U.S. officials say 21 U.S. diplomats and family members have been afflicted by health problems of unknown origin, including hearing loss, dizziness and nausea. Several Canadians have also been affected in Cuba, a Canadian official has said. The Cuban government has denied any role and is conducting an investigation. But it has so far said it has been unable to determine the cause. Proposals for a drawdown have moved forward since U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez in Washington on Tuesday to discuss the case, which has been threatening the already fragile detente between the two former Cold War foes. The State Department is expected to stop short of saying it will close the recently reopened embassy because of the mysterious affair, despite Tillerson having said last week that such a move was under consideration. But a partial evacuation, even one depicted by the Trump administration as a safety measure, would also send a message of U.S. displeasure over Cuba’s handling of the matter and deliver another blow to Obama-era engagement policies with Havana. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters Thursday that Tillerson – who is now on his way to Beijing - was reviewing all of his options for “how to best protect our American personnel” in Cuba and that she was not ready to announce any decision. But congressional staffers were briefed on the plan on Thursday, two congressional sources said. Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, a harsh critic of the Cuban government, hinted at the State Department’s coming decision. “Any reduction of Americans from @USEmbassyHavana should also require equal number of Castro employees leaving regime’s embassy in U.S.,” he said in a message on Twitter. The State Department declined comment. McClatchy news service was the first to report this week that the United States would soon begin a major withdrawal of Havana staff. Depending on how many diplomats leave, the Havana embassy – the main point of contact for U.S. citizens visiting the island as well as American companies doing business there – could be left with more of a skeletal staff to handle responsibilities. Though Washington has not cast direct blame on Cuban authorities, the State Department said Tillerson reminded Rodriguez at Tuesday’s meeting of Cuba’s obligation to protect diplomats and their families. In the highest-level U.S.-Cuba meeting since President Donald Trump took office, Rodriguez warned the United States against taking hasty decisions and urged Washington to cooperate with its ongoing investigation. Washington earlier this year expelled two Cuban diplomats over the alleged incidents. The case has brought simmering tensions between the two countries since Trump took office to the boil. Trump, who in June vowed to partially roll back the detente with Cuba agreed by his Democratic predecessor, President Barack Obama, called the Cuban government “corrupt and destabilizing” in his address to the United Nations General Assembly last week. He said he would not lift the U.S. trade embargo on the Caribbean island until it made “fundamental reforms.” Cuba described his comments as “unacceptable and meddling.”

Swedish robot that bought MDMA, passport and baseball cap is released by police

N. Korea Sentences 2 U.S. Journalists to 12 Years of Hard Labor

At least 87 people trapped in South African gold mine after building collapse

Narcotics war reaps nothing but killing fields - Two human heads left in a cooler box on the plaza? A mystery. The 18 houses burned in a single night? An enigma. The doctor and his family who disappeared? A rumour.

Bigoted GOPer Calls Obama ‘The Most Racially-Divisive President’ Since The Civil War (AUDIO)Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) a congressman who at one time cracked jokes about shooting undocumented immigrants has recently called President Barack Obama out for being the most racially-divisive president America s had since slavery.Brooks, who happens to be the chairman of GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz s Alabama leadership team, made these comments during a radio interview on the Dale Jackson Show on Thursday. Commenting on the president s State of the Union speech, the Alabama Republican said, There probably has not been a more racially-divisive, economically divisive, president in the White House since we had presidents who supported slavery. Host Dale Jackson pressed Brooks to clarify what exactly he meant considering that Obama is the nation s first black president and Brooks explanation threw Obama a bone for not being the absolute worst president in the entire history of the United States just within the last 150 years: We did have presidents in the first 80 to 100 years of our country that supported slavery. You cannot say Barack Obama was worse than them. But he s probably the worst one since the Civil War and the passages of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. You can listen to the recording of the show below: Later in the show, Jackson commented on how much racial tensions have become a focal point in the political arena, and Brooks accused Obama and Democrats of using race and sex to divide Americans to a level of perfection not heretofore seen. In true GOP fashion, Brooks chose not to give specific reasons why Obama was racially divisive but his Civil War comment means that he s forgotten quite a bit about history, and how racist some of America s presidents from the last 150 years were. To say that Obama is more racially divisive than post-Civil War presidents such as Andrew Jackson, Rutherford Hayes, Woodrow Wilson and even George W. Bush is absolutely ridiculous.Brooks should know a bit about being racially divisive himself he s made several racist statements in the past. For example, there was that time he said Syrian refugees wanted a paid vacation, spread lies about Obama s childhood past in Indonesia, blamed a measles outbreak on illegal aliens, and stated that Obama s immigration policy was based on skin pigmentation. Featured image via Listerhill Credit Union / Flickr

