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DONALD TRUMP CLOSES GAP WITH HILLARY CLINTON IN MICHIGAN

Iron Sheik

Home › POLITICS | US NEWS › DONALD TRUMP CLOSES GAP WITH HILLARY CLINTON IN MICHIGAN DONALD TRUMP CLOSES GAP WITH HILLARY CLINTON IN MICHIGAN 0 SHARES [10/27/16] Republican nominee Donald Trump is now within striking distance of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in Michigan, a state that has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1988. In the latest Fox 2 Detroit/Mitchell Poll , Trump trails Clinton by just six points. In the four-way poll, Clinton received 48 percent, Trump received 42 percent, Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson received 4.5 percent, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein received 1 percent. Clinton led Trump 50 percent to 44 percent, in the head-to-head. Fifty-nine percent of polled voters said that jobs and the economy are the most important issues, while 29 percent said that national defense and terrorism were most important. A Detroit Free Press/WXYZ-TV poll places Clinton ahead of Trump by 7 points, which is still a significant narrowing compared to previous polls. Public backlash against trade deals like President Barack Obama’s Tran-Pacific Partnership – a deal that Clinton once called “the gold standard in trade agreements”– was so fierce that Clinton changed her tune during the Democratic primary where she was defeated by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. “Across Michigan, Republicans are coming home and taking a united stand against Hillary Clinton’s radical, open-borders agenda and plan to double-down on failed Obama policies, such as Obamacare. We are also seeing independents, Democrats and union workers saying no to Clinton’s special interest driven agenda, and yes to Mr. Trump’s plan to put America first,” Tim Lineberger, communications director for Trump’s Michigan campaign team told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “Hard working Americans will be voting for change in November because they feel like the system is rigged against them, and they know that Clinton and her cohorts are the ones rigging it,” Lineberger added. Clinton was previously caught on tape telling a group of foreign bankers that her dream was a “hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders.” Trump is also hoping to capitalize on the government’s recent report, stating that the price of Obamacare premiums are expected to increase an average of 22 percent. Post navigation

“Scary Stories In 5 Words” are terrifying tales for people short on time

Poke Staff

Next Prev Swipe left/right “Scary Stories In 5 Words” are terrifying tales for people short on time Want to read something scary this Halloween but don’t have enough time for an actual book? Then the #ScaryStoriesIn5Words is just for you. Here are twelve of the spookiest. 1. — Steven Deng (@stevendengg) October 28, 2016 2.

Americans Rate Trump’s Inauguration Speech Positively Favorability Jumps Seven Points

Charlie Spiering

A majority of Americans praised President Donald Trump’s inauguration speech, according to a Morning Tracking Poll, despite media criticism that it was too dark and divisive. [The release states: The poll also shows that Trump’s favorability ratings have swung seven points. percent view him favorably, while 44 percent view him unfavorably. Prior to the speech, only 46 percent viewed him favorably, and 48 percent viewed him unfavorably. Big Government, Donald Trump, Favorability, inauguration speech, Morning Tracking Poll, poll

‘I’ve Become a Racist’: Migrant Wave Unleashes Danish Tensions Over Identity - The New York Times

David Zucchino

TAARNBY, Denmark — Johnny Christensen, a stout and retired bank employee, always thought of himself as sympathetic to people fleeing war and welcoming to immigrants. But after more than 36, 000 mostly Muslim asylum seekers poured into Denmark over the past two years, Mr. Christensen, 65, said, “I’ve become a racist. ” He believes these new migrants are draining Denmark’s cherished system but failing to adapt to its customs. “Just kick them out,” he said, unleashing a mighty kick at an imaginary target on a suburban sidewalk. “These Muslims want to keep their own culture, but we have our own rules here and everyone must follow them. ” Denmark, a small and orderly nation with a progressive is built on a social covenant: In return for some of the world’s highest wages and benefits, people are expected to work hard and pay into the system. Newcomers must quickly learn Danish — and adapt to norms like keeping tidy gardens and riding bicycles. The country had little experience with immigrants until 1967, when the first “guest workers” were invited from Turkey, Pakistan and what was then Yugoslavia. Its 5. 7 million people remain overwhelmingly native born, though the percentage has dropped to 88 today from 97 in 1980. Bo Lidegaard, a prominent historian, said many Danes feel strongly that “we are a multiethnic society today, and we have to realize it — but we are not and should never become a multicultural society. ” The recent influx pales next to the one million migrants absorbed into Germany or the 163, 000 into Sweden last year, but the pace shocked this stable, homogeneous country. The government has backed harsh measures targeting migrants, hate speech has spiked, and the Danish People’s Party is now the second largest in Parliament. Some of the same hostilities were reflected this weekend in Germany, where voters in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s home state embraced candidates — an emphatic rejection of her refugee policy. There is new tension between Danes still opening their arms and a resurgent right wing that seeks to ban all Muslims and shut Denmark off from Europe. Mr. Christensen, the retired banker, supports emerging proposals for his country to follow Britain in exiting the European Union. There is tension, too, over whether the backlash is really about a strain on Denmark’s generous public benefits or a rising terrorist threat — or whether a longstanding but latent racial hostility is being unearthed. Analysts say that the public voiced little opposition after 5, 000 Poles and 3, 300 Americans, among other Westerners, emigrated to Denmark in 2014, but that there has been significant criticism of the nearly 16, 000 Syrian asylum seekers who arrived that year and the next. They and other migrants were not invited, and many ended up here by accident, intercepted on their route to Sweden. Critics complain that these newcomers have been slow to learn Danish — though the Immigration Ministry recently reported that 72 percent passed a required language exam. Some Danes bristle at what they see as ethnic enclaves: About 30 percent of new immigrants lived in the nation’s two largest cities, Aarhus and Copenhagen, where Muslim women in abayas and men in prayer caps stand out among the blond and crowds on narrow streets. Perhaps the leading — and most substantive — concern is that the migrants are an economic drain. In 2014, 48 percent of immigrants from countries ages 16 to 64 were employed, compared with 74 percent of native Danes. The Immigration Ministry has sought to avoid what it calls “parallel societies” of migrants living in “vicious circles of bad image, social problems and a high rate of unemployment. ” Tightened immigration requirements, the ministry said in its latest annual report, weed out those “who have weaker capabilities for being able to integrate into Danish society. ” Omar Mahmoud, 34, an Iraqi engineer who entered Denmark a year ago and lives in a refugee center in Randers, a city of 60, 000, is trying his best to fit in. He and his wife are taking Danish classes, and their three children are learning the language and making Danish friends in school. They are Muslim, but attend church to learn about Christianity, and he said he was not opposed to his son’s eating pork, a staple of the Danish diet, though it is forbidden in Islam. Mr. Mahmoud said his family had not encountered direct insults or threats, but was frightened by the and tenor in the public discourse. “It’s like foreigners are put in a special clan, separate from the Danish people,” he lamented. Still, Mr. Mahmoud said that “some of the Danish people are angels” and that he was relieved to be far from the violence of Iraq. “I’m in my heaven now. ” Anders a city councilman in Randers, said the influx had forced a more honest conversation about national identity. “Our problem in Denmark is that we’ve been too polite,” he said. “No one dared talk about” immigration, he added, “because they were afraid they’d be called racist. ” Denmark is just one of many European nations grappling with the wave of migrants amid a spate of terrorist attacks across the Continent by Islamic extremists: A recent Pew Research Center survey found that at least half the citizens in eight of 10 countries polled said incoming refugees increased the likelihood of terrorist attacks. The confluence of these and other factors has prompted a of the postwar promise of a unified, borderless Europe. Macedonia, Hungary and Slovenia have all built border fences. Denmark imposed new identity controls on its border with Germany in January, and for the first time since 1958, Sweden requires entering Danes to show identity papers. Many analysts saw Britain’s surprise vote to leave the European Union as an angry expression of concern that British — or, especially, English — identity was being diluted by the nation’s growing diversity. Debate is raging anew over whether certain Islamic modes of dress — swimsuits, known as burkinis, in France and face veils in Germany — inherently contravene countries’ values. Similar themes are seen as underpinning a wave of new measures here in Denmark. The government has made its citizenship test more difficult and slashed by nearly half a package of integration benefits. A measure passed in January, though rarely enforced, empowers the authorities to confiscate valuables from new arrivals to offset the cost of settling them. Last year, Denmark placed ads in newspapers stressing its tough new policies, essentially suggesting: Don’t come here. Muslims do not assimilate as easily as Europeans or some Asians, said Denmark’s culture minister, Bertel Haarder, partly because, as he put it, their patriarchal culture frowns on women working outside the home and often constrains freedom of speech. “It’s not racism to be aware of the difference — it’s stupid not to be aware,” Mr. Haarder said. “We do them a blessing by being very clear and outspoken as to what kind of country they have come to, what are our basic values. ” But much of the difference remains unspoken. This is a country where pedestrians wait for a green light to cross even when no cars are in sight, a contrast to the bustling streets of Middle Eastern capitals. Birgitte Romme Larsen, a Danish anthropologist who has studied refugees and asylum seekers in rural areas, mentioned an African refugee who did not realize that closing his curtains during the day was interpreted as being unduly secretive. Other newcomers were not aware that congregating and talking loudly at a grocery might offend Danish sensibilities. “These implicit expectations cannot be written into an integration folder” migrants receive, Ms. Larsen said. Sherif Sulaiman, an organic food scientist who moved to Denmark eight years ago from Egypt, said Muslims must not close themselves off in enclaves but open themselves up for interaction. He is the manager of an Islamic center that opened in 2014 and invites Danes in for meals and for an annual “harmony week. ” Mr. Sulaiman pushed to have the mosque complex use Scandinavian architectural style and furniture, and lends its conference room to a church for meetings. “We should be like this glass — transparent,” he said, pointing to a window. “As long as we follow the rules of the country, we are part of Danish society. ” But some immigrants who have lived in Denmark for decades say assimilation seems an elusive and target. Patricia Bandak and her brother Sylvester Bbaale came to Denmark from Uganda as babies in 1989. Like their native neighbors, they are polite and punctual and ride their bicycles everywhere. The siblings are not Muslim but said they frequently encountered racism: In school, they were called the N word, and told that they should stop eating Ugandan food like matoke, a starchy fruit. Mr. Bbaale, 27, who operates a food truck, said he was beaten on the street last year by three men who cursed at him and told him to go back to Africa. “For a lot of people, being Danish is in your blood, so I will never be Danish,” said Ms. Bandak, 28, who became a Danish citizen in 2010 and is studying documentary film. “I call myself a Dane of a different color. ” Then there is Ozlem Cekic, a Muslim who served as a leftist member of Parliament from 2007 to 2015. Her three children were born in Denmark, she wrote a 2009 memoir in Danish, and, she said, “I even dream in Danish. ” Yet Mrs. Cekic, 40, said she often received death threats and heard shouts of “Go home!” on the street. Every time terrorists strike Europe, she is bombarded by hundreds of hate messages. Lately, people have inundated her with accusations that Muslims are milking the welfare system and plotting against Danes. While in Parliament, Mrs. Cekic held “dialogue coffees,” at which she would explain — in fluent Danish — why she is as Danish as anyone. “They meet me for coffee and suddenly they say their problem isn’t with me but with those other people,” she recalled. “I tell them, ‘I am the other. ’” Karin Andersen is one of thousands of Danes trying to help the immigrants settle through groups formed on Facebook called Venligboerne, or Kind Citizens. She spends several days each month with Housam Mohammed Shamden, 38, his wife and two daughters, who fled Syria in 2014 and now live in Randers, with small Danish flags taped to the front door of their apartment and tucked into flower vases. “Danes are so concerned about losing their culture,” said Ms. Andersen, 62, a retired teacher. “But how many help the ones who want to be part of it?” However many, they are often drowned out by reports of Muslims being spat at and showered with racist slurs. In May, two Danes ripped the head scarves off two girls. The month before, a national controversy erupted after a public swimming pool in Copenhagen created lessons in response to Muslim requests. “Freedom of speech is now interpreted as freedom to say anything hateful,” said Julie Jeeg, a law student who volunteers with an antiracism group. “Denmark is closing in on itself. People are retreating inward. ” Witness the “meatball war. ” In January, after revelations that a Randers day care center had stopped serving pork meatballs since its Muslim students would not eat them, the Town Council narrowly passed a measure requiring that pork be served “on equal terms with other kinds of food. ” The councilman who pushed the measure, Frank Noergaard of the Danish People’s Party, said he was incensed that “pork could be abandoned in Denmark,” adding, “If you give in on pork, what’s next?”

Apparently, Donald Trump has already activated the ‘reset button’ with Russia

BareNakedIslam

Apparently, Donald Trump has already activated the ‘reset button’ with Russia And this is why Hillary Clinton never could. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his bewilderment at why European countries were taking in so many migrants given the increasing number of rapes sweeping the continent, asserting that a society which cannot protect its children “has no future”. Putin made reference to a story out of Austria where an Iraqi migrant was not punished for raping a 10-year-old boy at a swimming pool in Vienna after he claimed it was a “sexual emergency” and that he didn’t understand the boy didn’t want to be raped. “I can’t even explain the rationale – is it a sense of guilt before the illegal alien Muslim migrants? A society that cannot defend its children today has no tomorrow, it has no future,” warned Putin, adding that he would not look to Europe for advice on Russia’s immigration policy given the situation that is unfolding there. h/t Rob E

The Playboy Mansion Has a Buyer: A Twinkie King - The New York Times

Jonah Engel Bromwich

The Playboy Mansion, the quintessential party house that held a special place in the imagination of American men for decades, has found a buyer, a Playboy spokesman said on Tuesday. The spokesman, John Vlautin, said the Los Angeles mansion, home to Hugh Hefner, 90, the founder of Playboy Magazine, was under contract to be sold to Daren Metropoulos, 32, a principal at the private equity firm Metropoulos Company and an owner of Hostess Brands, the maker of that indestructible, snack cake, the Twinkie. Mr. Vlautin declined to comment on the financial details, citing confidentiality restrictions. The house, which is nearly 20, 000 square feet, according to its sales listing, was built in 1927 in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles and has 29 rooms, including 12 bedrooms. It has a wine cellar, a theater, a gym, tennis courts and a huge swimming pool, complete with a shadowy grotto. Its listing price: $200 million. The listing also said the mansion was “one of a select few private residences in L. A. with a zoo license. ” Mr. Metropoulos will not have to go far once the purchase is completed: He lives next door in a house he acquired in 2009. He would, however, have to be willing to live with a nonagenarian celebrity roommate if he wanted to move in right away. Mr. Vlautin said that, regardless of the sale, Mr. Hefner planned to stay in the house indefinitely. Playboy bought the house in 1971, and Mr. Hefner moved in (permanently) in 1975. A spokeswoman for Mr. Metropoulos’s company said in a statement that after Mr. Hefner’s tenancy ends, the buyer hoped to connect his current house with the Playboy Mansion, “ultimately returning the combined 7. compound to the original vision executed by noted architect Arthur R. Kelly. ” The mansion is famous for the lavish parties hosted by Mr. Hefner and attended by the rich, the famous and the . The house has been featured as the ideal party destination for men in movies like “Beverly Hills Cop II” and television shows like “Entourage” on HBO. Holly Madison, a former girlfriend and housemate of Mr. Hefner’s and one of the stars of the E! reality show “The Girls Next Door,” which frequently featured the mansion, offered a different perspective on the house in her 2015 memoir. She called the climate “toxic” and described a stifling atmosphere that caused her to develop a stutter and even to consider suicide. Mr. Metropoulos told The Wall Street Journal, which reported the deal, that he was more interested in the mansion’s historic architecture than its reputation as a party pad. “The heritage of this property transcends its celebrity, and to have the opportunity to serve as its steward would be a true privilege,” he said. The Playboy Mansion was listed for sale early this year, and potential buyers expressed interest in acquiring Playboy Enterprises in its entirety. The company has suffered since the advent of internet pornography, and in March, its magazine stopped featuring fully nude women.

How Egypt’s Activists Became ‘Generation Jail’ - The New York Times

Joshua Hammer

Every morning at 5:30, an alarm clock awakens Ahmed Maher from his mattress below a stairwell at his neighborhood police station in Cairo. An officer then escorts him to the toilet and signs a notebook that Maher carries, authorizing his release until 6 that evening. Maher walks a mile to his apartment — “It is my only exercise,” he said — in the Third Settlement, a grid of tenements at the edge of the desert. After breakfast with his wife and two small children, he takes care of chores aimed at rebuilding his life — renewing his driver’s license, reactivating his cellphone he visits friends and family and searches for a job in civil engineering, his occupation before he was clapped into prison. Whatever he does, he must be back at the police station before sundown. “Every second now is important,” said Maher, a slight with a full beard, large eyes obscured behind tinted yellow lenses and a gray woolen ski cap that covered his bald pate. “If I want to visit my mother in Maadi, I can spend three hours getting there and back. ” The clock is ticking. “If I delay for 15 minutes, the police have the right to send me back to prison,” he said. Maher and I were sitting in his small, dark apartment at 3 o’clock on a Sunday afternoon in February, waiting for his children to return from their first day back at school after a vacation. A television played a soccer match in a corner, and a coffee table was strewn with textbooks from Maher’s studies at Cairo University, where he is pursuing a second degree, in political science, this one begun behind bars. It was just six years ago that Maher was celebrated around the world as a symbol of freedom and democracy. In January 2011, as the leader of a network of young activists called the April 6 Youth Movement, Maher mobilized hundreds of thousands of Egyptians in demonstrations in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and across the country that took down President Hosni Mubarak. The movement was considered for a Nobel Peace Prize, and Maher traveled across Europe and the United States talking about the Arab Spring and Egypt’s future with the likes of Ban and Lech Walesa. But the hopes that were raised by the revolution dissolved into sectarianism and chaos, and Maher’s aspirations were extinguished within two years. Abdel Fattah the defense minister and commander in chief of the armed forces, seized power in July 2013 and outlawed protests. Five months later, a judge found Maher guilty of illegal demonstration, rioting and “thuggery” and sentenced him to three years in jail. Another judge added six months to Maher’s sentence for “verbally assaulting a public officer while on duty” after he demanded that the police remove his handcuffs while in court for a 2014 appeal. Maher spent almost all of that period sealed in a small cell in a wing at Tora Prison, a notorious complex on the outskirts of Cairo, built during British rule, that houses about 2, 500 political prisoners and common criminals. Hidden behind walls, the vast compound encompasses seven prison blocks, ranging from a facility for policemen and judges convicted of taking bribes to the supermax “Scorpion Prison,” a labyrinth of cells largely reserved for Islamists and April 6 leaders. Today Maher is nominally a free man, but the restrictions on his movements are stifling. The regime is deeply concerned that he could revive the network that brought his followers to the streets six years ago. As it was explained to Maher, “tweets can lead to demonstrations, and demonstrations can lead to revolution, and that will bring down the regime and create martyrs,” he said. “So if you are tweeting, you are like a terrorist. ” Every day for the next three years, Maher must spend 12 of every 24 hours at his local police station, a “surveillance period” intended to ensure that he refrains from activity. Under Egyptian law, he told me, felons “have the right to have their surveillance inside the home with a guard downstairs. But they are using this surveillance as punishment. It is a kind of control to keep me all the time under pressure. ” The front door opened, and Maher’s wife, Reham, their daughter, Meral, 9, and their son, Nidal, 5, spilled into the room. Nidal raced to the television, switched it from the soccer match to a cartoon and then snuggled up to his father. “I missed these moments,” Maher said. During his incarceration, his contact with the children was limited to short visits twice a month. The encounters left his kids perplexed and disturbed. “At first I lied when they would visit me,” Maher recalled. “My daughter asked, ‘Why you are not in our home?’ and I said, ‘This is my job.’ She said, ‘So why are you wearing blue? ’’u2009” Reham, who met Maher at Cairo University 16 years ago and married him in 2007, told me that after a year they decided to explain the situation to their daughter. “I tried to make her grasp the difference between being detained for political reasons and being a common criminal,” Reham said. “I explained what the revolution was and how people protested. And I told her that when the current regime took over, it didn’t allow people to express their opinions. Sisi knew what happened to Mubarak, so he didn’t want them to speak out again. ” In prison, Maher earned a reputation as a defiant figure, repeatedly sending antigovernment criticism and vivid descriptions of his ordeal to the Western and Egyptian news media. “When I heard the president talk about the rule of law and human rights in Egypt, I said, ‘What is this bullshit? ’’u2009” he told me. “That made me want to write about the reality. ” Denied pens and paper, he scribbled messages on tissues, using pens smuggled into his cell, and managed to smuggle the notes out. After they were published, guards would tear apart his cell, removing bricks from walls to search for hiding places. They confiscated his books, radio and clothes, leaving him with only his thin prison uniform. At one point, they covered the open exercise yard with a tarpaulin, blotting out the sunlight, suspecting that Maher might somehow be smuggling messages through the air. Still he continued devising acts of rebellion. A year into his confinement, Maher grew an extravagant handlebar mustache and a long beard and then braided it. “It bothered them — it seemed like I was making fun,” he said. “The prison officials complained to my father. They said, ‘Please tell him to shave. ’’u2009” After getting out of jail, Maher decided to keep wearing facial hair it helped disguise his identity. Maher’s face is widely recognized in Egypt, and other April 6 Youth Movement leaders have been physically attacked by regime loyalists who blame them for plunging the country into instability and violence. When his wife enrolled their children in private school after Maher was sentenced to prison, she told the administrators that their father was “out of the country on business. ” The school never connected their father’s name to the famous activist, and even now, Maher said, when he picks his children up from their school, the staff has no idea who he is. Maher had to be careful with what he told me the regime might send him back to prison if he criticized Sisi too harshly. “Even if it was something minor, they would jail him,” Reham said. “It would be a catastrophe for us. ” Yet Maher’s reluctance runs against all his instincts. Since his release, he has sensed a deepening anger toward the regime, and he believes that the political climate may be changing. “People tell me that they can see through the lies,” he said, “and that they are supporting us. ” Sisi’s crackdown on the opposition far exceeds the darkest period of repression during the Mubarak era. Human rights groups claim that as many as 60, 000 political prisoners now languish in Egypt’s jails. (At the end of Mubarak’s rule, the figure was between 5, 000 and 10, 000.) Egypt’s prisons are filled to triple their capacity, and the regime has built 16 more prisons to handle the overflow. Once described by Amnesty International as “Generation Protest,” the youths who took to the streets in Egypt to bring down a dictator in 2011 have acquired a grim new nickname: “Generation Jail. ” Many Egyptians have accepted Sisi’s argument that another prolonged round of protests could invite radical Islamists to capitalize on the chaos. “He’s positioned himself as the sole leader who makes decisions because he knows what’s best for the nation, and he’s saving us from the fate of Syria and Libya,” Khaled Dawoud, a prominent Egyptian journalist and the leader of a small opposition party, told me. Egyptians are proud that the first Arab leader to whom President Trump spoke after his electoral victory was Sisi, a sharp contrast to Barack Obama, who had suspended military aid to Egypt for two years after the police massacre of 1, 000 Muslim Brotherhood supporters in August 2013 at Rabaa, a Cairo encampment. Obama never invited the Egyptian president to the White House. “The thinking is, Egypt is returning to its rightful place as a player,” said a veteran political observer in Cairo, who like many officials I spoke to feared retribution for discussing even elements of Sisi’s policies. Sisi’s crackdown has unfolded amid one of the most expansive overhauls of the legal system in Egyptian history. After declaring a state of emergency and disbanding Parliament in 2013, he issued a series of presidential decrees that granted him unprecedented power to silence his critics. A protest law enacted in November 2013 requires three days’ notification before a demonstration can take place and gives the Interior Ministry the right to “cancel, postpone or move” the protest if it determines protesters will “breach . .. the law. ” Broad new counterterrorism laws have expanded the definition of terrorism to include civil disobedience this gives prosecutors latitude to roll over pretrial detention periods, in many cases without limit. And once a case gets to court, a compliant judiciary, long regarded as hostile to the opposition, has been unforgiving in its sentencing. “This is an extraordinarily conservative institution,” one official told me, explaining that judges tend to favor a “maximalist approach” to eliminate threats to the public order and safeguard their own interests. “They are overwhelmingly the children of judges, like gondoliers in Venice. It is a family business. ” According to the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, a watchdog group in Cairo, the minister of justice has fired almost half of the 75 judges who called for more democracy in an open letter to Sisi and replaced them with . Two hundred others have been sidelined with administrative chores or have left the country. One of the most notorious magistrates, Mohammed Nagy Shehata, known as the “executioner judge,” a holdover from the Mubarak era, has handed out hundreds of lengthy prison terms and death sentences to activists. In early 2016, Shehata sentenced three young members of April 6, who were attending a memorial service for a murdered comrade when they were arrested, to life terms for protesting without a license, possessing fireworks and spreading false information. (The sentences were later reduced to 10 years.) In June 2014, another Cairo judge sentenced 25 peaceful demonstrators, some of them teenagers, to 15 years for violating the protest law, blocking roads and attacking public institutions. “Kids are going to jail for four or five years,” Dawoud said, “being portrayed as anarchists and terrorists. No country in the world jails its young people for that long for demonstrating peacefully. ” During the Mubarak era, he said, “I would take part in demonstrations and spend three days in a police station. We got released because we were students, and they were not going to destroy our future. There is no more of that kind of thinking. ” Sameh Samir, a lawyer with the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights, a nongovernmental organization that defends many protesters, told me that his office has been overwhelmed by the caseload. “They are making random arrests, just sweeping people off the streets,” he said. The regime has hampered the ability of human rights groups like Samir’s to defend protesters, freezing their bank accounts and making it increasingly difficult to accept foreign funds, often a lifeline for such organizations. Ten and a Half Kilometers Camp, a collection of concrete bungalows surrounded by a fence just off the highway, typifies the prisons of the Sisi era. Built under Mubarak to house violent Islamists, the camp today serves as a pretrial detention facility for Islamists and a handful of secular political prisoners. A founding member of April 6 named Ayman, who did not want his last name mentioned, landed there in December 2015 after participating in an illegal protest. Thrown into a cell with 35 Islamists, he slept amid a crush of other prisoners on a blanket on the concrete floor. They defecated in a hole surrounded by curtains and were never permitted to leave the cell. “You need to take the word ‘privacy’ out of your dictionary if you are going to survive,” he told me. After two weeks, Ayman was moved into a tiny disciplinary cell with 11 other prisoners to await interrogation. They shared a few thin blankets, drank unpurified water from a rusty pipe and survived on one piece of stale bread and cheese each day. A fluorescent light in the ceiling shone day and night. “We learned how to get it unscrewed by standing on each other’s shoulders,” he said. “We had to use a little acrobatics. ” Twice during his 26 days in the unit, he was shaken awake in the night, blindfolded, taken to an interrogation room and questioned for hours. “They asked me how the hierarchy of April 6 worked, how do we communicate,” he said. “I didn’t give them any names. ” The authorities finally moved him to Al Kanatar Prison, 15 miles from Cairo, where, after 20 days, a judge ordered his release. Ayman said that many of the prisoners he met were from the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist political organization that briefly held power after Mubarak. The group formally renounced violence in the early 1970s, but Ayman watched his cellmates grow hardened in prison. “The torture and unjust imprisonment for long periods without clear charges or trial dates created human bombs,” he said. “Each one of them was just waiting to get out. They are so thirsty for revenge. ” Last April, when he heard that the authorities were again looking for him, Ayman sought refuge in South Africa, where his wife and two young daughters eventually joined him. Egypt’s slide back into authoritarianism wasn’t foreordained. Today the leaders of April 6 admit that they weren’t prepared for the challenges that followed their initial success. Many of them were barely out of their teens Maher, from a politically aware, family in Cairo, had built the group online, connecting on Facebook and embracing techniques that he learned while demonstrating for human rights and judicial independence with a small movement. He was beaten and jailed repeatedly. The group took its name from the date of a strike in Cairo that Maher organized in 2008 in solidarity with textile workers in the Nile Delta. That led to small demonstrations against corruption and police brutality, which were quickly broken up by Mubarak’s security forces. Then, on Jan. 25, 2011, a protest march on Egypt’s National Police Day exploded into a nationwide movement. Late that morning, Maher watched with amazement as crowds filled Tahrir Square and said: “We made a revolution! We made a revolution!” Days after the Feb. 11 resignation of Mubarak, one of the world’s tyrants, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, a transitional military body, sent a bus to pick up Maher and three other protest leaders and took them to a villa owned by officials. Sisi, then the intelligence chief, and two other generals greeted them respectfully, Maher recalled. “Sisi said: ‘You are heroes. You did miracles. You brought down Mubarak. You did something we failed to do for years. But now we need you to stop demonstrating. ’’u2009” Maher and the others rejected Sisi’s request. “We said: ‘The revolution is not complete. We need to change the cabinet, change the structure of the government.’ We kept sending them demands. ” Over the next six months, Maher met with Sisi three times. “We said the same, and he said the same. ‘We need to stop demonstrating stand together against the enemies.’ Sisi always hated the protests. ” After Mubarak’s downfall, Maher traveled to the United States and captivated students in gatherings at New York University, Harvard, M. I. T. and American University, and met with leaders of the community. In Europe, he talked politics and revolution with the first vice president of the European Commission, Catherine Ashton officials from the United Nations Human Rights Council and Green Party and Social Democratic representatives to the European Parliament in Brussels. Western diplomats and politicians underestimated the structural weakness of the secular democrats, the appeal of the Islamists and the entrenched power of the “deep state” — military intelligence and the state security apparatus. Back in Egypt, the April 6 leaders searched for a strategy. “We didn’t have a vision,” admitted Walid Shawky, a dentist and a member of the April 6 Political Committee. “We didn’t have an answer for what comes next. ” Maher struggled to articulate an ideology, vaguely describing the group’s leanings as “social democratic, social liberal” — somewhere between unfettered capitalism and communism. There were debates between those who wanted to transform April 6 into a secular political party that would challenge the Muslim Brotherhood and those, like Maher, who believed that such a transformation was too ambitious. The Brotherhood “outnumbered us 10 to one,” he told me. “I thought that being a pressure group to write a new Constitution would be a better role for us. ” April 6 began an awareness campaign throughout the country. “We used to go out with slide projectors in rural areas, teaching people of all the [human rights] violations made by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces,” recalls Mamdouh Gamal, one of tens of thousands of youths who joined the movement in the immediate aftermath of the revolution. He has since left it. While April 6 members continued their activism, the Islamists cemented their political advantage. The Muslim Brotherhood won parliamentary and presidential elections but enraged much of the population when it tried to draft a Constitution based largely on fundamentalist Islamic principles. By the end of 2012, Egypt was in chaos. “There were street fights, people at one another’s throats, a real possibility of civil war,” remembered Dawoud, the journalist. April 6 gave its support to Tamarod, a movement that gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures favoring early elections that, they believed, would remove the Muslim Brotherhood from power. Maher believed that they had the military’s support. Instead, on July 3, 2013, Sisi went on television and announced that he was deposing President Mohammed Morsi and seizing power. He suspended the Constitution, disbanded Parliament, declared a state of emergency, ordered the arrests of Morsi and other Muslim Brotherhood leaders and then in August began the deadly attack on the Brotherhood protest camp at Rabaa. After nearly two years of turmoil, many Egyptians were desperate for stability, and April 6 suddenly found itself lacking any popular support. “At that time, there was not one person in the street who was against Sisi,” recalled Amal Sharaf, the April 6 spokeswoman for the foreign media. After the killings, Sharaf said, “we tried to make protests, and we got beaten. People with hammers and knives were chasing us. There was a lot of ugliness. ” Days after the coup, the interim president, Adly Mansour, a former Constitutional Court chief justice who was appointed by Sisi as a figurehead civilian leader, summoned Maher to the presidential palace. “He was asked to go on trips to Western countries and say, ‘This was not a coup, but something the people had asked for,’’u2009” said Ayman, the April 6 founding member. “Maher and the whole leadership of the movement refused to do it. We said, ‘This is a military coup — people asked for an early election. ’’u2009” (Maher won’t comment on the incident.) The movement’s leaders publicly denounced the Rabaa killings as a “massacre,” further antagonizing Sisi and sealing the group’s fate. Maher was arrested on Nov. 30 and sent to Tora Prison. In 2014, as Maher and other April 6 leaders languished in jail, Egypt’s Court for Urgent Matters, one of Sisi’s favored tools for stifling dissent, banned the group’s activities, accusing it of espionage and defaming the state. Last winter, Amr Ali, who succeeded Maher as the April 6 general coordinator, received a sentence for conspiring to overthrow the government and joining an illegal organization, another crippling blow to the movement. “The case against us is not finished,” said Mohammed Samy, the acting coordinator of the outlawed movement. “They don’t need to capture that many people now, so they put this case in the drawer, and when they want to recapture us, they will open it again. ” The government remains resolute. “April 6 was not at all a peaceful organization,” said a top Egyptian official, who was not authorized to speak publicly. “It was an anarchist movement that used violence against the security forces and incited violence. They said, ‘We have to topple the government. ’’u2009” When I pressed him for an example of such violence, he cited, without offering proof, an April 6 member who, during the revolution, “seized a gun from a police officer and threw it in the Nile. ” One November afternoon in Cairo, I rode in a taxi along the bank of the Nile, passing the former site of Mubarak’s riverside National Democratic Party headquarters, now an empty lot. Set on fire and gutted by mobs of angry protesters in February 2011, the abandoned hulk was finally torn down more than a year ago, ridding the regime of a potent symbol of revolt. “We woke up one morning, and it was gone,” my translator told me. We soon found ourselves in Tahrir Square. Though protests still take place there from time to time — students assembled there last June to denounce corruption in Egypt’s abysmal education system — the police quickly break them up with tear gas. While the stability imposed by Sisi has gained him wide support, he has staked his presidency on an economic turnaround that has not materialized. Tourism has collapsed, and the regime spent over $8 billion on a huge expansion of the Suez Canal, a money pit that depleted supplies and set off shortages of sugar, medicine and rice. Sisi alienated poor Egyptians by raising the price of gasoline and instituting a tax to obtain a $12 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund. Two days before my arrival last November, the regime devalued the Egyptian pound by 48 percent to combat a black market that has siphoned almost all hard currency from the legal economy. Many economists applauded the move, but the punitive effects were being felt by everyone from drivers to an administrator at an international high school in Cairo. The school was suddenly facing a doubling of its expenses, because its expatriate teachers were paid in euros. “We may not last until the end of the year,” he told me. I met the school administrator at an evening soiree, attended mostly by gay Egyptians, including my translator, and hosted by a European diplomat at his elegant apartment in a building a few blocks from the Nile. The atmosphere was festive but rife with anxiety: In a sweeping crackdown, the police have been shutting gay bars and nightclubs, entrapping gay people using online dating sites, even raiding private homes in the name of debauchery and prostitution laws. The persecution has gone far beyond the Mubarak regime’s sporadic attacks on the gay community. Over crème brûlée and Egyptian red wine, I chatted with a towering bearded man who had spent four years as a closeted member of a Salafist sect in Alexandria. “I hated myself, and I thought being a Salafist would cure me of being gay,” he told me. He had fallen in love with another fundamentalist, a Syrian who jilted him and joined the refugee flood to Europe. The man had returned to the gay scene in Alexandria and Cairo — but the oppressive atmosphere has made it nearly impossible for him to mix socially with other gay men. “We have never seen anything like this in Egypt,” he told me. “People are terrified. ” (A few days after I left Egypt, my translator would seek, and eventually gain, humanitarian asylum in Germany, claiming that the crackdown on gay Egyptians had endangered him.) Around midnight, the host cleared furniture from the salon, and the crowd gathered around the perimeter of the room to watch the evening’s entertainment. A lithe, man danced erotically around another man swathed in a black burqa, prying apart the second man’s legs and removing a beach ball, a teddy bear and other objects and tossing them around the salon. The lewdly choreographed show, taking place out of sight of Sisi’s ubiquitous security forces, seemed an act of defiance. Yet I was asked repeatedly not to identify the location of the party or anything else that might compromise those in attendance. The country’s security forces have displayed their unbridled power in other startling ways. Last year, Ziad Hassan Qenawy, a from the Cairo exurb of Al Shorouk, was detained at Cairo Airport with his father and hauled into court to face sentencing for six guilty verdicts handed down in absentia, ranging from theft to “resisting the authorities. ” Each was punishable by a year in prison. The boy’s lawyer, Mahmoud Al Shinawy, calls the case a revenge plot against the father, an affluent businessman who had refused to submit to a police shakedown. In the courtroom, Shinawy told me: “I had to lift Ziad up so the judge could see him. When the judge saw me carrying the boy, he asked me, ‘Why are you bringing your son to the court?’ I said: ‘This is not my son. This is the defendant. ’’u2009” Ziad was given suspended sentences, “but he now has a criminal record,” Shinawy said. “It will last for his entire life, and he will lose many rights. ” Egypt’s byzantine justice system seemed to be assiduous in sweeping up toddlers. Last February, a military court found Ahmed Mansour Qorani Sharara and 115 others guilty of killing three people and damaging private and public property during a Brotherhood demonstration. Ahmed was sentenced to life in prison, but the verdict was later thrown out of court. The police insist that it was a case of mistaken identity and that the real culprit, a teenager, is still being sought. One November evening, I met my translator at El Horreya cafe, an beer hall that served as a refuge for protesters fleeing the crush of humanity and occasional clouds of tear gas in Tahrir Square. Today it is a popular hangout for journalists, leftists and members of Cairo’s beleaguered L. G. B. T. community. Together we headed for a meeting with an original member of the April 6 movement who has also been caught up in the purgatory of Sisi’s courts and prisons. He had spent five months in jail for organizing the April 2016 protest against Sisi’s transfer of two uninhabited islands, Tiran and Sanafir, in the Gulf of Aqaba, to Saudi Arabia, apparently in a quid pro quo for desperately needed hard currency, gas and oil. (Egypt’s State Council, in a rare display of independence, later ruled the transfer illegal.) The activist had been given a provisional release weeks earlier and had broken a few appointments with me already, but this evening, he promised to make an appearance. My translator and I walked through the downtown streets, past stray dogs and cats feasting on piles of garbage in alleys, past derelict buildings that looked dangerously close to collapse. After 15 minutes, we arrived at the Eish and Malh bistro, a joint. The April 6 organizer, a skinny with square glasses, a white Tour de France shirt, a thin beard and a mop of curly black hair, was smoking furiously at a round table in the center of the large room. He insisted on being quoted anonymously, only to change his mind, saying, “I don’t want anyone who reads this to feel it’s a fabrication,” before anxiously changing his mind again. He recounted how plainclothes security men had jumped out of five cars at the April demonstration, punched and him, then pushed him inside one of the vehicles and blindfolded him on the way to the security headquarters. He spent the next five months in pretrial detention, before a judge ordered his strictly supervised release. Every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday afternoon, in a ritual that mimics Maher’s, he walks or takes a from his home to the local police station and sits on a bench for two hours, a humiliating routine that “has made it impossible for me to have a normal life,” he told me, lighting another cigarette. Around us, young Egyptians smoked, ate pizza and worked on their MacBooks, having settled back into their quotidian lives six years after Egypt’s aborted revolution and three years after Sisi’s military coup. At the end of five months, the organizer must appear again before a judge — who could renew his probation or send him back to jail. He checked his watch and told me he could talk for only 10 minutes more. He was worried that he would be picked up again if he stayed any longer. “I know that I am always being observed, and it drives you to an obsession,” he said. “I have thought about going abroad, but I need to be more psychologically stable first. I need to have the safe feeling, so that I can organize my life again. ” (His anxieties about being rearrested proved well founded. In February, the police detained him without explanation for six hours when he arrived late for that day’s scheduled detention, he was sent back to prison for 18 days.) As he stood up to leave the pizza parlor, I asked him if the campaign for democracy had accomplished anything. “I don’t believe it was a waste,” he told me after a pause. “It created a feeling, a space, even if we don’t have that now. Even if the people are afraid again, that experience was so important. In spite of everything, I believe it was worth it. ” In February, I returned to Cairo to meet Maher, who was released from prison on Jan. 5. As the April 6 leader prepared to report for his own far stricter surveillance, I asked him whether this routine, a constant reminder of the unyielding power of the state, demoralized him. Maher shrugged. He had recently finished reading Samuel Huntington’s 1991 book, “The Third Wave: Democratization in the Late 20th Century,” and he believed that history would prove his efforts worthwhile. “Huntington wrote that waves of revolution are greater than waves of counterrevolution,” Maher said. “So it’s three steps forward, two steps back. ” A friend picked up Maher at his home, and I followed them in my car to the station. The sun was sinking low over the desert as I drove down the wide street leading from Maher’s home, past shabby apartment blocks with laundry drying on every balcony and stunted palm trees lining the meridian. I parked at the bottom of a hill, across the street from the gated police compound, an Egyptian flag fluttering over the entrance. The wail of a muezzin wafted across the neighborhood four officers stood inside a guard post just before the gate. The driver embraced Maher and then motored away. Maher wore his woolen ski cap and carried a black satchel containing a novel and a dinner that Reham had prepared for him. “It’s a surprise,” he told me, hoisting the bag over his shoulder. “I’ll find out what it is when I get inside. ” Then he crossed the road, walked past the four unsmiling policemen and disappeared into the shadows.