Former George W. Bush Speechwriter Epically Blasts Republicans For Supporting TrumpThis is a HUGE condemnation of the Republican Party.Ever since Donald Trump kicked off his campaign for the presidency, Republicans have cowered before him endorsing him one by one even after saying that they disagree with him and despise the divisive and hateful rhetoric he spews.But former George W. Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson put his writing skills to use on Thursday to pen an epic rebuke of Donald Trump and the Republicans who support him. Trump pretty much represents the negation of everything I ve argued about politics and ideology for the last 30 years, Gerson wrote on Facebook.What he is attacking is not just the establishment. He is attacking a way of doing politics based on persuasion, consensus, compassion and inclusion. Those who argue that conservatism is fundamentally at odds with these values know nothing of conservatism. But Trump represents the confirmation of the worse conservative and Republican caricatures a belief that cultural and religious minorities are threats, a belief that America should abandon its deepest values in the conduct of global affairs, a belief that the values and institutions of our government have failed, and that the times require a strong hand.Gerson continued ripping Trump for wanting to tear down what makes America great.At its best (and, God knows, it has not always been at its best) America shows a welcoming spirit, an example of how a great nation can be united by ideals instead of bloodlines, a place, as George Washington said, where there shall be none to make him afraid. We should love American traditions and institutions enough to repair them, not hand them over to an authoritarian wannabe, who is too ignorant to even understand the inheritance he is casting away.And then he really let Trump have it.Trump s magical policy thinking, setting goals with no serious thought of how they might be achieved; his menacing encouragement of political violence; his disdain for ethnic and religious minorities, which has unleashed and emboldened racists and anti-Semites of every sort; his penchant for conspiracy theories, including a very dangerous vaccine denialism; his promises to conduct the war on terrorism by ordering war crimes, which would set up a constitutional crisis when the US military honorably refuses; his cynical manipulation of gullible religious leaders with tactics that border on blasphemy; his casual use of lies, which he defends even when exposed.Gerson then turned his focus toward the GOP and slammed them for supporting Trump even though he represents the destruction of all the progress America had made since gaining independence from Great Britain and damned them to regret it for all of time.How does any of this return lost greatness to our nation? Sometimes I want to shake people (intellectually,not physically) who favor political disruption and ask: Disruption in favor of what? Look at what you are doing! Look at what you have done! The Republican Party is now firmly harnessed to the wild, uncontrollable horses of fear and exclusion. It has already sustained damage with Latino voters that may take a generation to undo. And now many Republicans will find rationalizations to support Trump. That is natural the reality of politics in every time. Many people simply go with the winner. But this isn t a normal time. I believe that the decision to support Trump, like an embarrassing tattoo, will follow them the rest of their lives. Republicans are not merely making a choice; they are looking into the abyss.Here s the full post via Facebook.// < ![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&#038;version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); // ]]&gt;I feel bad, on one hand, to be so focused on (some would say, obsessed by) the Trump phenomenon. And it is my intention Posted by Michael J. Gerson on Thursday, March 17, 2016Gerson ended his post by leaving a link to an op-ed he wrote for the Washington Post in which he says Republicans are staining themselves by supporting Trump and that perhaps one of the only honorable option left to save themselves from being forever remembered as the party that destroyed America is to vote for Hillary Clinton.Seriously, Republicans. Listen to Michael Gerson. His advice may just save your party from killing itself.Featured image: Cagle