House G.O.P. May Seek to Punish Democrats for Gun Control Sit-In - The New York Times

Emmarie Huetteman and Jennifer Steinhauer

WASHINGTON — Representative Kevin McCarthy, the House majority leader, said Tuesday that Democrats who essentially seized the House floor last month to protest the lack of votes on gun legislation might be punished for breaking House rules. The behavior was not “becoming of the U. S. Congress,” Mr. McCarthy told reporters. He said he had been told that Democrats had mistreated House staff members and had perhaps even damaged congressional furniture during their protest. Mr. McCarthy said that he and the House speaker, Paul D. Ryan, would soon meet with the House to discuss investigative paths and possible ramifications for the Democrats. “This is not the way the House should work,” Mr. McCarthy said. “You first have to know all the facts. Action has to be taken on behavior taken toward professional staff. ” But Mr. McCarthy’s comments seemed more indicative of the gulf between the parties than of any real likelihood of punishment for Democrats. Censure of individuals seems very unlikely, given how many participated, and any attempts to penalize them could backfire, with Democrats wielding any such penalty as a badge of honor for their willingness to take on the majority. Filming and streaming video in the House — which the Democrats did after the regular television feed ended when Republicans gaveled the House into recess — are violations of the chamber’s rules. Other potential violations include standing in the well of the House floor and cutting off debate. An outside group has made a referral to the Office of Congressional Ethics regarding solicitations issued during the . As Democrats considered their next steps on gun legislation, Mr. Ryan was to meet Tuesday evening with Representatives John Lewis of Georgia and John B. Larson of Connecticut, the organizers of the . But the outcome seemed predetermined: Mr. Ryan, who has dismissed the protest as “a political stunt,” suggested in an interview on a Wisconsin radio program earlier Tuesday that he would not bring up Democratic proposals for a vote. Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the minority leader, scheduled a news conference with advocates for Wednesday morning to keep pushing Republicans, who could face significant risks in voting on gun legislation in a contentious election year. Republicans said they intended to hold a vote this week on a measure to prevent terrorists from obtaining guns. Under the bill, the government could block the sale or transfer of a gun if it demonstrated to a judge within a few days that an individual may have links to terrorism. Similar legislation recently failed in the Senate after Democrats panned it as toothless. “The lengths the House Republican leadership will go to follow the N. R. A. ’s marching orders know no bounds,” said Drew Hammill, Ms. Pelosi’s spokesman. House Democrats made it clear that they would not stand down and were keeping their options open as they returned from the Fourth of July recess. Last week, more than 60 Democrats participated in rallies, news conferences and other events around the country on a declared “national day of action,” trying to energize supporters and keep up pressure on Republican leaders. Speaking from the House floor before their meeting, Mr. Larson called on Mr. Ryan to hold votes on measures that would restrict access to guns for those on the government’s list and expand background checks. Urging him to remember that “he is, indeed, speaker of the entire House,” Mr. Larson said that “we’re prevailing upon the decency of the other side, their understanding of the Constitution, their understanding of the rules of the House. ” Representative Tom McClintock, Republican of California, said Democrats had engaged in “one of the most disgraceful and childish breaches of the institution” by seizing the House floor on June 22. “They certainly have a right to their opinions,” he said. “They have a right to express those opinions on the House floor, and they have a right to use all of the procedures of the House to act on their opinions. What they do not have is the right to prevent those with different views from exercising the same rights, and yet that is precisely what they did. ”

Report: Susan Rice Ordered ’Spreadsheets’ of Trump Campaign Calls - Breitbart

Joel B. Pollak

President Barack Obama’s National Security Advisor, Susan Rice, allegedly ordered surveillance of Donald Trump’s campaign aides during the last election, and maintained spreadsheets of their telephone calls, the Daily Caller reports. [The alleged spreadsheets add a new dimension to reports on Sunday and Monday by blogger Mike Cernovich and Eli Lake of Bloomberg News that Rice had asked for Trump aides’ names to be “unmasked” in intelligence reports. The alleged “unmasking” may have been legal, but may also have been part of an alleged political intelligence operation to disseminate reports on the Trump campaign widely throughout government with the aim of leaking them to the press. At the time that radio host Mark Levin and Breitbart News compiled the evidence of surveillance, dissemination, and leaking — all based on mainstream media reports — the mainstream media dismissed the story as a “conspiracy theory. ” Now, however, Democrats are backing away from that allegation, and from broader allegations of Russian collusion with the Trump campaign, as additional details of the Obama administration’s alleged surveillance continue to emerge. The Daily Caller reports: “What was produced by the intelligence community at the request of Ms. Rice were detailed spreadsheets of intercepted phone calls with unmasked Trump associates in perfectly legal conversations with individuals,” diGenova told The Daily Caller News Foundation Investigative Group Monday. “The overheard conversations involved no illegal activity by anybody of the Trump associates, or anyone they were speaking with,” diGenova said. “In short, the only apparent illegal activity was the unmasking of the people in the calls. ” The surveillance and spreadsheet operation were allegedly “ordered one year before the 2016 presidential election. ” According to a Fox News report on Monday, former White House aide Ben Rhodes was also involved. Rhodes and Rice were both implicated in a disinformation campaign to describe the Benghazi terror attack in Sep. 2012 as a protest against a YouTube video. Rhodes also boasted of creating an “echo chamber” in the media to promote the Iran deal, feeding stories to contrived networks of “experts” who offered the public a steady stream of propaganda. On Monday, Rhodes retweeted a CNN story quoting Rep. Jim Himes ( ) claiming that the alleged unmasking was “nothing unusual. ” To the extent they have reported the surveillance story at all, CNN and other news outlets have focused on Trump’s tweets last month that alleged President Obama had “wiretapped” Trump Tower, describing the claims as unfounded. CNN continued treating story dismissively on Monday, with The Lead host Jake Tapper insisting allegations of Russian interference in the election were more important than what he referred to as the president’s effort to distract from them. Later in the day, host Don Lemon declared he would ignore the surveillance story and urged viewers to do likewise. The potential abuse of surveillance powers for political purposes has long troubled civil libertarians, and could affect the of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Amendments Act later this year. Joel B. Pollak is Senior at Breitbart News. He was named one of the “most influential” people in news media in 2016. His new book, How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

ecclesiatical

Depression is caused by vitamins deficiencies but psychiatrists call them chemical imbalances in the brain.I too suffered from depression and was put on meds for a couple of years and the side effects of the medication I took were IBS and gluten and lactose intolerance,which I now have to live with for the rest of my life. Three years ago I did a blood-test and found that my B12 level was 179 and a normal would be up to 600,but still my doctor wasn’t convinced and he told me that I was borderline.So I started taking 1000mg everyday and my depression started to ease instantly. You see, the problem with doctors is that they dont look at the real cause but only at the symptoms,they dont want to stop the cause,cos it will make you stop visiting,beside the fact that above all, the real cause before my B12 deficiency was that I recently had been through a traumatic situation and in order for the body to cope it releases cortisol and adrenaline which in turn eats up all your stored vitamins not just B12,so I also started taking magnesium and zinc as I also later discovered that I was also deficient in. If you go back to your past before your the depression started you realize that there was trigger,say a bereavement of someone very close to you,a repossession of your house,news that a sibling has something terminal,in short, a very traumatic(shock) situation. You said so yourself,you stopped taking and reoccurrence took place,which in turn means,you were doing what the doctor said,masking your problem,treating the symptoms and not the cause

Surprising Progress in Newtown Families’ Suit Against Maker of the AR-15 Rifle - The New York Times

Kristin Hussey and Lisa W. Foderaro

For two years, a group of families in Newtown, Conn. quietly laid the groundwork for a legal case against the maker and sellers of the assault rifle that on Dec. 14, 2012, claimed 26 lives — and shattered their own — in less than five minutes. The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was carried out with an a assault rifle that has surfaced in recent mass shootings, like Aurora, Colo. and San Bernardino, Calif. On the eve of a hearing to determine whether the lawsuit can proceed, a rifle similar to the was used yet again — in an attack early Sunday at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla. ,the deadliest shooting in American history. The legal challenge faces long odds, and a key hearing next week will determine its future. But the lawsuit has already progressed further than many had expected — a Connecticut judge has set a trial date and has ordered the defendants to turn over documents — and no matter the outcome, it represents a muscular campaign against the powerful gun industry. The lawsuit seeks to overcome the broad immunity given to gun makers and sellers under a 2005 federal law, protecting them from liability when guns are used in a crime. But there is a small window for holding companies accountable, including instances of negligent entrustment, in which a gun is carelessly given or sold to a person posing a high risk of misusing it. The 10 Newtown plaintiffs argue that the is a weapon of war — its cousin, the was the rifle of choice in Vietnam — and therefore should never have been marketed to civilians. They say, in effect, that the availability of a weapon capable of inflicting such rapid carnage constitutes such negligence. “The novelty of the approach is that it doesn’t depend upon an argument that the manufacturer knows that a particular shooter is a buyer,” said Heidi Li Feldman, a professor at Georgetown University Law School, who has followed the Newtown litigation. “The novelty is that it substitutes the general public for a particular individual. ” The timing of the attack in Orlando, where 49 people were fatally shot, may invigorate and inflame the legal challenge against the gun industry. advocates and victims’ rights groups have embraced the case as a way to knock down stalwart gun protections, while gun makers and dealers are watching the case intently. Eighteen months after it was filed, the lawsuit — naming the manufacturer, Remington the wholesaler and a local retailer — is still in the early stages. But the case has not yet been tossed out of court. Even some plaintiffs were startled when Judge Barbara N. Bellis of State Superior Court, who has yet to rule on a final effort to quash the case, set a trial date — two years from now — and ordered the defendants to disclose marketing materials and other internal documents. Also central to the case is the way that gun makers and dealers promote assault rifles. Just before a hearing in April, Bill Sherlach, whose wife, Mary, a school psychologist, was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting, said he was eager to see company memos. “We look forward to the discovery process, where we can see what goes on behind the curtain,” Mr. Sherlach said outside the courthouse in Bridgeport. The defendants have been vigorously seeking to have the lawsuit thrown out, and they have one last chance at a hearing on Monday in which both sides will make their cases. The judge has until October to decide whether the case will go to trial. The gun companies had asked Judge Bellis to delay the discovery phase until she ruled on the defendants’ motion to strike the case. The judge denied the defendants’ request, saying that the plaintiffs had waited long enough and that the parties should start exchanging information immediately. The Sandy Hook families’ legal team has requested numerous documents relating to the marketing of the as well as the companies’ desired customer base and use of video games for promotion, among other things. Mark Barden recalled watching his wife, Jacqueline, at the computer in the first weeks after their son, Daniel, died in the 2012 shooting. “She was trying to research how the kid around the corner got his hands on a military rifle designed for combat,” Mr. Barden said, “and carried it into our son’s school to murder him. ” Using an model known as the Bushmaster, Adam Lanza, a disturbed who lived near the Bardens, shot his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School. In less than five minutes, he fired 154 rounds. His mother, Nancy Lanza, whom he also killed, had legally purchased the weapon. The Bardens were stunned, they said, to see how gun companies advertised the weapons online to the general public, using militaristic language and macho phrases like “Get your man card” and “The opposition will bow down. ” The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Joshua D. Koskoff, contends that the ’s overwhelming firepower makes it a poor choice for home defense, hunting and recreation. “But there is one civilian activity in which the reigns supreme: mass shootings,” the lawsuit said. Assailants “have unleashed the rifle’s lethal power into our streets, our malls, our places of worship and our schools. ” On Sunday, Mr. Koskoff said the carnage of the Orlando attack showed how “unreasonably lethal” the is. “It’s no more a gun than a tank is a car,” he said in an interview. The which dates to the 1950s, is one of the most popular weapons in history, with dozens of gun makers issuing their own models. Several million are in American hands, according to expert estimates, despite a ban that expired in 2004. The National Rifle Association calls the “America’s rifle. ” As the ban was ending, Congress began debate on the gun immunity bill. A University of Michigan Law School professor, Sherman J. Clark, wrote a letter to lawmakers arguing against the proposed law. More than 70 law professors signed the letter, which said the bill represented a “substantial and radical departure” from American tort law. “The law provides to firearms makers and distributors a literally unprecedented form of tort immunity not enjoyed or even dreamed of by any other industry,” the letter said. In late 2005, the House of Representatives voted to approve the immunity law, officially called the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, and six days later, President George W. Bush signed it into law. Remington, the company based in North Carolina that made the Bushmaster gun used by Mr. Lanza, sold one million firearms last year, according to company filings. But while sales of handguns rose, the Bushmaster rifles languished. Typically, mass shootings and terrorist acts bolster sales of assault rifles. In its most recent financial filing, Remington wrote that “after the tragic events” in Paris and San Bernardino, the company noticed “a strong but disciplined demand” for a version of its Bushmaster rifles. Dr. Garen Wintemute, a public health researcher at the University of California, Davis, said sales of all types of guns rose after mass shootings. As for why purchases of assault rifles increase, he said: “Our informed guesswork is that it’s strategic buying — buy it now because you won’t be able to later. One unanswered question is when there is such a spike, how much of that is new purchasers and how much is people buying additional firearms. ” In a motion filed on Friday to strike the Newtown lawsuit, Remington called the plaintiffs’ arguments a “strained effort to evade the immunity provided to firearm manufacturers” under the 2005 federal law. The brief argues that the “negligent entrustment” exception applies to gun sellers and dealers, not a gun maker like Remington. Of course, if Judge Bellis does allow the case to proceed, the eventual outcome is uncertain. “Trial court judges do not really go for theories or highly novel adaptations of established theories,” said Professor Feldman of Georgetown. “It goes against their experience and the nature of their job. ”

Alleged ‘Hidden’ NBC News Site Prepares To Announce Hillary Clinton Victory Before Election

Starkman

It’s the sort of story that only feeds existing suspicions that the upcoming presidential election is being rigged to install Hillary Clinton in the White House regardless of the true vote count. Via TruthAndAction It strikes directly at the heart of the integrity of our election process and has the potential to cast doubt on the legitimacy of candidates who are declared the winners. The story in question appeared on the Infowars website, and while some of the details cannot be confirmed, it’s worth a look . Elections in the United States do not have a perfect record of being free from attempts to manipulate the results through fraud. As reprehensible as that may be, it’s not entirely unexpected considering what’s at stake. Aggressive efforts to insure the integrity of our elections and the prosecution of those who would corrupt them are essential to giving the winning candidates the legitimacy they deserve. All of this has the potential to go out the window this year as accusations of voter fraud through the manipulation of the counting of the ballots are already rampant. A recent story appearing on the Infowars news site claims to show that one TV station is already preparing to announce a Clinton victory. A NBC station was caught posting election results showing a Hillary Clinton victory days before the election, fueling concerns that the mainstream media is conditioning the public to accept a rigged election favoring Hillary. Political activists discovered a hidden web site for WRCB out of Chattanooga, Tenn. showing election results with Hillary Clinton securing 343 electoral votes and 42% of the popular vote. The web site originated from the FTP server of WorldNow, a media software company that provides real-time data – such as election results – and other media assets to local news stations. It’s important to note that although Infowars claims that the site is a “hidden site for WRCB,” we at Truth and Action could not independently verify this . Note that Infowars states that this “hidden web site” is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. A search of the domain name returns Ohio as the location where the domain name was registered, although that is not conclusive either as to the actual location where the site is maintained. Even with these doubts about the authenticity of the web site under discussion, this news will do nothing to instill confidence, but will be one more factor furthering the suspicion and lack of trust surrounding the integrity of this year’s presidential election. In fact, it dovetails nicely with the “fractional” method of counting the votes previously reported. Election fraud expert Bev Harris was the first to uncover this method, which is also known as “vote shaving.” “You need to have votes counted as fractions,” Harris said on The Alex Jones Show Monday. “You need the votes to be counted with decimal places, like you count money.” “If a vote is a dollar, you also need to have cents with it. That will not show. It’s hidden.” Vote shaving works by treating votes as decimals rather than whole numbers, which allows the machines to allocate the remaining fractional percentages elsewhere to sway election outcomes. “There’s this one central computer, which at the end of the day, all the votes come to it,” Harris pointed out. “That’s where you take it. You don’t run around to 5,000 different precincts. You wait until the votes come to you, and then you have your way with them.” All of this is incredibly troubling. One ray of hope is that if there really is a concerted effort to rig the vote for Hillary, that the Trump campaign is vigilant and prepared to take all legal measures to expose any vote fraud and insure that the ballots are counted accurately resulting in a decision that truly does represent the will of the people. Source: Infowars

Tony Blair considering return to politics because that’s what happens in 2016

Monday 21 November 2016 Tony Blair considering return to politics because that’s what happens in 2016 Tony Blair is said to be considering a return to front-line politics because of course he bloody is. The former prime minister has consulted with many leading political figures about how he can help ensure Britain gets the best deal from the Brexit process because apparently, this is what happens in 2016 now. Political expert Simon Williams told us, “Tony Blair returning to politics is about par for the course in 2016. “In any other year such news would have sent shockwaves throughout Westminster and across the nation, but in 2016, it’s greeted with a shrug and people going ‘yeah, that sounds about right’. “This year we have become immune even to the sight of Beelzebub himself rising up before us, so unless he’s going to do something horrific by 2016 standards, it’s going to be a quiet return for Tony. Voter Mike Matthews told us, “Just when you think 2016 is done with you, it kicks you right in the knackers. “Bowie, Prince and Wogan all dead, but this fucker is making a comeback. “Bloody typical.”

Little Is Off Limits as Donald Trump Plans Attacks on Hillary Clinton’s Character - The New York Times

Patrick Healy

Donald J. Trump plans to throw Bill Clinton’s infidelities in Hillary Clinton’s face on live television during the presidential debates this fall, questioning whether she enabled his behavior and sought to discredit the women involved. Mr. Trump will try to hold her accountable for security lapses at the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and for the death of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens there. And he intends to portray Mrs. Clinton as fundamentally corrupt, invoking everything from her cattle futures trades in the late 1970s to the federal investigation into her email practices as secretary of state. Drawing on psychological warfare tactics that Mr. Trump used to defeat “Lyin’ Ted” Cruz, “Little Marco” Rubio and “ ” Jeb Bush in the Republican primaries, the Trump campaign is mapping out character attacks on the Clintons to try to increase their negative poll ratings and bait them into making political mistakes, according to interviews with Mr. Trump and his advisers. Another goal is to win over skeptical Republicans, since nothing unites the party quite like castigating the Clintons. Attacking them could also deflect attention from Mr. Trump’s vulnerabilities, such as his treatment of women, some Trump allies say. For Mrs. Clinton, the coming battle is something of a paradox. She has decades of experience and qualifications, but it may not be merit that wins her the presidency — it may be how she handles the humiliations inflicted by Mr. Trump. She would make history as the first woman to be a nominee, yet she would also be viewed, in part, through the prism of her husband’s flaws. Some political allies and friends, while disgusted with Mr. Trump, see a certain cosmic symmetry at work: After decades of fighting what she once called “the politics of personal destruction,” Mrs. Clinton will reach the White House only if she survives one more crucible of sordid and scandalous accusations. “She is so prepared to be president, but holding her head high and staying dignified during the campaign is probably what will help her the most,” said Melanne Verveer, a longtime friend and former chief of staff to Mrs. Clinton. “Trump is yet another way she will be tested personally — one of her greatest tests yet. ” Mrs. Clinton has often flourished in the wake of boorish behavior: her husband’s affair with Monica Lewinsky, Kenneth W. Starr’s investigation of her husband, the congressional impeachment proceedings. Women rallied to her side during her 2000 Senate race after her Republican opponent, Representative Rick A. Lazio, invaded her personal space during one debate, and they helped her win the 2008 New Hampshire primary shortly after Barack Obama dismissively said she was “likable enough. ” Yet Mr. Trump said he was determined not to fall into those traps. In a telephone interview, he noted that women did not like seeing Mrs. Clinton insulted or bullied by men. He said he wanted to be more strategic, by calling into question Mrs. Clinton’s judgment in her reaction to Mr. Clinton’s affairs — people close to the couple have said she was involved in efforts to discredit the women — and in her response to crises like Benghazi. “Just getting nasty with Hillary won’t work,” Mr. Trump said. “You really have to get people to look hard at her character, and to get women to ask themselves if Hillary is truly sincere and authentic. Because she has been really ugly in trying to destroy Bill’s mistresses, and she is pandering to women so obviously when she is only interested in getting power. ” He acknowledged that Republicans tried to discredit her judgment in the marathon Benghazi hearing in the fall, to little avail. But he said that he would be more pointed and memorable in linking her to the failings and deaths in Libya, and that the debate would have a vastly larger television audience than the hearing. Still, advisers of Mrs. Clinton pointed to her with the Benghazi committee as a sign of her unflappability. “From Rick Lazio to the House Benghazi committee, there’s a long line of Republicans who set out to personally attack Hillary Clinton but ended up inflicting the damage on themselves,” a Clinton campaign spokesman, Brian Fallon, said in a statement. “We know Donald Trump is the most unconventional of them all, but no matter what he throws at her, she will keep running her own campaign and won’t hesitate to call him out. ” Several Clinton advisers said they were not underestimating Mr. Trump’s ability to do some damage, acknowledging that Mrs. Clinton’s unfavorability ratings were high — though not as high as Mr. Trump’s — and that many Americans had concerns about her honesty and trustworthiness, according to polls. But these Clinton advisers expressed confidence that Mr. Trump would overreach and engender sympathy for Mrs. Clinton. Two advisers said that the campaign had done polling to test the possible effectiveness of Mr. Trump’s lines of attacks and, while not disclosing details about the data, that they were convinced that he would not seriously hurt her. Mrs. Clinton, in turn, has begun attacking Mr. Trump over his refusal to release his tax returns, suggesting he has something to hide, and over his temperament and leadership abilities by describing him as a “loose cannon. ” And political allies say that, in time, voters will see through Mr. Trump’s criticisms. “He can’t run on his agenda because he doesn’t have one, and he can’t go after her on substantive policy because she knows so much more than he does,” said Thomas R. Nides, Mrs. Clinton’s former deputy secretary of state for management and resources. Yet Mr. Trump has been steadily underestimated during the presidential campaign. His Republican rivals were certain that voters would tire of his slashing style and his harsh language, and some political strategists were sure his lack of policy details would make him unprepared in the eyes of too many. Even one of Mrs. Clinton’s biggest assets to many Democrats — becoming the first female president and returning Mr. Clinton to a White House role — can be exploited as vulnerabilities. “We’ve never had a woman at the top of the ticket, and there will be plenty of people who’ll have a problem with her gender,” said Christina Greer, a political scientist at Fordham University. And Mr. Trump “can say that Bill Clinton was accused of rape and destroyed a girl’s life,” she added, referring to allegations by Juanita Broaddrick of a sexual assault in the 1970s and to the Lewinsky affair. With polls showing that Mr. Trump has unprecedented high negative ratings with voters and is in particular trouble with women, some Republican strategists say he has no choice but to try to drive up Mrs. Clinton’s unfavorability ratings. A recent poll found that 57 percent of likely Trump supporters said that their votes were more to express opposition to Mrs. Clinton than to support Mr. Trump. “His best way to rally hostile Republican delegates before the convention is to show he’s a great Clinton attack dog,” said Mike Murphy, a Republican strategist who oversaw a “super PAC” supporting Mr. Bush in this year’s Republican race. Mark Penn, the chief strategist for Mrs. Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign, and the Harvard University Center for American Political Studies have conducted polling that indicates that attacks against Mrs. Clinton over her private email server, the deaths in Benghazi and other issues would weaken her in a matchup against Mr. Trump. “The poll shows he could bring her vote down with sharp attacks, but that does not bring his vote up,” Mr. Penn wrote in an email. At a campaign rally for Mrs. Clinton on Wednesday in New Jersey, some supporters said they were concerned about the damage Mr. Trump could do. They described him as a street fighter and worried that Mrs. Clinton would not be gutsy and nimble enough to deliver a knockout punch. “Trump is a real lowbrow brawler,” said Michael Magazzu, an entrepreneur in the energy sector from Vineland, N. J. “That’s not her style. She has to counteract him, and the best way may be to keep her cool. ”

Americans, never let them put voting machines for you, the election will be rigged

Lonely Wolf

Report Copyright Violation Americans, never let them put voting machines for you, the election will be rigged Since 2000, the elections here has voting machines from SmartMatics, and since then, the socialists and leftists always win the presidential election. Sounds like it's just part of the globalist agenda, and the last election was rigged as fuck. The socialist Dilma won again, but her ass was kicked this year, she was impeached after put the nation into a severe economical and political crisis, almost causing a civil war, dividing the country. Hillary will probaly be your Dilma Rousseff.

Voting Against Peace in Colombia

Mel Gurtov

Email Those of us who study how to end wars rather than find new ways to prosecute them must be stunned, like many Colombians, by a popular vote there on October 2 that rejected the peace agreement between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). No one predicted that after over five decades of fighting and more than 200,000 deaths, a peace agreement that took six years to conclude would be rejected. It’s a lesson in how the power of emotion—vengefulness, specifically—and narrow self-interest can overcome good sense. The general perception of observers is that voters who suffered from the civil war wanted to see the FARC rebels punished rather than “rewarded” with the opportunity to reenter civil society and even hold a guaranteed number of seats in the national congress. Most civil wars end in much the same way as Colombia’s—with one side badly hurting and willing to disarm under a cease-fire, provided the government promises assistance so that the rebellious soldiers can reintegrate in civil society. Negotiations to reach such an agreement typically are arduous and often seem to be on the brink of failure. Long-held grievances come to life again and again, and it is a tribute to negotiators that they were able to come to any substantive agreement at all. So it was with high expectations that an agreement was reached, and the decision of Colombia’s president, Juan Manuel Santos, to put it to a popular vote showed his confidence that citizens weary of war would accept it. Five days after the vote, he was rewarded for his efforts with the Nobel Peace Prize. That Colombians did not endorse the agreement evidently owes much to the politicians who campaigned for a “no” vote, including former president Àlvaro Uribe, whose father was killed by the FARC. He argues that the peace agreement is too soft on FARC leaders, allowing them to avoid prison merely by confessing their crimes and promising to make restitution to victims. According to one observer who opposes the peace accord, “Essentially, FARC members would have received the same legal power to prosecute Colombian government officials and vice versa. The rejected deal would also have shielded an unknown number of FARC guerillas from jail for drug trafficking, recruitment of child soldiers, and other crimes.” The many thousands of people whose families were directly impacted by FARC killings and kidnappings obviously agreed. The razor-thin “no” vote (50.2 percent to 49.7 percent) also may be attributed to the bizarre fact that only 38 percent of eligible voters voted . Perhaps this was a Brexit-like situation in which many people stayed away from the polls on the assumption a “yes” vote was fairly certain. But the “no” voters were well entrenched, including not only Uribe’s party but also “the majority of the churches, the ELN [the National Liberation Army, the second-largest guerrilla force], business sectors . . ., and the majority of landowners, who were all against the proposed changes.” The right-wing groups not only considered President Santos’ peace plan soft on FARC; they also objected to his support of gay rights, reforms of land policy, and investment in rural development. It was under Uribe, not coincidentally, that the US became a major participant in Colombia’s civil war. Under “Plan Colombia” the US provided the Colombian military with advanced weapons (such as Blackhawk helicopters) and intelligence (under a top-secret multi-billion dollar CIA program) that escalated the violence and decimated the FARC’s ranks. A FARC leader is quoted as saying that it faced “an international intervention, and it took a toll.” Civilian deaths and the displacement of about seven million people followed, caused in no small part by officially sanctioned right-wing death squads. Some US officials believe that intervention “saved” Colombia from endless civil war by forcing FARC to the bargaining table. That is hardly an argument for peacemaking; the “no” vote was actually a defeat for the US policy of peace through war. Plan Colombia was to a great extent responsible for destroying, either through deaths or displacements, the lives of roughly 15 percent of the total population. Now the US supports a negotiated settlement, but still keeps FARC on the State Department’s Foreign Terrorist Organizations List. The Santos government and FARC have agreed to continue a cease-fire until December 31 . We may hope the parties will be guided by the need for rehabilitation and reconstruction rather than vengeance—for peace rather than retributive justice. As President Santos said , “Making peace is much more difficult than making war because you need to change sentiments of people, people who have suffered, to try to persuade them to forgive.”

California Proposes to Tax Space Travel - Breitbart

Chriss W. Street

The California taxman wants add to taxes on space travel on top of taxing land, buildings, businesses, income, transportation and the air we breathe. [Not satisfied with being the state in the nation, the clever folks at the Franchise Tax Board disclosed their intention to begin taxing the “Apportionment and Allocation of Income of Space Transportation Companies” under a new addition to the state tax collection enforce “Code of Regulations. ” With space is internationally defined as all the infinity that is 62 miles or more above the earth, the 21st century commercial opportunities for the development of space seem to be creating a new lust among California lawmakers to find a whole new source of revenue. The Franchise Tax Board is proposing to tax the movement or attempted movement of people or property — including, without limitation, launch vehicles, satellites, payloads, cargo, refuse, or any other property — to space. In November, California voters passed Proposition 55 to extend the “temporary” 13. 3 percent top state tax rate on earners until 2030, helping the state retain the highest marginal tax rate in the nation. But the state also has the highest collections in the nation for property tax, sales tax, business tax, cap and trade tax and tax on aiplanes during the minutes that they travel in the state’s airspace. California’s local governments have also been clever in tacking on novel new revenue schemes from such items as soda and plastic (or paper) bags. In 1966, the Beatles’ George Harrison wrote lyrics for the song “Taxman,” which appeared as the first track on the Revolver album. It became the theme song for a U. K. rebellion against the British Labour Party, which had set an astronomical top income tax rate and surcharge of 98 percent while Harold Wilson was Prime Minister in 1974. Those high tax rates led to most of the members of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and other top stars of the 1960s British music scene going into a form of tax exile out of the country. Harrison’s most iconic lyrics iconic include: If you drive a car, I’ll tax the street, If you try to sit, I’ll tax your seat. If you get too cold I’ll tax the heat, If you take a walk, I’ll tax your feet. Don’t ask me what I want it forIf you don’t want to pay some more‘Cause I’m the taxman, yeah, I’m the taxman, The current space tax is supposedly designed to only hit companies operating in California that generate at least 50 percent of revenue from space transportation. But the tax, if enacted, will undoubtedly be expanded later, and it would also apply to any company that launches a missile from the Vandenberg Air Force Base Space Launch Complex. Vandenberg launches have big advantages for commercial space missions because they fly southward, allowing payloads to be placed in polar and orbit. That allows full global coverage that is difficult to achieve through launches at Cape Canaveral’s Kennedy Space Center, where missiles must fly eastward to avoid risks to major population centers.

As Anger at O’Reilly Builds, Activists Use Social Media to Prod Advertisers - The New York Times

Michael M. Grynbaum and Sapna Maheshwari

In this age of rage, Madison Avenue is finding itself on red alert. Advertisers are increasingly in the cross hairs of populist activists — aided by the power and reach of social media — who are demanding that brands quickly take sides on divisive social and political issues, posing a new challenge to corporations that usually prefer to stay out of the fray. After a groundswell of online anger over reports that Bill O’Reilly, the Fox News host, had settled with at least five women who accused him of harassment, more than 50 companies pulled their ads from Mr. O’Reilly’s popular prime time program. The exodus followed similar campaigns to pressure brands with ties to President Trump, like L. L. Bean, Uber and advertisers on “The New Celebrity Apprentice. ” “Americans are now demanding that their brands articulate their values and weigh in on political issues, and I think the degree to which they are expecting that is really quite new,” said Kara Alaimo, who teaches public relations at Hofstra University and worked in communications for the United Nations, the Treasury Department in the Obama administration, and the administration of former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “What social media is doing is forcing companies to make these decisions much more rapidly. ” Ad boycotts are not new: provocateurs like Don Imus and Glenn Beck lost their cable news soapboxes in part because an angry public used petitions and campaigns to force companies to drop their sponsorship. But the culture of social media has accelerated the process to such a degree that corporations may find themselves besieged in hours by tens of thousands of online critics. Just this week, Pepsi was excoriated for a commercial that invoked the imagery of populist protest to sell soft drinks. A Twitter post from the Rev. Bernice King, the daughter of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that mocked Pepsi was reposted more than 140, 000 times. Within roughly 24 hours of the release of the ad, Pepsi pulled it and apologized. The rapidity of this cycle has tested even the marketing giants, creating a niche for public relations specialists who say they can help companies navigate these instant social media storms. One firm offers software and training sessions that simulate “a online attack” on a brand — the corporate equivalent of war games. The boycotts may give brief satisfaction to social media activists. But many of the sponsors that turned away from Mr. O’Reilly this week are still advertising on Fox News, which reaches the biggest audience on cable television. Fox says it is working with sponsors to address any concerns about “The O’Reilly Factor. ” And specialists say there will be little to no financial impact on the network in the near future, though that could change over time. Brian Wieser, a media analyst at Pivotal Research, said that for now, Fox News was essentially just shuffling inventory — “not unlike if you run a store and have got to figure out what shelf on which you put different products. ” In the short term, the fallout could eat into revenue for “The O’Reilly Factor” as cheaper commercials replace brands, Mr. Wieser said, while the worry is that advertisers could reassess the annual budgets they spend on Fox News. Even if the effect is more symbolic than financial, there is little question that social media have proved to be potent weapons. Since November, a Twitter account called Sleeping Giants has pressured brands into removing ads that appear on Breitbart News, the conservative news and opinion website with close ties to the Trump administration. The group, which posts screenshots of advertising on Breitbart, says it has influenced hundreds of brands — citing Kellogg, Warby Parker and Allstate — to block ads from appearing on the site. Sleeping Giants, whose proprietors have remained anonymous, extended its mission this week, urging its roughly 81, 000 followers to post images on Twitter of allegations about Mr. O’Reilly to a list of advertisers. The account has then praised companies that decided to pull sponsorship. Vulnerability to that kind of online backlash is the flip side of a coin for major brands, which have spent years pursuing consumer engagement on social media. These days, big companies may try to talk like teenagers, using slang terms like “bae” and “on fleek” on their corporate accounts, or participate in viral trends like “the mannequin challenge,” an online video craze. But social media are also handy conduits for people to register their anger with brands — directly and en masse. “The intensity of this is a lot greater,” said Matthew Hiltzik, a former Democratic consultant who draws on his experience in political campaigns to advise corporate clients. “Companies need to invest time and resources in developing proactive strategies that advance and protect the brand, so that they are best prepared to deal with the unexpected. ” Weber Shandwick, the public relations firm, created a simulation software and training tool called “Firebell” in 2010 to prepare clients for social media maelstroms. Its website describes a new strain of crisis “made up of a string of critical ” which can “gain momentum and mass at . ” Firebell, introduced as one facet of responding to a crisis, is now central to the firm’s crisis management training, a spokesman said. Brands are particularly concerned that they can be unaware of where their messages are showing up until angry consumers come calling. In recent months, news outlets and activists have discovered prominent companies inadvertently financing a wide range of objectionable material online through automated ad placement, including sites that traffic in fake news and racist and videos on YouTube. The pressure represents some whiplash for an industry that had broadly moved away from relying on content as a rough proxy for groups of people, focusing instead on targeting online ads, and to a lesser extent, television ads, by audience size, browsing habits and other user characteristics. Orkin, a company that removed its ads from “The O’Reilly Factor,” does not buy ads on specific shows but instead purchases “broad day parts on networks that reach our target audience,” Martha Craft, a spokeswoman, said. The company added Mr. O’Reilly’s show to a “Do Not Buy” list after learning of the allegations against him, she said. This year, consumers pushed brands to distance themselves from “The New Celebrity Apprentice” because Mr. Trump remained an executive producer of the show. That effort stemmed from #GrabYourWallet, a social media campaign that urges boycotts of companies selling products. “We haven’t seen brands almost treated as individuals in this way before, and expected to espouse political beliefs and uphold them consistently across platforms in everything they do,” Ms. Alaimo said. Many companies are still figuring out how to cope with these situations, she said, adding that it was crucial to respond during “the golden hour of crisis. ” The term refers to the “golden hour” in emergency medicine — the window after a traumatic injury in which treatment is most likely to stave off death or permanent damage. Marc S. Pritchard, the chief brand officer at Procter Gamble, the world’s biggest advertiser, has overseen global marketing for the company since 2008. He said that when he started in the role, one of the first items on his agenda was working with the media team to “renew our standards” for television and radio ads. “There were some issues where some of the content was becoming objectionable to a large portion of our consumers, whether it was too much graphic violence, too much either sex or sexual innuendo,” Mr. Pritchard said in an interview at an industry conference this week. He said that while the media landscape has radically shifted since then, his company maintains the same standards for where its ads should appear. “I was once told, very early back in my marketing career, your brands are judged by the company they keep,” he said.