Protesters BEAUTIFULLY Troll Jason Chaffetz After He Accuses Them Of Being PaidWhat is with the GOP accusing protesters of being paid to protest their events? Do they think it s impossible that so many people are actually upset? Maybe they re taking lessons from Donald Trump on that issue.Last week, Jason Chaffetz found himself on the wrong side of people who are angry that he attacked Hillary so aggressively, but won t even raise the question of investigating Trump for much worse transgressions. He told Salt Lake City-based Deseret News that he knew people were paid to try and bully and intimidate him at his town hall.All that kind of an accusation does is galvanize those who are protesting, and these people found a unique way to respond: They re sending him invoices for their appearances at his town hall. The invoice is circulating online and charges Chaffetz $100 per hour for paid protest, and two additional $50 charges for being callously dismissed by representative, and being labeled out-of-state radical. Check it out:If you re one of the constituents @jasoninthehouse has accused of being a paid protester, follow this person s lead & send him an invoice. pic.twitter.com/np0ZXYGWwS Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) February 11, 2017Chaffetz denigrated the protesters at his town hall further when he said: You could see it online a couple days before, a concerted effort in part to just cause chaos. Democrats are in disbelief that they have nothing but flailing and screaming to defend this. I ll never satisfy their desire to bring down [President] Donald Trump. Considering how he vowed to continue investigating Hillary Clinton even after she lost the election because of some emails, it s pretty clear that he considers it his job to bring down Democrats, not investigate possible government abuses, security breaches, etc.Featured image by Alex Wong via Getty Images

CORRUPT CLINTON AIDE Rigged The Benghazi Accountability Review Board [Video]The big question in all this corruption is why these people aren t in jail! The collusion between Cheryl Mills and Hillary Clinton had to be there. Is there anyone out there who REALLY believes that Clinton isn t culpable in all this? This entire thing is sickening!Remember the Accountability Review Board, appointed in the wake of the Benghazi attack that killed four Americans in September 2012? The ARB, headed by former ambassador Thomas Pickering, provided the first attempt at oversight over the State Department s actions in Benghazi and Libya following the sacking of the American consulate. Pickering s probe didn t bother to interview State officials of higher rank, such as Hillary Clinton, and tried to lay the responsibility on low-level staffers instead.According to the new majority report from the House Select Committee on Benghazi, that may not have been a coincidence. The report accuses longtime Hillary aide Cheryl Mills of undue influence over the ARB, from the composition of the committee to access to information and witnesses, Politico reports:Cheryl Mills, the longtime attorney, friend and former chief of staff for Hillary Clinton, influenced the findings of an internal State Department review of the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack, according to a draft of the final House Benghazi Committee report.A section of the report obtained by POLITICO says the so-called Accountability Review Board did not act independently, as it was supposed to do, and was consistently influenced by Mills. Mills, the report says, helped select members of the panel, gave at least one other State Department official permission to talk to the reviewers, oversaw the production of some documents reviewed by the board and helped edit the final report. The decisions to deviate from longstanding processes raise questions about the board s independence, thoroughness and therefore the fullness of their findings of accountability, the report reads. Recall Pickering s response to Bob Schieffer three years ago, when asked about the ARB s decision to skip interviewing higher-ranking officials, and his attempts to let Kennedy off the hook. We knew where the responsibility rested, he insisted. I wonder who made that clear to him? Hmmm:

Irish finance minister says prospect of election 'unconscionable'DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland s finance minister said the prospect of an election and period without government during Brexit talks is unconscionable, telling the party propping the government up that it needed to be aware of the consequences of causing an election. At a time when issues and decisions will need to be made that will reverberate in our country for decades to come, the prospect of either an election taking place or a government not being in place afterwards is actually unconscionable, Paschal Donohoe told national broadcaster RTE.

HYSTERICAL…THE DEMOCRAT CONVENTION Schedule Is RevealedLOL! You ll want to share this with everyone Democrat Convention ScheduleMonday, 25 July 2016 11:30 AM Free lunch, medical marijuana, and bus ride to the Convention. Forms distributed for Food Stamp enrollment.2:30 PM Group Voter Registration for Undocumented Immigrants.5:00 PM Opening Flag Burning Ceremony Sponsored by CNNTuesday, 26 July 2016 9:00 AM Address on Being the Real You Rachel Dolezal, former Head of the Seattle NAACP10:30 PM How to Bank $200 Million as a public Servant and claim to be broke Hillary Clinton2:00 PM How to have a successful career without ever having a job, and still avoid paying taxes! A Seminar Moderated by Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson5:00 PM Medals of Freedom presentation to Army deserter Bo Berghdal Baltimore Looters Wednesday, 27 July 2016 8:30 AM Invitation-only Autograph Session Souvenir photographs of Hillary and Chelsea dodging Sniper Fire in Bosnia9:00 AM Tribute to All of the 57 States Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi9:30 AM General vote on praising Baltimore rioters, and on using the terminology Alternative Shoppers instead of Looters 11:00 AM The White House Semantics Committee Meeting General vote on re-branding Muslim Terrorism as Random Acts of Islamic Over-Exuberance 1:00 PM Liberal Bias in Media How we can make it work for you Tutorial sponsored by CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, PBS, the Washington Post and the New York Times with Guest Speaker, Brian Williams3:00 PM Tribute Film to the Brave Freedom Fighters still incarcerated at GITMO Michael Moore5:00 PM Personal Finance Seminar Businesses Don t Create Jobs Hillary ClintonThursday, 28 July 2016 9:00 AM Group Condemnation of Bitter Gun Owners.9:30 AM Ceremonial We Surrender Waving of the White Flag to Afghanistan, Russia, and ISIS.10:00 AM Short film, Setting Up Your Own Illegal Email Server While Serving in A Cabinet Post and How to Pretend It s No Big Deal Hosted by Hillary Clinton11:00 AM Announcement of VP Nominee Chris Stevens, with a quick rebuttal and withdrawal when Hillary realizes he s someone she got killed in Benghazi11:30 AM Official Nomination of Hillary Bill Maher and Chris Matthews

Russias only Hindu temple faces threat of demolition

CNN FINALLY Does Its Job, Hammers Trump With His Illegal Donations (VIDEO)CNN s Alisyn Camerota did something on Wednesday that s almost unheard of from CNN: She called out Donald Trump on his many, many scandals and in particular, the pay and play scandal involving Trump s bribing of Florida s Republican Attorney General Pam Bondi, who, after receiving a donation from Trump, dropped an investigation into Trump University.This isn t an allegation. Trump paid the donation, and he paid an IRS fine of $2,500 for breaking the law. Still, the media generally only talks about the Clinton Foundation or Clinton emails, both of which have amounted to absolutely nothing.Trump s entire narrative, when it comes to Hillary Clinton, is to paint her as crooked Hillary, a moniker that, despite sounding like it comes from a third grade bully who s been held back a few times, is sticking. That nickname is pure projection, though. It s Trump who s crooked and Camerota pointed it out: Congressman, Camerota said, don t you think the American public cares about breaking the law? Well, these are technicalities in many cases, (Rep. Chris Collins R-NY) Collins said, as he pointed out on the recent Bondi one. He was solicited for a donation, he told his clerk to do it. She wrote it out of the wrong checking account. Source: Raw StoryThen, back to crooked Hillary, Collins tried to make the claim that she did it too, which is completely untrue, since while some donors to the Clinton Foundation did ask for meetings, most were told to go through regular channels. With Trump and Bondi, however, it was clear quid pro quo. He gave her money and she dropped the case against him. For that, both parties should be in jail.Camerota pressed on: Let s look back, she said, pointing out that in 1985, Trump was caught exceeding legal campaign donation limits by funneling funds through 18 subsidiary companies, which is technically legal, but is essentially a corporate version of the crime that sent right-wing provocateur Dinesh D Souza to federal prison.Cameron went on to describe actual illegalities that Trump has been fined for. Isn t this the very definition of payola? Camerota asked. Payola is the practice of bribing someone to use their influence to promote your particular interest. How does this differ? Collins kept on with his both sides do it argument until Camerota astutely mentioned the one key difference: what Trump did was illegal. What Clinton did wasn t. Who s the crooked candidate again?Here s the interview:GOP Rep. Chris Collins says Clinton has always been someone with her hand out for donors https://t.co/dH2DDZP72k pic.twitter.com/YuxTgFpbcm CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) September 7, 2016If only we could get the rest of the media, or for what that s worth, the rest of CNN, to do their jobs. If you notice, even the tweet from CNN tried to make Clinton the criminal subject of the interview, not Trump. In other words, don t hold your breath for a better CNN, but Camerota was a breath of fresh air.Featured image via video screen capture.