Daily Mail begins ‘Start Funding Hate’ campaign. More soon.

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Wikileaks Confirming Clinton Was Complicit in the Murder of Ambassador Stevens- The CSS Printed This Allegation Four Years Ago

Dave Hodges

Wikileaks Confirming Clinton Was Complicit in the Murder of Ambassador Stevens- The CSS Printed This Allegation Four Years Ago The late Ambassador Stevens Wikileaks is about to confirm the story that The Common Sense Show told 4 years ago in that Ambassador Stevens was set up to die because his stories of gun-running, child trafficking and drug-running on behalf of the CIA in order to promote regime change in Libya using terrorists funded by these illegal activities, were leaking out and it was only a few months until the election. Subsequently, Ambassador Stevens had to be silenced. And Petraeus had to be put in a place where he was not forced to testify before Congress. At the same time, Clinton was broadcasting Stevens whereabouts and she refused to provide the extra protection Stevens was so desperately requesting. Being that Stevens was working for the CIA, then head of the CIA, David Petraeus, would have known about Chris Stevens activities. To protect Obama’s 2012 election, both Stevens and Petraeus had to be gone. People are asking me how I knew all of this four years ago and I say, “I had a source from inside of ARSOF who wanted the real truth to be told. Somebody who knew this nation could not afford to let Clinton ever become President”. This is an excerpt of what I wrote 4 years ago….. Who had Ambassador Stevens Killed and How the Petraeus Affair Factors In There is the reason for an event and there is the real reason behind the event. Sixty percent of all married men cheat on their spouse. The more money they make and the more power a man possesses, the more opportunity for cheating. I have swamp land for sale, in Florida, for anyone to purchase if they are naive enough to believe that David Petraeus, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), resigned solely based upon having an extramarital affair with the biographer-turned-mistress, Colonel Paula Broadwell. How did the affair compromise Petraeus’ position as CIA director? The FBI has concluded that it did not. The media has suggested that the affair began in 2006. So, the ignorant American public is supposed to believe that David Patraeus was vetted by the FBI, the Secret Service and the rest of the Obama goon squad and they did not discover the affair until AFTER Ambassador’s Steven’s murder? How convenient is that? This doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the CIA’s and the FBI’s vetting practices now does it? Let me be clear again about this outrageous set of facts. The most powerful and presumably thorough intelligence agency was unable to detect Patraeus’ affair during the vetting process? America, this is what you are being asked to believe! It is abundantly clear that the extramarital affair excuse is just one more piece of excrement piled upon a growing mountain of Oba-manure perpetrated by this administration in order to cover up the fact that they had Chris Stevens murdered by the very terrorists that Stevens was running guns to on behalf of the CIA. Does Adultery Get One Fired? Let’s examine this event through the lens of common sense. Adultery is indeed a violation of the Military Code of Justice and senior command officers have indeed lost their careers over their sexual indiscretions. However, David Patraeus is no longer a command officer in the military and would not be subject to these prohibitions. And the adultery prohibition is rarely enforced, even in the military, and when it is, it is used as a matter of political expediency in order to get rid of an undesirable. As for the political “I did not have sex with the woman, Monica Lewinski,” crowd, adultery is not a career killer. And for the head of a federal agency, or for a cabinet member, unless the affair can be shown to compromise national security, it does not end the careers of unholy partakers of the forbidden fruit while serving in high government office. Petraeus decided to quit, though he was breaking no laws by having an affair, officials said. Janet and David A Tale of Two Tails Rumors persist that the way to get promoted in the Department of Homeland Security is to “provide services” to one’s superiors, especially for Homeland Security Director, Janet Napolitano. So if it is permissible for Janet to be serviced in exchange for a promotion , then why should David be any different when it comes to giving an exclusive to your mistresses’ journalistic desire to become his biographer? Yet Janet is on the verge of being promoted to Attorney General, despite her indiscretions and resulting law suit. Conversely, Patraeus is out of a job. But wait, the believability of this cover story gets worse! According to New York Times best-selling author, Aaron Klein, whom I have interviewed on my talk show , Hillary Clinton is a lesbian who surrounded herself with lesbian aides and staffers when she was the First Lady and she continues to do so as the Secretary of State. And as the Mail Online points out, why did it not seem to matter to Hillary that her husband chased anything that wore a skirt? It is because she is a serial lesbian who has had multiple affairs. Who cares? Take Attorney General, Eric Holder, his actions, related to the topic of sex, are the most reprehensible of them all. Brandon Darby , previously an FBI informant, is speaking out on the Department of Justice’s hesitancy to assist victims of human trafficking, in particular they are refusing to help children who have been victims of sex crimes. The obvious question is, who is Holder protecting? This inaction on the part of Eric Holder is far more reprehensible, and represents a greater violation of the public trust than do the actions of Hillary Clinton and Janet Napolitano. When one considers the fast and furious sexual life-styles of the senior cabinet members of the Obama administration, it is impossible to swallow the fact that Patraeus was sacked because of an affair. The Patraeus dismissal based upon an extramarital affair is a cover story, plain and simple. The Rats are Jumping Off the Ship I do not care what people do in their private lives behind closed doors. I do not care if Clinton and Napolitano are lesbians. My feelings hold true for the President, the Director of Homeland Security, the Secretary of State or the director of the CIA. However, when a fake cover story is concocted to cover up the murder of an ambassador, as it was with Chris Stevens, then it is everyone’s business. Many of the rats of the Obama administration are jumping ship in the aftermath of the murder of Ambassador Stevens and this explains why Patraeus was fired as CIA director. Patraeus is gone for the same reason that Hillary Clinton will soon be gone. Clinton is gone for the same reasons that Eric Holder is contemplating leaving. Congressional Hearings Regarding the Death of Stevens Begin Soon If Petraeus was subpoenaed before Congress in his role as CIA director, he could not invoke the Fifth Amendment against self-incrimination. If Hillary Clinton is subpoenaed to testify before Congress, in her role as Secretary of State, she cannot invoke the Fifth Amendment against self-incrimination. And if members of the Obama administration begin to incriminate themselves for their dirty deeds which resulted in Stevens’ death, then they implicate Obama. This is Obama’s potential Watergate moment. If Clinton reveals before Congress that, as the senior official that oversees diplomatic security, that she denied Stevens’ requests for extra security and that she, Holder, Patraeus and Obama watch drone footage for nearly seven hours as Stevens and his party were murdered and that these senior level Cabinet officials blocked AFRICOM Commander, General Hamm , and the Commander of Carrier Task Force 3, Admiral Gayouette from rescuing the Stevens contingent, and then had both men arrested when the tried to disobey orders and rescue Stevens in violation of these executive orders from Obama administration. The gravity of these events are stunning! All of these senior officials, including the President, are implicated as accomplices in Stevens murder. This is criminally negligent homicide. This is first degree murder! And why did Stevens have to be murdered? Stevens was murdered because he was running guns for the CIA to al-Qaeda operatives, first in Libya last year and in Syria this year . (EDITOR’S NOTE: WE KNOW THAT STEVENS WAS ALSO RUNNING KIDS AND DRUGS TO SUPPORT THE CIA IN THEIR EFFORTS TO ARM TERRORISTS IN THE OVERTHROW OF LIBYA.) Dead men tell no tales in this Middle East version of Fast and Furious. This also explains why Patraeus had to be sacked. He was the link between Stevens’ gun running and al-Qaeda since Stevens’ gun running was a CIA operation conducted under the purview of Petraeus. This account is partially confirmed by Council on Foreign Relations member, Dr Steve Pieczenik, as states that Stevens was running guns and missiles into Syria . You remember the missing hand held stinger missiles that went missing in the NATO invasion of Libya last year? Those would be the ones! Can you imagine the public’s further outcry when al-Qaeda operatives begin brining down American commercial airliners with these weapons. Even Biden would not be able to pardon this motley crew! How Will the New World Order Spin This? Only a month before the election, I thought Obama’s reign of terror was over. However, in the month before the election, the economic outcome appeared brighter for the first time in years. The housing market showed signs of rebounding. The stock market appeared stronger and the banks were actually talking about loosening credit. The George Soros voting machines came into play. The military’s vote was compromised. All the stops were pulled out to extend the heinous tyranny of Obama by the global elite. Why? The very simple and obvious reason is that with Benghazi-Gate, the elite can pull Obama’s strings in any direction they want. If Obama gets out of line, the global elite will topple his presidency and the aforementioned Obamanites will go to prison for a very long time. What will the next four years look like in America? Well, under the existing conditions, with Obama’s very freedom riding on the whims of the globalists, the future of America looks bleak as Obama is completely compromised. END OF EXCERPT FROM NOVEMBER OF 2012 Conclusion When Wikileaks releases their information, and it shows that Stevens was running drugs, guns and children to support the overthrow of Libya, Clinton will come into the foreground. She repeatedly turned down Stevens request for additional protection. PEtraeus was sacked for the bogus reason of having an extramarital affair so he did not have to tell Congress what he knew because he could not hide behind the 5th Amendment. If this breaks before the election, Clinton cannot win. She alone set up Stevens by denying protection and transmitting by email Stevens location by email from her private server. We know that Stevens was murdered. What happened to Petreaus? After he was fired from the CIA, he went to work for the NWO in Belgrade where serves as the minister of propaganda. He is the chief censorship official in Belgrade. How do I know this? I was interviewed on the Voice of Belgrade radio this past summer and I was told that they had a hard time getting me by the censors and that is when I learned that Petreaus ran State-owned Belgrade media. Now we find out that 1,000 emails between Clinton and General Petraeus were not turned over in the original FBI investigation. These emails are going to sink the good ship Hillary. Remember, The Common Sense Show had the information about to be leaked by Wikileaks four years ago. If justice is done, Clinton will soon be doing the perp walk for the murder of Chris Stevens.

Ohio Colleges Demand Students Remain Defenseless Despite Campus Carry Law - Breitbart

AWR Hawkins

A January 19 survey of Ohio colleges and universities found most boards and presidents determined to prohibit guns for despite a new law allowing concealed carry permit holders to be armed on campus. [Ohio’s campus carry law was signed by Governor John Kasich (R) on December 19 after lawmakers passed the measure following the November 28 knife and car attack against unarmed Ohio State students. The law removes the state’s ban on campus carry, allowing each college and university system to allow or prohibit campus carry as they see fit. The law takes effect on March 19, 2017. Cleveland. com surveyed “every private and college in Northeast Ohio and every public university statewide” and found the “general consensus” was that students would continue to be disarmed on campus by college and university policies. For example, Kent State University board of trustees chairman Lawrence Pollock said, “The university policy on deadly weapons as approved in September represents the Board’s position on this issue and we have no plans for further action. ” The policy Pollock references bars students from possessing a firearm for “inside any university building, facility, or vehicle, that is owned, operated or leased by the university. ” It also bars them “from possessing, storing, or using a deadly weapon while outside on university grounds, that is owned, operated or leased by the university. ” In other words, the Kent State system will continue to maintain a campus like Virginia Tech University had in place on April 16, 2007, when 32 unarmed innocents were shot to death. Cuyahoga Community College President Alex Johnson used an email to explain that his college system will retain its policy as well: I know this bill has been a topic of discussion across the College, and our faculty has brought various concerns to campus leadership and to me for clarification. I have been in close communication with Board Chair Victor Ruiz and the other trustees about this matter. ’s Board of Trustees has no intention of taking action to permit concealed carry in facilities. In other words, Cuyahoga Community College will continue to maintain a campus like Umpqua Community College had in place on October 1, 2015, when nine unarmed innocents were shot to death. The Ohio University faculty senate is urging the trustee executive committee to keep students disarmed on their campuses too. The faculty senate submitted a resolution to the committee, saying: Whereas the full and free discussion of potentially controversial ideas and knowledge is essential to the academic mission of the University and Whereas the possible presence of concealed weapons in instructional spaces and faculty offices will have a chilling effect on the free exchange of ideas BE IT RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate urges the Ohio University Board of Trustees to take no action that would allow concealed carry on any of our campuses in order to reaffirm our commitment to a weapon free campus. In other words, the Ohio University faculty senate wants to maintain the same kind of policies that were in place at Sandy Hook Elementary on December 14, 2012, when a gunman entered the school and had over nine minutes without armed resistance to carry out his wickedness. He was able to kill 26 innocents during that time period. AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart. com.

Republicans, Who Warned of Dithering on Ebola, Now Hesitate on Zika - The New York Times

Carl Hulse

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers say Washington is dithering while a dangerous epidemic threatens American shores. They suggest darkly that the government is playing down the risk to avoid panic. They warn: Don’t wait for it to arrive at the airports and establish a perilous foothold. Fear of the Zika virus today? No, those were Republicans in 2014 as they hammered the Obama administration in the final weeks of the midterm campaign for failing to react quickly and decisively enough to the possible spread of the Ebola virus, which never really became a domestic threat. The politically heated attacks cooled quickly after the election, but the message was credited with helping Republicans sow unease about the administration as they chalked up big wins in Congress. Now it is the Congress moving slowly on providing money to combat the spread of Zika, alarming some lawmakers who fear that their colleagues do not recognize the potential consequences if the disease begins to spread in the United States. “There is just a lack of urgency about it,” said Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, who added that lawmakers could find themselves facing difficult questions about a congressional Zika response as Election Day looms this fall. “People are going to be asking, ‘Why didn’t you do anything? ’” he said in an interview. “You are going to have to have a pretty good answer, and I am not sure there is going to be one. ” Mr. Rubio has a special interest in the disease, given that the climate and conditions in his state are well known for breeding mosquitoes. He worries that even the smallest of outbreaks could send his state’s economy into a spiral as visitors stay away. “I tell people we are one infection away from serious damage to our tourism industry,” he said. He has not been alone in clamoring for a federal fix. In February, President Obama asked Congress for more than $1. 8 billion in emergency funds to step up prevention efforts and speed a vaccine for the disease, which has been linked to serious birth defects and other health problems. Last week — almost four months later — the Senate voted to begin negotiations to try to resolve differences among the House, Senate and White House approaches. Democrats are demanding a resolution by the Fourth of July recess, but there is no guarantee that the funding legislation can be completed by then. “I just think they’re long overdue,” Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the House Democratic leader, said last week. “An emergency bill could have passed — we’re over 100 days since the request. ” She noted that the public health community “could have been well down the road to what needs to be done in terms of prevention, in terms of research and the other aspects of stopping the epidemic. ” The issue is particularly grating at the White House, which came under siege in October 2014 over what Republicans called a lack of preparedness for Ebola. The administration believes it was unfairly maligned for political purposes by Republicans who saw an opening to make voters anxious close to the election. Mr. Obama said recently that he was having difficulty squaring Republicans’ position on Ebola with their much more casual approach to Zika, “given that I have, at least, pretty vivid memories of how concerned people were about Ebola. ” Republicans say there is no need for a furious rush since the administration agreed in April to redirect nearly $590 million, most of it previously allocated for Ebola prevention, to the effort against Zika, easing the pressure to act quickly. Some Democrats now think that move, perhaps wise from a policy and prevention standpoint, may have been a strategic mistake because it let Republicans off the hook. “I think we are fine,” said Senator Jeff Flake, Republican of Arizona, predicting that Republicans had done what they needed to avoid a political backlash. He said that shifting the money had provided public health experts with the resources they needed and that the necessary funds “will be there in the end. ” Negotiators working on a compromise are expected to move toward the $1. 1 billion approved by the Senate as opposed to $622 million allocated by the House. Mr. Rubio and others favor providing the full amount sought initially by the White House. As of last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had identified nearly 700 Zika infections in the continental United States, though all appeared to have been contracted elsewhere. More than 1, 000 have been counted in Puerto Rico. Public health experts are now preparing for the first case of someone’s being infected by a mosquito in the United States. Mr. Rubio worries that the federal response has fallen too far behind. “I think in some ways we are already too late,” he said. “It takes time to get this implemented. Every day that goes by is wasted. ” As they try to hold on to control of the House and Senate, Republicans should hope that Mr. Rubio is wrong and that the disease does not become a crisis in the United States. If it does, it could be Democratic attacks on Republicans for moving too slowly that go viral.

The Word a Headline Didn’t Need - The New York Times

Liz Spayd

You can buy “Trump That Bitch” buttons and on Amazon to show your disdain for Hillary Clinton. You can hear the word shouted at rallies for Donald J. Trump and spread across Twitter. At one event last month, a boy standing with his mother yelled out, “Take the bitch down. ” Now, you can see the word applied to Clinton in a headline on the Opinion pages of The New York Times: “The Bitch America Needs. ” Those words appeared over the weekend above a piece that tried to reclaim that particular bit of obscenity from those trying to degrade women with it. “For more than 20 years in American politics, Mrs. Clinton has embodied what we might call Classic Bitch,” wrote Andi Zeisler, founder of a feminist organization, appropriately named Bitch Media. “She’s perceived as an interloper who challenges or threatens masculinity, entitlement and a worldview she’s the scandal magnet who can seem as heartless and venal as any ’ member. Worst of all, she’s the woman who accepts that she will be disliked and carries on anyway. ” Zeisler wrote a provocative piece, with plenty of good political history on the word, including its use against Clinton back in 2007, when someone at a public forum asked Senator John McCain, “How do we beat the bitch?” McCain responded, “Excellent question. ” Zeisler’s piece was an interesting read, strongly and . But several readers took issue both with the headline and the editors’ decision to use it. This one from Paula DiPerna of New York City was typical: “I know the piece is mere opinion, but it nevertheless represents a new low in titillation journalism, as if written by a gleeful child who just got permission to use curse words. It is a disservice to the idea of public good in that, disguised as feminism, it actually delivers nothing but tweet fodder to forces. ” I sought out the Opinion editor Rachel Dry to ask her how the essay came about as well as the concerns highlighted in DiPerna’s letter, some of which I share. Dry says she commissioned the piece because she wanted someone to wrestle with how this particular profanity is being used against Clinton. “Certainly the word focuses one’s attention,” Dry said to my questions about its use in the headline and so frequently in the story. “But that’s what the essay is about. ” I did find the essay readable and smart, and given that the pages are intended to throw out the welcome mat to all views, it’s hard to argue that this wasn’t a worthy offering. But I too was jolted by the headline. Have we really reached the point that it’s O. K. for The Times to refer to Clinton in bold type as “The Bitch America Needs”? Dry said she was unaware of a previous time when the word was used in a headline. What bothered me about the headline was that it seemed to come from the voice of The Times, at least when you come on it cold, as all readers do. It’s one thing for an author, under her own byline and in the context of her ideas, to write the type of opinion piece Zeisler did. But the word bitch — particularly when it’s lobbed at you across a room or on the street or in social media — is surely intended as crude and demeaning. I suspect that’s the same way Trump supporters use it. And it seems to be the way the Clinton campaign takes it, as it has made clear in the past. Dry says that when opinion editors write the headlines, they are distilling the author’s perspective, not the view or the voice of The Times. That may be, but referring to the first female presidential nominee as the right bitch for the job brings an air of legitimacy to the word that seems beyond where we are at this moment in history. The mainstream may someday apply this term to women who stand up for themselves and bust through feminine stereotypes. Until then, it remains an insult, degrading and misogynistic.

BREAKING: Riot Police Set Up To Raid & Evict Standing Rock Protesters

Quest

We Are Change Police and activists protesting the Dakota Access oil pipeline are in a tense standoff over the activists’ occupation of and reportedly belonging to the pipeline developer. So far more then 260 people have been arrested since the larger demonstrations began in August. More than 125 of the water protectors were arrested over the weekend during multiple nonviolent direct actions aimed at halting construction of the 1,100-mile pipeline which is slated to run through four states. Armored riot police attacked a march on Saturday with tear gas and arrested 83 people on charges ranging from assault on a peace officer to rioting and criminal trespass. Police also shot down two camera drones operated by Native American journalists. Activists report that harassment, strip searches and beatings at the hands of North Dakota police are becoming commonplace, but the assembled tribes remain determined to block the pipeline, which they say threatens both sacred lands and the water supply for millions of people. Our friend Derrick Broze for MintPress news reporting from the Standing Rock Reservation just tweeted out that Camps are being removed. Tasers out, pepper spray, guns, riot gear, batons, LRAD. Then after that he him self had been tazed in the conflict. Atsa E’sha Hoferer was live on the scene before the feed was lost. https://www.facebook.com/esha.hoferer/videos/259403611123137/ https://youtu.be/-uxmV_tRuRs This is Breaking News We will bring you more information and update this article as it comes in. The post BREAKING: Riot Police Set Up To Raid & Evict Standing Rock Protesters appeared first on We Are Change .

MILO to UC Berkeley: ’I’ll Be back’ - Breitbart

Ben Kew

Despite the cancellation of his talk on Wednesday as a result of “ ” rioters, Breitbart’s MILO has promised he will return to deliver his talk at UC Berkeley at some point in the coming months. [In a Facebook post, MILO said that he is “planning to return to Berkeley to give the speech I was prevented from delivering. Hopefully within the next few months. I’ll keep you posted. ” The event, which was scheduled to be the finale of his ‘Dangerous Faggot Tour,’ was cancelled after rioters smashed ATMs and bank windows, looted a Starbucks, beat Trump supporters, pepper sprayed innocent individuals, set fires in the street, and as well as spraying words “Kill Trump” on storefronts. President Donald Trump condemned the riots, threatening to take away the university’s federal funding if the university “does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view. ” If U. C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view — NO FEDERAL FUNDS? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2017, Since news of the riots broke out, sales of Breitbart Senior Editor MILO’s upcoming book Dangerous increased by a staggering 12, 740% propelling it to the top of the Amazon best seller list once again. DANGEROUS is available to now via Amazon, in hardcover and Kindle editions. And yes, MILO is reading the audiobook version himself! You can follow Ben Kew on Facebook, on Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart. com

Cartel Massacres, Rampant Corruption Taint Mexican Border State Elections

Ildefonso Ortiz and Brandon Darby

PIEDRAS NEGRAS, Coahuila — As the border state of Coahuila prepares for its upcoming gubernatorial election, the main issue that resonates with voters is how Los Zetas were able to murder and incinerate hundreds of victims while the government turned a blind eye. [In early June, the state of Coahuila will have its general elections to select the next governor, mayors, senators, and congressmen. As Breitbart Texas has been reporting, the process is closely linked to Mexican drug cartels. One of the candidates for the border city of Piedras Negras has a long list of relatives who are members of Los Zetas including one regional commander. Breitbart Texas has spoken with several residents of this border city who expressed their various viewpoints as to the ongoing situation in Coahuila, a state with a long history of being home to Mexican drug cartels and corrupt government officials. One of the key issues that residents kept bringing up is how state officials turned a blind eye to the various cartel massacres that took place in the state. As Breitbart Texas reported, from early 2011 to 2013, Los Zetas kidnapped, murdered and incinerated more than 300 victims from the rural communities in and around Allende. Half of those were incinerated inside the state prison in Piedras Negras. Residents in Coahuila continue to ask themselves how Los Zetas were able to operate with complete impunity to carry out the mass executions, set fire to and destroy dozens of homes, and avoid facing any consequences. To date, government officials do not know how many people throughout the state have actually been kidnapped and murdered by cartel gunmen due to a systemic effort throughout Mexico where government officials try to downplay cartel violence. At the time of the massacre and in the months after, the Coahuila Attorney General’s Office in the Piedras Negras and Allende region was run by Santos Vasquez Estrada and Patricia Rivera Barrera. Politically connected sources in Saltillo have revealed exclusively to Breitbart Texas that Rivera Barrera, who ignored the Allende massacre, continues to collect a director’s salary but has since been demoted to working at a PGJE archive where she handles documents tied to cases that have already been closed. Santos Estrada has since left the PGJE and is now a criminal defense lawyer. According to Zocalo, the former prosecutor who turned a blind eye to the actions of Los Zetas became the defense attorney for Juan Manuel “Padre Meño” Riojas, a priest who has been criminally accused of having violated a seminary student. New information provided to Breitbart Texas revealed that the priest is now considered a fugitive after he went into hiding and is believed to have fled the region. As Breitbart Texas reported, witness testimony from U. S. court cases and documents revealed that Los Zetas had free reign over Coahuila for many years where politicians sold control of the state in exchange for bribes. Some of the revelations point to Los Zetas having close ties to former governor Humberto Moreira, the brother of current governor Ruben Moreira. Both Moreira brothers were elected governors under Mexico’s Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) a political party that has a long history of being tied to drug cartels, Breitbart Texas reported. In Tamaulipas, two former governors are currently listed as fugitives of the U. S. Department of Justice on money laundering charges. One of those Tamaulipas governors is also wanted on drug trafficking and conspiracy charges. Most recently, Humberto Moreira was kicked out of the PRI for running for a plurinominal congressional seat with the Partido Joven (Young Party). As Breitbart Texas reported, internal discussion within the PRI pointed to the party trying to distance themselves from Moreira in case the U. S. unveils a criminal case against him as they have done with the two former Tamaulipas governors. Most recently, Mexico’s Reforma reported on leaked documents that revealed Moreira and his relatives managed to stash away approximately $60 million in bank accounts in Monaco and the Cayman Islands. Since the publication of Reforma’s investigation, Moreira has gone on the offensive using a Facebook page and various interviews to call the outlet’s reporting a lie. Ildefonso Ortiz is an journalist with Breitbart Texas. He the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. Brandon Darby is managing director and of Breitbart Texas. He the Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and Stephen K. Bannon. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart. com.

How to Have a Dinner Party: Friends Not Required - The New York Times

Hannah Seligson

Over roast chicken and autumn vegetables, our dinner party was rolling through the requisite topics — concerns about the rise of the far right in Germany, what it really takes to make a marriage work, where to get the best Vietnamese food in New York City — but still, the awkwardness was unshakable. Using the website Feastly, which, like an Airbnb for foodies, connects diners with chefs, my husband, Andrew, and I had paid $32 apiece on a recent evening to dine with six strangers. Two of them — the evening’s chef and her friend — were sitting directly behind us on a couch, forcing me to crane my neck and turn around to include them in the conversation. (To be fair, who in New York City under the age of 50 can comfortably seat eight people for dinner? And in other cities, like San Francisco, Feastly provides chefs access to shared space, something the company will start in New York City next year.) At the table, meanwhile, were a computer programmer and a duo — nice people, but a random combination of personalities suggesting more a cross section of an airplane flight than an artful convocation recalling, say, parties of Elsa Maxwell or other famed hosts of yore. Long a major organizing principle of urban social life, the dinner party has taken a hit in recent years as restaurant culture has thrived, raising the bar for culinary accomplishment intolerably high. At one party I gave, much of my food went untouched, and one guest complained about the lighting. At another, guests left before dessert because the conversation had devolved into a discussion about how difficult it is to get one’s kids into preschool here. Those parties were almost two years ago. Traumatized, I hadn’t invited anyone over for dinner since. But Andrew and I had fallen into a social rut, ordering meal kits for ourselves from Blue Apron and “Borgen,” the television drama about Danish politics. My social life was withering. Living in a coupled cocoon may be comfortable, but all the research says that connection — the IRL kind — is what makes people happy. So I wondered: Could I give dinner parties another try? Was there an app for this? But of course. Turns out, it’s possible to break bread with a new group of people every night of the week, thanks to gatherings booked through phones and computers in a continuing search to find one’s “urban tribe” (to borrow a phrase from the author Ethan Watters). Nick Ozkan, 45, says he’s acquired seven close pals from regularly attending 10 Chairs NYC, a social dining organization run by the chef Patricia Williams. “The friends range in age from their 30s to 70s,” Mr. Ozkan, who works in digital communications, wrote in an email. Ms. Williams told me that some strangers who met at her dinner parties, which cost $80 per head, have even wound up traveling together. Perhaps new friendships may be within reach after all. On the phone from San Francisco, where Feastly is based, the company’s founder, Noah Karesh, 34, said that he views “the dining room table as the original social network. ” And many agree. Feastly has hundreds of thousands of users across cities worldwide. “There’s a growing awareness of the disconnection plaguing millennials when the majority of the social interactions you have a day are through your iPhone,” Mr. Karesh said. “Someone may have 10, 000 followers on social media but is eating dinner alone. People want to have interactions. ” But as with an online blind date, it’s best to approach a group setup with low expectations. After the Feastly dinner, I felt defeated because the other guests didn’t seem like soul mates. But Andrew thought the evening was an unmitigated success. He argued that lifelong friendships weren’t the point. “It’s parachuting in to get a dose of varied social interaction,” he told me exuberantly on the way home. This dip into a new social pool may be easier when united around a common interest, even if that’s trying a new cuisine, as at a Balkan dinner organized by EatWith, a communal dining service, in Harlem. There Andrew and I met a young Frenchwoman studying food cultures at N. Y. U. and an affable tech professional who brought his sister who was visiting from India. The chef, Dina, told us about growing up in the former Yugoslavia and the origin of all the dishes she was serving. It’s hard to have a bad time while gobbling homemade sirnica, fluffy pastries filled with cheese. With such enticements, I got into the groove of dining with strangers. I liked it: the levity and spontaneity of topics that’s not possible when there’s a shared history, good and bad. Also, there is a certain monotony to the soirees of young marrieds that make everyone go two by two, like animals in Noah’s Ark. I liked the odd number — five — at the EatWith dinner, which, I found, liberated me from talking with other wives and the conversational constraints that go with that role. (I’m a married woman, and other women always ask me when I’m having children — something I’m rarely, if ever, asked about by men.) Coming home from that dinner, which cost $63 apiece, I felt a wave of euphoria: freedom from the shackles of couple dates! (Andrew was equally excited about the blanched pear with honey dessert.) But the next morning, my enthusiasm for this newfound social outlet waned. I received an email from EatWith asking me, “Who would you eat with again?” The rating system that’s a staple of transportation services, like Uber, now extends to leisure. Susan Kim, the chief executive of EatWith, which is now in more than 200 cities around the world, told me the site “wanted an innocuous way to establish if people wanted to connect again. ” The dining service, Ms. Kim said, is helping many people fill empty places in their social lives. “We have a lot of recently divorced people using the site, because one often takes all the friends,” she said. I understood why EatWith wanted feedback from guests about others guests. Truth be told, I was happy to see that, despite mooching cabernet from another guest because I forgot to bring wine, someone thought I “made an impression. ” Still, I wasn’t sure I wanted a nice evening out to be followed by having to rate it. “EatWith is kind of like Tinder for couples,” Ms. Kim told me. But therein lay the problem: I had been too for Tinder as a single person! For a change of pace, I decided my next foray into social dining would be one in which someone else provides the funds for me to host people in my home, offering a modicum of social control (though also the responsibility of cleaning up). OneTable is an organization that encourages millennials — of all backgrounds and religions — to host Sabbath dinners. A nonprofit that has hosted over 3, 000 dinners in its current hub cities of New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Denver since last year, it provides what they call “a nourishment credit” of $15 per person for up to 10 people that can be used at vendors like Whole Foods, FreshDirect, Instacart, Etsy or Seamless. For young people, said Aliza Kline, the executive director of OneTable, “It’s a little countercultural to have a meal these days. ” OneTable encourages hosts to create a theme for their dinners, which have been organized to support races or to give socks to the homeless. (There was even a Fashion Week Sabbath.) “Millennials don’t like to gamble with social experiences,” said Ms. Kline, who is in her 40s. “The more they know what to expect, the more people will show up. ” After sifting through OneTable’s inspirational Pinterest boards, I settled on a Mediterranean theme. My dinner was posted, and when it closed for no strangers had registered. (I couldn’t help noticing a Sabbath dinner seemed to fill up quickly.) To ensure Andrew and I wouldn’t be eating alone, I had invited two friends — a couple, Reid and Danielle — and they invited two friends, Aaron and Tamar, neither of whom we knew or knew each other. In other words, not unlike a traditional dinner party. The day before the dinner, I took advantage of one of OneTable’s 56 Sabbath coaches, a mix of Jewish professionals who can offer advice on rituals and hosting. I needed less of a tutorial about the Jewish customs and more about how to impose some structure to the meal and the conversation. After all, my friend Reid pointed out a pitfall to socializing lately: “All we do when we get together is talk about the election and our favorite TV shows. ” Sarah Krinsky, a rabbinical school student at the Jewish Theological Seminary in Manhattan and a OneTable coach, suggested I ask all the guests to talk about a question they’d been wrestling with over the last week or month. “I think that can get at some of the things we don’t usually talk about,” Ms. Krinsky said. I also wanted to steer the conversation, as much as possible, away from the election, which, at that point, was less than a week before. I’d reached my capacity for political conversations for the year, and was convinced after reading the entire internet that week that no one had anything new to say on the topic. (Little did I know.) Before our guests arrived, Andrew, who barely ever takes Advil, asked me if I had a Xanax. The combination of a trip to Moldova the next day and the stakes of Nov. 8 were about to put him over the edge. I briefly considered canceling the dinner. “Who would want to be around such anxious downers?” I thought. I looked at my glaring overhead light and wondered how long it would take someone to lodge a complaint. We would have just been better being miserable alone. But then the guests came. No one asked why I didn’t make salmon, as promised, no one left early or criticized the lighting or talked incessantly about New York City preschool admissions. Instead, we lit the Sabbath candles. We talked about our work, the world, what we were grappling with both personally and professionally. I couldn’t believe how much I was enjoying myself. It was — and I found this shocking because socializing is usually stressful for me — an exhale moment. Andrew forgot about wanting a Xanax. He said being with other people soothed him. I remembered why civilizations form bonds beyond their families and enjoy others’ company. When a group of people connects, with just enough wine, there’s a release. It’s the feeling that you could sit at the table for hours and not want to check your iPhone. It sounds simple, but it felt like nothing short of a miracle. Now I just have to work up the courage to invite them back.