Trump and Cuba should start dialogue: Mississippi governor saysHAVANA (Reuters) - The Trump administration and the Cuban government need to start a dialogue, the Republican governor of Mississippi said on Wednesday during a trip to the Communist-led island to scout trade opportunities for his state. “That’s the first step: trying to get that dialogue going in a very positive manner,” Phil Bryant said in an interview, adding that he had found his trip “encouraging.” Cuba watchers are looking closely for signs of how President Donald Trump will deal with the country, given he threatened during his campaign to roll back the fragile detente between the Untied States and Cuba, former Cold War foes. The White House is undertaking a “full review” of America’s foreign policy toward Cuba, press secretary Sean Spicer said in February. The governor, who had just met with Cuba’s trade minister, said it was key “not let too much of the political conditions in the United States become overwhelming.” “Sometimes people have a narrative of Mississippi as if it’s 1960s, and it’s not, and it’s not the 1960s in Cuba,” he said, citing changes like growth of private businesses. Former U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro stunned the world in December 2014 when they announced the United States and Cuba would restore diplomatic ties after more than half a century of hostility. Even with a U.S. embargo preventing most trade with Cuba, Mississippi already exports authorized products to the island such as frozen poultry and healthcare products, according to the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council. There was room to increase that trade and as establish exchanges in healthcare and research, including perhaps bringing Cuban doctors to the Mississippi Delta, said Bryant.

Ted Cruz Absolutely Loses It During This MUST WATCH Press Conference (VIDEO)During a press conference in South Carolina on Wednesday, Ted Cruz proved that as things heat up in the Republican primary election, the Republican candidates crazy is being brought to a boiling point.South Carolina is the Republicans firewall state against anti-establishment candidates. It s the state where candidates such as Donald Trump are supposed to burn out. After Trump s win in New Hampshire, all the candidates are fighting like mad to secure a win in the first southern primary.So, enter Ted Cruz at a press conference where he has to be seen as both more moderate than Trump and also win over his supporters. That s why during the press conference he is forced to posture, saying things like daring Trump to sue him.The real hilarity comes, though, when Ted Cruz does his best to try and lampoon his Not-Trump rival, Marco Rubio. During the press conference, Cruz answers questions from reporters. Cruz both brings up and attempts to dismiss things that he has come under fire for. The whole thing amounts to very long, nearly schizophrenic, rant. Whoever told Ted Cruz to do this, needs to be fired. I don t think that this press conference did anything except possibly make Rubio look much more practical in the eyes of moderate conservatives.Cruz spent a lot of time denying what he calls lies being put forth by Trump and Rubio. Specifically, most of those lies that revolve around allegations that Cruz using push polls in South Carolina. The Washington Post first reported on the push polls that have been very supportive in their calls to voters throughout the state. They appear to be being conducted by Remington Research, a research firm hired by the Cruz campaign.Cruz claims that anyone could be conducting the polls. Which is ludicrous. Especially in light of the fact that Cruz seems to now be trying to paint this as a conspiracy being orchestrated by some combination of Trump, Rubio, and well anyone Cruz can point his finger at.You can watch the press conference below.Featured image from video screenshot