The Onion - America's Finest News Source

The American Voter The American Voter Every four years, against anyone’s better judgment, the American people are entrusted to elect the next president. The Onion lets them tell their stories. The One Percenter MICHELLE CLARK, 22 “I know exactly what I want in our next president, but look, we both know what’s going to happen if this interview ends up online: my Twitter account will be flooded with vulgar, misogynistic comments and brutal attacks on my appearance. I could talk about my thoughts on the economy or immigration, but the more thoughts I share, the more material I’m giving to some Reddit user who will tell me to perform the most perverse act he can think of and then tear into me for having an opinion—any opinion. So what’s the point of saying anything? Let’s just end this interview now.” The Millennial ZIAD AYOUB, 37 “I don’t like those presidential candidates. Not a single one of them. They just don’t value human life like you and I do. I ask myself all the time how anyone could believe all the barbaric things these people believe. They refuse to see any point of view other than their own, and they have no problem going around and blowing up people that aren’t like them. I know they’re out there plotting horrible things right now. I don’t want them anywhere near me. I’ve got a wife and kids—think of what they might do to my family.” The Senior Citizen COURTNEY YOUNG, 36 “I’m a single mom juggling three kids and a full-time job, so I don’t have time to listen to any long policy speeches. I know life’s going to get worse over the next four years, so the candidates need to just cut to the chase and tell me how shitty it’s going to get. Are you going to dick me over on my taxes? Dick me over on my kids’ medical bills? Dick me over on gas prices? I’m voting for whoever has the sack to come right out and say it.” The Immigrant Voter Voices The Onion asks ordinary citizens to share their thoughts, concerns, and staggering ignorance about the 2016 election. 1 What’s the most important quality for the next president to have? Scott Pullman

‘Trump’s election heralds coming of Messiah’ says Deri

Kaitlyn Stegall

November 11, 2016 ‘Trump’s election heralds coming of Messiah’ says Deri Shas chairman and Interior Minister Arye Deri said Thursday that Donald Trump’s election could herald the coming of the Messiah due to the blow he expects the next president will strike against the “non-Orthodox Jewish hold on the US government.” “There is no doubt that one can give thanks to God that all those who have damned the [Jewish] covenant and would wipe out Judaism, thinking they could take control over the Land of Israel here and lead reforms in order to cause destruction received their blow,” Deri said during an address to the local religious council of Ashdod. Email (will not be published) (required) Website Sow a seed to help the Jewish people Follow Endtime Copyright © 2016 All Rights Reserved Endtime Ministries | End of the Age | Irvin Baxter Endtime Ministries, Inc. PO Box 940729 Plano, TX 75094 Toll Free: 1.800.363.8463 DON'T JUST READ THE NEWS... understand it from a biblical perspective. Your Information will never be shared with any third party. Get a 2-year subscription, normally $29, now just $20.15. ONLY 500 deals are still available. Offer available while supplies last or it expires on December 31, 2015. close We are a small non-profit that runs a high-traffic website, a daily TV and radio program, a bi-monthly magazine, the prophecy college in Jerusalem, and more. Although we only have 35 team members, we are able to serve tens of millions of people each month; and have costs like other world-wide organizations. We have very few third-party ads and we don’t receive government funding. We survive on the goodness of God, product sales, and donations from our wonderful partners. Dear Readers, X close We have experienced tremendous growth in our web presence over the last five years. In fact, in 2010 we averaged 228,000 pageviews per month. Last year we averaged just over 2,000,000 pageviews per month. That’s an increase of 777% in five years! However, our servers and software are outdated, which causes downtime on occasion for many of you and additional work hours and finances to maintain for us at Endtime. Updating our servers and software as well as maintaining service for a year will cost us $42,000. If each person reading this gave at least $10, our bill to provide FREE broadcasting and resources to the world via our website would be covered for over a year! Learn more - Click Here ► Dear Readers,

Angst Simmers in Washington as Trump Presidency Nears - The New York Times

Sheryl Gay Stolberg

WASHINGTON — In the Virginia suburb of McLean, where the local diner is a C. I. A. breakfast hangout, Gen. Michael V. Hayden, who ran the agency for George W. Bush, is playing career counselor these days. With Donald J. Trump attacking the intelligence community, the general says his “old tribe’’ is feeling “a special angst. ” In Takoma Park, Md. a “ zone” since 1983, a resistance movement is taking shape. Nadine Bloch, an activist and artist, is running training on nonviolent protest — complete with mock police officers wielding rolled up newspapers as batons. And here in the District of Columbia, where 91 percent of voters cast their ballots for Hillary Clinton, “ panic” is setting in, said John Feehery, a Republican strategist and Trump enthusiast. Leslie Harris, a liberal Democratic lawyer, uses war imagery: “I feel like my city is about to be invaded. ” Washington has always been a chameleon of a city, accustomed to remaking itself when the White House changes hands. But as Mr. Trump’s inaugural draws near, in a nation so deeply divided that it seems the political middle has entirely disappeared, perhaps no place in America feels as unsteady and on edge as the capital, which Mr. Trump calls “the swamp. ” With his 6 a. m. Twitter blasts and style — and a roster of conservative Cabinet picks eager to do an on President Obama’s policies — Mr. Trump has upended the city’s rhythms and jangled its nerves. The White House press corps is fighting to keep its work space in the West Wing. lobbyists worry their clients will turn up in his Twitter feed. Civil servants, many of them working class, say he knows nothing about running a bureaucracy. “We don’t know exactly what to expect from Trump, except that he’s combative,” said Robert Dallek, a presidential biographer, who has lived here for 20 years. And furthermore, Mr. Dallek complained, “It’s offensive to be called a swamp. ” At their core, Washington and its suburbs are company towns, populated by people who live and breathe policy and politics, or work in the sprawling federal bureaucracy. The region is “one of the largest and wealthiest economies in the world,” the Brookings Institution recently reported — one reason much of America, which suffered greatly during the recession, resents those in the capital. But like the rest of America, Washington is also a real place, with real people, who have lived here for decades. The permanent occupants of “the swamp” see presidents come, and see them go. And no matter what their politics, people agree with Mr. Feehery that this transition “feels different” from any in recent memory. Ms. Harris is an archetypical northwest Washingtonian. A policy wonk, she grew up somewhere else, Atlanta, and got a taste of politics as a student. When Jimmy Carter won the presidency, she was in the unusual position of being 26 and knowing a lot of powerful people here. She attended law school at Georgetown, married a doctor and raised a daughter and a son. Now semiretired, she used to run the Center for Democracy and Technology, which advocates internet freedom. She has often worked with Republicans they are her friends. But when Mr. Trump was elected, suddenly America’s divisions hit home. When Mike Pence, the vice rented a house nearby, his neighbors decorated their homes with gay pride rainbow flags. When a white supremacist group hosted a dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant, Maggiano’s, protests erupted outside. Then Comet Ping Pong, a pizzeria where Ms. Harris takes her grandchildren, was targeted by a fake news story involving Mrs. Clinton. Ms. Harris, savvy about the media, organized community support. Soon after, a gunman turned up at the restaurant and fired shots inside. “It was beyond my imagination,” she said. Just over the Maryland line, Takoma Park is a “sanctuary city,” which refuses to prosecute undocumented immigrants. Mr. Trump does not look kindly on that. Days after the election, Ms. Bloch, 55, the organizer, helped pull together Takoma Park Mobilization, a new group aimed at “standing up for our neighbors,” she said. More than 500 people attended the first meeting. They have since divided themselves into committees and subcommittees, with titles like “Immigration” and “Women” and “Civil Rights,” and have been holding weeknight meetings in the firehouse and the airy historical society headquarters, next door to Bikram Yoga and down the street from the food . Next up: sessions aimed at liberal civil servants agonizing about whether to quit their jobs. “It may be better for us for people to stay,” Ms. Bloch said, “and figure out how to resist within the system. ” In northeast Washington, a heavily quadrant of the city, such discussions seemed ludicrous people there don’t plan to protest. They just want to stay out of harm’s way. On a snowy Saturday morning at Perfection Unisex Salon, the stylist Chante Watts, 37, urged some of her clients, who are teachers, to come in for cuts on Inauguration Day. They all intend to stay home. She was running a hot comb through the hair of Chris Vera, who helped explain why. Ms. Vera, 32 and a city employee, has been asked to help with the inaugural she fears violence will erupt that day. “Nobody wants to be within a radius,” she said. “Nobody’s feeling quite safe. ” Yet in the Virginia suburb of Fredericksburg, about an hour’s drive from here and home to many military people and religious conservatives, Tina Whittington, vice president of an group, has noticed a pickup in home building. “I think there is huge anticipation that this transition is going to be good for our community,” she said, though she confessed that even there, in the heart of Trump country, the feeling is “still a little apprehensive, wait and see. ” In transitions past, Washington has filled with talk of Georgetown parties and the first lady’s ball gown, and how the city’s culture might change. When President Carter left, the capital traded a Georgia peanut farmer and nuclear engineer for an actor turned politician from California, Ronald Reagan. Bill Clinton brought a touch of Arkansas. George W. Bush ushered in Texas swagger and cowboy boots, and made McLean, where General Hayden lives, the hot neighborhood for that era’s Republican elite. The Obamas honored Stevie Wonder at the White House, and brought in art and culture. They made the city, where blacks now account for 49 percent of the population — down from 60 percent in 2000, a decline that reflects gentrification — their own. In black neighborhoods, Michelle Obama will be missed, perhaps more than her husband. (They are not going far. They have rented a lavish home in Kalorama, an exclusive section of the city where Mr. Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, will also live.) But with his wife, Melania, and son Barron keeping their primary residence at Trump Tower at least until the school year is out, Mr. Trump may not be spending much time here. That is fine with Mark Salter, a former aide to Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, who is Mr. Trump’s nemesis on Capitol Hill. “The less he’s here the better, as far as I’m concerned,” Mr. Salter said. Movement conservatives, though, are ecstatic. After eight years in the policy wilderness, scholars at the Heritage Foundation, a policy organization, are helping guide the new Trump administration on ideas and personnel. “Folks were pretty happy,” said Wesley Denton, the Heritage spokesman, when Mr. Trump gave them a during his recent news conference. But in Democratic policy circles there is little lightness this time around. Neera Tanden, a former adviser and strong ally of Mrs. Clinton, has little patience for questions about the city’s mood. She now leads the Center for American Progress, a leading progressive think tank, a job that makes her a de facto leader of the Democratic resistance. “He’s going to deport undocumented people,” she wrote in an email. “How Washington responds is low on the totem pole of problems with this administration. ” The unease runs especially deep among those General Hayden calls “Republican internationalists,” who advocate engagement with other nations but possess a hawkish suspicion of Russian and Chinese intentions. Having described Mr. Trump as Russia’s “useful fool” on the opinion page of The Washington Post, the general, 71, would never be offered a job. But with Mr. Trump openly questioning the “high confidence judgment” by the C. I. A. about Russian hacking, he has been entertaining a steady stream of visitors wary of joining the new administration. “I say, ‘Yeah, by all means, if the asks you to serve, consider it seriously,’ ’’ he said. “But don’t think of it as a lifetime commitment you remain a free agent. ’’ If there is a historical parallel to this moment, it may be to President Reagan, said Kenneth M. Duberstein, a former Reagan chief of staff. He recalled how liberal Reagan critics sniffed, “How do you trust this actor with his finger on the nuclear trigger?” conveniently forgetting he had been a governor of California. (Mr. Trump, by contrast, has never held public office.) And if the denizens of the swamp appear to be in some kind of defensive crouch, Mr. Duberstein says, there is perhaps good reason for that: “Donald is saying there’s a new sheriff in town. ”

Prof: Canoes reek of genocide, white privilege

-NO AUTHOR-

Prof: Canoes reek of genocide, white privilege Craft has long been symbol of Canadian identity Published: 14 mins ago (Heat Street) Forget Halloween costumes and yoga, there’s a new symbol of cultural appropriation—the canoe. According to Misao Dean, Professor of English at the University of Victoria, the canoe can be a symbol of colonialism, imperialism and genocide due to history. She also accused the canoers of cultural appropriation because they are primarily white men and have a privileged place in society. In a radio interview for CBC Radio, which wasn’t picked by the Internet until several months later, she claimed “we have a whole set of narratives that make the canoe into a kind of morally untouchable symbol, something that seems natural, that seems ordinary, and seems to promote values that we ascribe to.”

The Mothers

stclair

October 28, 2016 The Mothers by stclair by

With Dogs, It’s What You Say — and How You Say It - The New York Times

James Gorman

Who’s a good dog? Well, that depends on whom you’re asking, of course. But new research suggests that the next time you look at your pup, whether Maltese or mastiff, you might want to choose your words carefully. “Both what we say and how we say it matters to dogs,” said Attila Andics, a research fellow at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest. Dr. Andics, who studies language and behavior in dogs and humans, along with Adam Miklosi and several other colleagues, reported in a paper to be published in this week’s issue of the journal Science that different parts of dogs’ brains respond to the meaning of a word, and to how the word is said, much as human brains do. As with people’s brains, parts of dogs’ left hemisphere react to meaning and parts of the right hemisphere to intonation — the emotional content of a sound. And, perhaps most interesting to dog owners, only a word of praise said in a positive tone really made the reward system of a dog’s brain light up. The experiment itself was something of an achievement. Dr. Andics and his colleagues trained dogs to enter a magnetic resonance imaging machine and lie in a harness while the machine recorded their brain activity. A trainer spoke words in Hungarian — common words of praise used by dog owners like “good boy,” “super” and “well done. ” The trainer also tried neutral words like “however” and “nevertheless. ” Both the praise words and neutral words were offered in positive and neutral tones. The positive words spoken in a positive tone prompted strong activity in the brain’s reward centers. All the other conditions resulted in significantly less action, and all at the same level. In other words, “good boy” said in a neutral tone and “however” said in a positive or neutral tone all got the same response. What does it all mean? For dog owners, Dr. Andics said, the findings mean that the dogs are paying attention to meaning, and that you should, too. That doesn’t mean a dog won’t wag its tail and look happy when you say, “You stinky mess” in a happy voice. But the dog is looking at your body language and your eyes, and perhaps starting to infer that “stinky mess” is a word of praise. In terms of evolution of language, the results suggest that the capacity to process meaning and emotion in different parts of the brain and tie them together is not uniquely human. This ability had already evolved in long before humans began to talk. Brian Hare, an evolutionary anthropologist at Duke University who was not involved in the study, said he thought the experiment was well done and suggested that specialization of right and left hemispheres in processing information began to evolve well before human language. But, he said, it was still possible that dogs had independently evolved a similar brain organization. Dr. Hare, who studies both dogs and primates, and specializes in cognitive neuroscience and evolution, also pointed out that the dogs could leave the experiment at any time. He wrote in an email, “They were volunteers as much as is possible with animals. ” Primates, he said, cannot be trained to undergo MRI scans willingly.

Chelsea Manning to Remain on Active Duty, Receive Free Health Care after Release - Breitbart

Ben Kew

Chelsea Manning, the former U. S. soldier who leaked thousands of classified military documents to WikiLeaks, will receive free health care and remain on active duty after being released from prison. [Manning will be freed on May 19th and remain on active duty as well as continue to receive health care benefits conferred to members of the military and access to commissaries, army spokesperson Dave Foster confirmed. “Pvt. Manning is statutorily entitled to medical care while on excess leave in an active duty status, pending final appellate review,” Foster said. In 2013, Manning was sentenced to 35 years in jail for leaking over 700, 000 classified documents, the biggest leak in U. S. military history. Manning was found guilty of 20 counts, six of them under the Espionage Act, but was acquitted of the most serious charge of “aiding the enemy. ” Much of the content of the leaks, published through Julian Assange of WikiLeaks proved explosive, including a video of an Iraqi airstrike the organization titled “Collateral Murder,” summary executions by U. S. troops of Iraqi civilians, as well as details of corruption within Tunisian leader Ben Ali’s government that potentially led to the Arab Spring. While in prison, Manning went on a hunger strike to demand sex change surgery, which officials eventually granted at the cost of American taxpayers. However, in the final days of his presidency, Barack Obama pardoned Manning and commuted the full sentence, claiming he felt “confident that justice has been served. ” “The notion that the average person who is thinking about disclosing vital classified information would think that it goes unpunished. I don’t think would get that impression from the sentence that Chelsea Manning has served,” Obama said at the time. President Donald Trump sternly criticized the decision, describing Manning as an “ungrateful traitor” who “should never have been released from prison. ” Ungrateful TRAITOR Chelsea Manning, who should never have been released from prison, is now calling President Obama a weak leader. Terrible! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2017, Over the course of his presidency, Obama commuted the sentences of 1, 385 criminals and granted a total of 212 pardons, most of them guilty of crimes. You can follow Ben Kew on Facebook, on Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart. com.

Thomas Pyle: Scraping Paris Deal ‘One of the Single-Most Important Decisions’ Trump Has Made

Dan Riehl

Thomas Pyle, President of the Institute for Energy Research spoke with Breitbart News Daily host Joel Pollak on Friday regarding President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. [There was “a lot in this deal that was bad for America,” said Pyle, adding that his group was very appreciative of Trump’s actions and “This will go down as one of the important decisions President Trump has made. ” Pyle emphasized that the main problem with the agreement, along with being a huge transfer of wealth, mainly to big business and the already wealthy, is that it put the government in control of the development of new energy resources, as opposed to the free market. “The biggest tragedy in all of this is the Obama administration spent billions and billions of our taxpayer money subsidizing, picking sources of energy and making bets of specific sources of energy. There’s a role for the federal government, it ought to be in basic R and D, funding those types of things that could lead to those breakthroughs. And then let the Bill Gates’s of the world, let the investor class, the people who have the resources to place bets on some of these technologies. ” “The biggest tragedy in all of this,” he said, “is the Obama administration spent billions and billions of our taxpayer money subsidizing, picking sources of energy and making bets of specific sources of energy. There’s a role for the federal government, it ought to be in basic R and D, funding those types of things that could lead to those breakthroughs. And then let the Bill Gates’s of the world, let the investor class, the people who have the resources to place bets on some of these technologies. ” Breitbart News Daily airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 weekdays from 6:00 a. m. to 9:00 a. m. Eastern. LISTEN:

Assange Claims ‘Crazed’ Clinton Campaign Tried to Hack WikiLeaks

The Free Thought Project

Home / Be The Change / Government Corruption / Assange Claims ‘Crazed’ Clinton Campaign Tried to Hack WikiLeaks Assange Claims ‘Crazed’ Clinton Campaign Tried to Hack WikiLeaks The Free Thought Project October 28, 2016 Leave a comment (RT) — Julian Assange has claimed the Hillary Clinton campaign has attacked the servers being used by WikiLeaks. Despite the Ecuadorian embassy shutting down his internet until the US election is over, the website will continue publishing, according to Assange. “Everyday that you publish is a day that you have the initiative in the conflict,” Assange said via telephone at a conference in Argentina on Wednesday. The whistleblowing website has been releasing emails from Clinton’s campaign chair, John Podesta, on a daily basis since early October. Assange claimed the release “whipped up a crazed hornet’s nest atmosphere in the Hillary Clinton campaign” leading them to attack WikiLeaks. “ They attacked our servers and attempted hacking attacks and there is an amazing ongoing campaign where state documents were put in the UN and British courts to accuse me of being both a Russian spy and a pedophile,” he added. Ecuador’s decision to shut down his internet was described by Assange as a “strategic position” so that its “policy of non-intervention can’t be misinterpreted by actors in the US and even domestically in Ecuador.” He said he was sympathetic with Ecuador, insisting they face the dilemma of having the US interfere with their elections next year if they appear to interfere with the US elections next month. MORE: #WikiLeaks has activated contingency plans after #Assange 's internet link was intentionally cut off https://t.co/octsMseme1 — RT (@RT_com) October 17, 2016 Assange, who claimed the embassy will be without internet until the election is over to avoid accusations of interference, said he did not agree with Ecuador’s decision but did understand it. WikiLeaks will not be affected by the decision as they do not publish from Ecuador, he said. He did, however, reject the idea that WikiLeaks is interfering with the US election, claiming, “this is not the interference of electoral process, this is the definition of electoral process – for media organizations and, in fact, everyone to publish the truth and their opinion about what is occurring. It cannot be a free and informed election unless people are free to inform.” He also attacked US TV networks, many of whom he accused of being “controlled by Clinton supporters.” We were fastest on #Podestaemails6 , faster than @wikileaks , and the US conspiracy machine can’t handle it https://t.co/njAae50qDd — RT (@RT_com) October 13, 2016 The Podesta emails will make no difference to the election result, according to Assange. “I don’t think there’s any chance of Donald Trump winning the election, even with the amazing material we are publishing, because most of the media organizations are strongly aligned with Hillary Clinton,” he said. Assange said journalists and people who work in the media are predominantly middle class and view Trump as representing “what in their mind is white trash.” Share Social Trending

Alissa Rubin, 2016 Pulitzer Winner, Reports From the Front Lines - The New York Times