Poland says it will match Russia's diplomatic hostility

Megyn Kelly Reveals The Creepy Way Donald Trump Tried To ‘Woo’ Her (IMAGE)Donald Trump has singled out many people during his campaign, but none have remained a target in Trump s eyes and Twitter feed quite like Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly.Trump s issue with Kelly exploded after the first Republican debate, when Kelly understandably called Trump out on his long-winded history of sexist, misogynistic comments toward women. Trump, being the abrasive a**hole that he is, blew the incident way out of proportion and continued to slam Kelly both on and off Twitter for weeks after the debate. Now Kelly is speaking out against Trump, claiming that the business mogul had actually tried to woo her in some incredibly creepy ways which may have influenced why he was so bitter when she called him out.Vanity FairThis month Kelly graces the cover of Vanity Fair magazine, in which the 45-year-old journalist spoke about her interactions with The Donald at length. Kelly said that Trump used to send her press clippings that were signed Donald Trump , and called her numerous times to tell her how much he enjoyed certain segments of her show (ironically, after the debate Trump criticized Kelly s show extensively). Kelly didn t think much of this at first, but when Trump announced he was going to run for president, Kelly said it became more clear. But, Kelly said that Trump s efforts were completely futile. She said: I can t be wooed. I was never going to love him, and I was never going to hate him. I would have crawled over a pile of hot coals to make it to that debate. No one was going to be sitting in for me, reading my questions. And I can say with confidence that neither Bret nor Chris wanted to read my questions for many reasons! Kelly revealed that her decision to focus on Trump s sexist remarks was because she knew Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton would zero in on them if they faced each other in the general election. Part of what Kelly said to Trump was: Your Twitter account has several disparaging comments about womens looks. You once told a contestant on celebrity apprentice that it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees.Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president? And how will you answer the charge from Hillary Clinton who is likely to be the Democratic nominee that you are a part of the war on women? It was one of the most reported moments from the debate, and Kelly received attacks from both Trump AND his loyal followers for holding him accountable. Trump lovers sent her death threats, called her a c t and a hag on social media even Trump s top deputy retweeted gut her. Trump was especially immature about the situation, and he took his disdain for being confronted to new heights when he told CNN s Don Lemon that Kelly had blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever. Then, the Republican frontrunner threatened to boycott Fox and continued to diss Kelly for weeks after the debate only further proving her point about Trump s misogyny.Featured image via Vanity Fair

Hong Kong's vanishing archives and the battle to preserve historyHONG KONG (Reuters) - For anyone digging into Hong Kong s history, the official archives might not be the place to look. The office of the chief executive, Hong Kong s leader, failed to hand over any official records at all for eight of the 20 years since it came under Chinese rule in 1997, according to the government department that manages the archives. The Security Bureau only did it for 10. Researchers say the problem is that Hong Kong, under roughly 150 years of British colonial rule and the first 20 years of Chinese rule, has never had a law regulating how government records should be kept or destroyed. As a result, the document retention that researchers see as necessary for keeping a record of the past has been somewhat spotty within Hong Kong. Under British rule, the archiving of documents in Hong Kong was also lax. In 1994 and 1995, for example, the Government House gave nothing to the archives. But thanks to a constant flow of correspondence between the colonial government and London, Britain would have stored a copy of most official records, according to researchers. After the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, that back-up mechanism disappeared, leading to concerns that fragments of Hong Kong s history might slip away for good. Unlike Hong Kong, China has a set of archive laws, under which officials failing to file records can face administrative sanctions, or face charges if the case constitutes a crime. But researchers say that for any Hong Kong-related documents kept by China, access would be difficult. Simon Chu, the former head of the Government Records Service who has been advocating for an archives law, said that prior to 1997 researchers could count on finding records in Britain, even if they were lost in Hong Kong. After 1997, you don t have this kind of luxury, he said. Connie Lo, a documentary director digging into the 1967 Communist-led riots in Hong Kong, found almost nothing on the subject in the government archives. She was, however, able to find material in Britain s National Archives for her film Vanished Archives, which premiered in Hong Kong this year. Fears over record retention were highlighted last year when the government of former Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said it had kept no records of informal meetings with local groups over a controversial land development project. Hong Kong s current leader, Carrie Lam, has said she places great importance on the integrity of government records, and that she supports passing an archives law. She said she would pursue a law after receiving a report from the Law Reform Commission, which is studying the issue. The commission, however, has been considering the issue for four years and only expects to start consultations on the subject next year. Activists like Chu are anxious that records of sensitive information, such as government decisions during the 2014 pro-democracy street protests could be destroyed with impunity. I m very pessimistic about that, Chu said. One former senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also admitted to throwing out some documents in order to protect a former top official. He declined to say what the documents contained. But he suggested the practice might be widespread in the civil service. For some of the most sensitive issues, there would not even be a record, he said. The Government Records Service said it received 25 reports of unauthorized destruction of records in the past six years, and disciplinary actions were taken against four officers in four cases.