Mike McPhate

A foreign correspondent for about 15 years, Alissa Rubin is known for descending deep into some of the world’s scariest conflicts and returning with rare, often poignant glimpses into the plights of soldiers, survivors and victims. On Monday, the Pulitzer Prize board gave Ms. Rubin its international reporting award for her 2015 work in Afghanistan, where it said “she delivered deeply reported, moving articles about the struggle to improve the lives of women. ” Since joining The Los Angeles Times in 1997, Ms. Rubin has spent much of her career covering Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans. After assignments for the newspaper in Iraq and France, she was hired by The New York Times in 2007 as a correspondent in the Baghdad bureau, where she went on to serve as its chief. In 2009, she became chief of The Times’s bureau in Kabul, Afghanistan. The work was sometimes harrowing. In August 2014, Ms. Rubin was in a helicopter that crashed while delivering aid to Yazidi refugees in Iraqi Kurdistan. She suffered severely broken wrists and a fractured skull. Later, as she narrated the experience from a hospital bed in Baghdad, her concerns focused on the refugees and the pilot. Over her career, Ms. Rubin has earned recognition from the industry as a reporter of unique courage and fierce intellect. She has picked up a number of awards, among them the 2015 John Chancellor Award, which honors lifetime achievement in journalism. A Pulitzer was not the only recognition she received on Monday. Earlier in the day, Atlantic Media announced that it was bestowing its 2016 Michael Kelly Award on Ms. Rubin for her series of articles on women in Afghanistan. A news release said she risked her life to capture the struggles of the women “in illuminating and sensitive detail. ” Earlier in her career, Ms. Rubin worked at The Congressional Quarterly, The Wichita Eagle and The American Lawyer magazine. She is a graduate of Brown University and earned a master’s degree in history from Columbia University. Ms. Rubin now serves as The Times’s bureau chief in Paris. Below are some highlights from Ms. Rubin’s work. Dec. 26, 2015, The New York Times • At first, the trial and convictions in the death of Farkhunda Malikzada seemed a victory in the long struggle to give Afghan women their due in court. But a deeper look suggests otherwise. March 2, 2015, The New York Times • Women’s shelters are one of the most provocative legacies of the Western presence in Afghanistan. March 1, 2015, The New York Times • In a clash between Western ideals and Afghan realities, an effort to elevate the status of women by recruiting them to the police force has often backfired. June 27, 2012, The New York Times • A young woman’s accusation of rape and abduction against a local police unit highlights the persistence of tribal custom, the fragility of newly legislated protections for women, and the power of armed men. Aug. 12, 2009, The New York Times Magazine • An encounter in Iraq with a ( ) female suicide bomber. Jan. 25, 2009, The New York Times • Prime Minister Nuri Kamal of Iraq is trying to reassure Iraqis that he will respect local interests. Aug. 26, 2005, The Los Angeles Times • “After hearing about a suicide bombing, my interpreter and I often went to Yarmouk Hospital, which has one of the largest refrigerated morgues in the city. That is where I first met Abu Imad. ”

David Frum: Hillary is a Patriot Who Will Protect the Constitution

Daniel Greenfield

David Frum: Hillary is a Patriot Who Will Protect the Constitution November 3, 2016 Daniel Greenfield If David Frum had suggested that Hillary Clinton used to play for the Patriots, I would have found his argument a little more credible than claiming that she is a patriot. But she is a patriot. She will uphold the sovereignty and independence of the United States. She will defend allies. She will execute the laws with reasonable impartiality. She may bend some rules for her own and her supporters’ advantage. She will not outright defy legality altogether. Above all, she can govern herself; the first indispensable qualification for governing others. This is under an Atlantic piece headlined, "The Conservative Case for Hillary" which also contends, "Why support a candidate who rejects your preferences and offends your opinions? Don’t do it for her—do it for the republic, and the Constitution." The trouble with this line of argument is that Hillary's own agenda includes a rejection of the First and Second Amendment. It's a rather unusual way to support the Constitution by destroying it. Then there's the whole Hillary is a quarterback for the New England Patriots business. Who has ever accused Hillary Clinton of being a patriot? How was this patriotism manifested? In Benghazi? In Iran? In Russia? I'll skip over the "outright defy legality altogether" argument. Though it's certainly sad that this is now considered some sort of high water mark. But can Hillary govern herself? Is the compulsive liar who can't help shouting, "I was in New York on 9/11" really capable of governing herself? "I am voting to defend Americans' profoundest shared commitment: a commitment to norms and rules that today protect my rights under a president I don’t favor, and that will tomorrow do the same service for you". Unless you make a movie about Mohammed.

Jeff Sessions, Snapchat, Palmyra: Your Thursday Evening Briefing - The New York Times

Karen Zraick and Sandra Stevenson

(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the .) Good evening. Here’s the latest. 1. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from any investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, but denied that his newly revealed contacts with a Russian official were related to the presidential campaign. Democratic leaders called on Mr. Sessions to resign. Republicans confronted a widening split in their ranks over how to proceed amid a growing uproar over questions about the Trump team’s ties to Russia, even as they mostly resisted calls for a special prosecutor or select committee. The White House disclosed that Michael Flynn, the national security adviser, and Jared Kushner, the president’s and senior adviser, also met with the Russian ambassador in December. As we reported, the outgoing Obama administration scrambled to preserve intelligence about the campaign’s possible contacts with Russia by spreading it across the government. _____ 2. On Capitol Hill, Ben Carson, the was confirmed as secretary of housing and urban development. And Rick Perry, the former Texas governor, got final approval to lead the Energy Department, a role that puts him in charge of the country’s nuclear arsenal. Another administration official, the new secretary of the interior, Ryan Zinke of Montana, arrived at his new office on horseback. _____ 3. Republican lawmakers in at least 16 states are trying to rein in protests with bills to make them more orderly or to toughen penalties when they go awry. Some of the bills are backed by the president’s supporters, and some appear to be responses to demonstrations against him and his policies. One activist called the proposals “intimidation from the right. ” _____ 4. Shares of Snap Inc. valued at $24 billion in its public offering, jumped 41 percent in the company’s first day of trading. That’s a powerful showing for Snap’s messaging service, Snapchat. Wall Street has been on an upward trajectory since Election Day. Our columnist looks at what the booming markets mean for the global economy. _____ 5. Syrian government forces again drove Islamic State militants out of Palmyra, the ancient city that was prewar Syria’s leading tourist attraction. The Islamic State had used the city as a propaganda windfall, making a sport out of pilfering and vandalizing prized antiquities it considered heretical, and using the Roman theater for public beheadings. _____ 6. A year after the European Union closed its borders to asylum seekers, tens of thousands of refugees languish in camps in Greece, many of them children. Their lives in limbo have taken on an air of permanence. “Everyone here feels depressed,” said a young Afghan. _____ 7. China has at least 10 White Houses, four Arcs de Triomphe, a couple of Great Sphinxes and at least one Eiffel Tower. But a replica of London’s Tower Bridge, celebrated as “even more magnificent” than the original, has set off a debate over whether these buildings — created as publicity stunts and popular as photo backdrops — are actually denigrating Chinese culture. _____ 8. A few prominent artists are working to preserve the house where Nina Simone was born, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. A previous owner had invested in period 1930s details, hoping to make it into a museum for the legendary singer and civil rights icon, who died in 2003 at age 70. But the project languished. “She formed a lot of who I am and my sense of history,” said one of the artists. “And I think of the town as a portal to a woman who influenced so many. ” _____ 9. New Orleans may be known for Mardi Gras, but Mobile, Ala. dates its Carnival celebration to 1703, making it the oldest in the U. S. More than 70 mystic societies celebrated this year, most of which remain segregated by race and class. Join us inside the festivities. _____ 10. Finally, the iconic cherry blossom trees that ring the Tidal Basin of the National Mall have heralded the coming of spring for nearly a century. This year, they are one more sign of climate change. The National Park Service says the blossoms could burst and reach their peak as soon as March 14, a full three weeks earlier than normal and the earliest date on record. The jump has set off a scramble to adjust a festival schedule expected to involve up to 1. 5 million people. _____ Photographs may appear out of order for some readers. Viewing this version of the briefing should help. Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p. m. Eastern. And don’t miss Your Morning Briefing, posted weekdays at 6 a. m. Eastern, and Your Weekend Briefing, posted at 6 a. m. Sundays. Want to look back? Here’s last night’s briefing. What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at briefing@nytimes. com.

Trump Links C.I.A. Reports on Russia to Democrats’ Shame Over Election - The New York Times

Nicholas Fandos

WASHINGTON — Donald J. Trump said in an interview broadcast on Sunday that he did not believe American intelligence assessments that Russia had intervened to help his candidacy, casting blame for the reports on Democrats, who he said were embarrassed about losing to him. “I think it’s ridiculous. I think it’s just another excuse,” Mr. Trump said in the interview, on “Fox News Sunday. ” “I don’t believe it. ” He also indicated that as president, he would not take the daily intelligence briefing that President Obama and his predecessors have received. Mr. Trump, who has received the briefing sparingly as said that it was often repetitive and that he would take it “when I need it. ” He said his vice president, Mike Pence, would receive the daily briefing. “You know, I’m, like, a smart person,” he said. “I don’t have to be told the same thing in the same words every single day for the next eight years. ” He added that he had instructed the officials who give the briefing: “‘If something should change from this point, immediately call me. I’m available on a ’s notice. ’” Mr. Trump’s seeming dismissal of the importance of that daily interaction with intelligence agencies, as well as his claims of politically tainted intelligence reports on Russia, widened a breach between a and the agencies he will have to rely on to carry out priorities like fighting terrorism and deterring cyberattacks. His stance on the issue is also putting him increasingly at odds with senior lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including members of his own party, who say that the evidence of Russian interference is clear and warrants a congressional investigation. The Obama administration reached a consensus months ago that Russia was trying to meddle in the election. After initially believing that Russia’s goal was to undermine American democratic processes, the intelligence agencies concluded a week after the vote that the Russian efforts had been intended, at least in their latter stages, to help Mr. Trump. The said those new reports were politically motivated. “I think the Democrats are putting it out because they suffered one of the greatest defeats in the history of politics in this country,” he said in the interview, recorded on Saturday. During the campaign, he also dismissed suggestions of Russian meddling. Pressed about why he did not believe the intelligence agencies’ conclusions, Mr. Trump said there was disagreement among intelligence agencies about the extent and the origin of the hacking. “They’re fighting among themselves,” he said. “They’re not sure. ” The Washington Post and The New York Times reported on Friday that American intelligence agencies had concluded that Russia took covert action during the campaign to harm the candidacy of Hillary Clinton. The new conclusion, The Times reported, was based in part on evidence found by the C. I. A. that Russian hackers had penetrated the Republican National Committee’s computer system, as well as that of the Democrats and several of Mrs. Clinton’s senior aides, but had leaked only Democratic correspondence. Mr. Trump’s transition office responded to those reports with a statement on Friday night dismissing the intelligence agencies as “the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. ” The office said it was time to “move on” from the election. The Iraq case has been the subject of a debate over whether the intelligence was tainted or whether the Bush White House read it selectively to support its decision to go to war. On the subject of Russian interference, Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona and the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said Sunday that it would be dangerous to dismiss the issue as a matter of partisan politics. He urged Mr. Trump to accept the agencies’ conclusions, and called on his colleagues to move forward with an investigation. “You can’t make this issue partisan it’s too important,” Mr. McCain said on the CBS program “Face the Nation. ” “A fundamental of democracy is a free and fair election. ” Referring to the hacking, Mr. McCain added, “The Russians have been using it as a tool as part of Vladimir Putin’s ambition to regain Russian prominence and dominance in some parts of the world. ” Mr. McCain was among a bipartisan group of four senior lawmakers, including the coming minority leader, Chuck Schumer of New York, who issued a statement Sunday pledging to work to respond to the incursions. The statement adds pressure to Republicans, who control Congress, to investigate the hacking. “Democrats and Republicans must work together, and across the jurisdictional lines of the Congress, to examine these recent incidents thoroughly and devise comprehensive solutions to deter and defend against further cyberattacks,” the statement said. Several senators, including Rand Paul of Kentucky and James Lankford of Oklahoma, both Republicans, expressed support for such an investigation on Sunday. The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, did not comment on the issue over the weekend, but he was expected to address it in a news conference scheduled for Monday morning. Mr. McCain said on “Face the Nation” that he would like to see a select committee formed to look into the C. I. A. ’s conclusions, but that in the meantime, an armed services subcommittee under his control would “go to work on it. ”

CARTEL TERROR: Gunmen Open Fire on Crowd in Mexican Resort Town

Ildefonso Ortiz

A team of cartel gunmen began to fire indiscriminately into a crowd of tourists — killing two and injuring at least six others — in Mexico’s resort town of Acapulco. A young girl shot multiple times by the cartel gunmen died at a local hospital. [The attack took place Saturday night in the La Reyna park in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico’s Proceso reported. During the attack, the gunmen fired into a crowd killing a young man and injuring seven others. Soon after, a young girl shot by the assailants died at a local hospital. According to Proceso, earlier in the day, gunmen torched multiple bars and a home in Ixtapa, another of Guerrero’s famed tourists’ destinations. The raging violence in Guerrero comes after government officials stepped up their military and police in preparation for Easter Week festivities. In Mexico, students do not get a Spring Break however, most schools and businesses closed for the religious holiday of Easter. As Breitbart Texas has been reporting, the once quiet resort town of Acapulco became a hotbed of cartel violence as numerous Mexican cartels continue to fight over control of the Mexican state of Guerrero. The state provides cartels with rural areas for the production of poppy plants, access to Acapulco’s shipping port, a tourist hub with local drug demand, as well as trade routes to Mexico City and other top trafficking destinations. Ildefonso Ortiz is an journalist with Breitbart Texas. He the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.

Bargain-Hunting Frenzy Threatens Traditional Department Stores - The New York Times

Rachel Abrams

Women’s shoe clearance! We’ve got your size! Save 20 percent! Macy’s has discount fever, and signs like these pepper its sprawling flagship store in Manhattan. But while shoppers love a sale, those discounts are coming at a steep price to Macy’s and the country’s other large department stores. “It’s poison,” said Mark Cohen, the director of retail studies at Columbia Business School. “They’ve created no motivation for consumers to respond to their promotions, since if you missed this week’s sale you just need to wait around until next week. ” Or not at all. Shoppers may be addicted to discounts, but not necessarily those at the leading department stores. This week, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Kohl’s and J. C. Penney all reported unexpectedly weak sales, driving their stocks sharply lower. The headwinds facing department stores are coming from several directions, including from online shopping. The companies’ earnings look especially bleak in comparison with the broad retail picture in the United States. On Friday, the government reported that overall retail spending had ticked higher in April. But the results this week reinforced the degree to which companies have failed to adjust to discount retail chains like Ross and the TJX companies, T. J. Maxx and Marshalls, which have spent years developing their niche and are attracting more people. “Consumers like that idea of getting a bargain,” said Neil Saunders, a retail analyst for Conlumino. “That certainly has been unhelpful to the department stores. ” of course, is nothing new. But the hunt itself has changed. The economic collapse of 2008 forced many Americans to cling tighter to their purse strings, and forced many shoppers to more aggressively hunt for options. That spurred many consumers toward retailers like T. J. Maxx, Marshalls and Ross, where many have remained, according to Jharonne Martis, the director of consumer research for Thomson Reuters. “During the recession, they were a favorite among customers,” Ms. Martis said. A decade ago, Mr. Saunders said, there were sharper distinctions between the customers who shopped at Nordstrom and those who picked through the racks at stores. In 2005, 5. 1 percent of shoppers who regularly used retailers also shopped at department stores for clothing, he said. Last year, that figure rose to 12. 9 percent. “People that used and discount channels tended to be a bit more isolated,” Mr. Saunders said. “Now, there’s a lot more customer sharing, and a lot more people who use department stores also use retailers much more freely. ” The difference between the products offered at the different retailers is also getting blurry. Department stores and discount chains have sold increasingly similar products. Macy’s and Nordstrom may have once been associated with brands like Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, but those labels now frequently appear in the aisles as well, Ms. Martis said. That has made department stores less of a destination, she said. Still, department stores are trying to match the demand for discount shopping, slashing prices and combining points in a frenzied attempt to keep up with an increasing variety of rivals. But they have not done enough to stem the tide of losses. “When you have a significant amount of clearance, you dilute your own brand,” Ms. Martis said. “The department stores were built for a different decade. ” Macy’s and J. C. Penney declined to comment for this article. Nordstrom and Kohl’s could not be reached for comment. Ms. Martis and other retail analysts said that department stores had done a poor job of keeping up with younger consumers. Those shoppers are often and generally less inclined to shop at the same stores that their parents once did. The promotions might do a good job of targeting people looking for low prices, but the brands sometimes do not. At Macy’s in Herald Square on Thursday, shoppers combed through entire rooms dedicated to discount shoes. But the assortment, however plentiful, may not have been for everyone. “They probably missed out on that whole sneaker thing,” said Jacqui Booker, 38, who had come to Macy’s to look at appliances. “The fact that they don’t sell a Jordan in here is probably keeping every kid away,” Ms. Booker said, referring to Air Jordan, Nike’s popular athletic shoe. On Friday, J. C. Penney reported a loss of 32 cents a share, and said that sales at stores open more than a year had fallen 0. 4 percent. sales at Macy’s fell 5. 6 percent in the first quarter. Some department stores, like Nordstrom, have been aggressive about opening their own discount chains. But while business improved at Nordstrom’s discount division, Nordstrom Rack, net sales fell 2. 2 percent. Also on Friday, the Commerce Department reported that retail sales rose 1. 3 percent in April, driven in large part by sales of automobiles and gas, along with online shopping. “The retail sales numbers underscore the shift, underscore the challenges department stores are having,” said Richard Jaffe, a managing director and retail analyst with Stifel Nicolaus. Amazon represents one of those main challenges. The online shopping giant has increasingly pulled consumers away from traditional stores, and has shown every indication that it intends to grow. But while Amazon accounts for half of all by some estimates, most shopping in the United States still happens in person. The problems at the larger department stores, Mr. Saunders argued, run deeper. “Amazon plays a big part of this, but it’s not the only part,” Mr. Saunders said. “I think retailers have to take some share of the blame themselves. ” Including, some might say, for their discounts. “I think at this point,” Ms. Booker said, “everyone that knows Macy’s knows that you go on Sale Wednesday. ”

Dallas Gunman Had Plans for Wider Attack, Police Say - The New York Times

Alan Blinder and Timothy Williams

DALLAS — The gunman who killed five police officers in Dallas had enough materials in his home to lead the authorities to believe he was planning a larger attack, the city’s police chief said on Sunday. He provided new details of how, during two hours of negotiations, the gunman sang, laughed and asked how many officers he had killed before he was killed by a robot. David O. Brown, the police chief, said evidence showed that Micah Johnson, 25, an Army Reserve veteran who told the police that he wanted to kill white officers, had been practicing detonations and that the explosive material had the potential “to have devastating effects throughout our city and our North Texas area. ” “We’re convinced this suspect had other plans and thought that what he was doing was righteous,” Chief Brown said on CNN’s “State of the Union. ” Mayor Mike Rawlings of Dallas, in an interview near the shooting site, described Mr. Johnson as having employed tactics designed to cause as much harm to people as possible. “He was really well trained in becoming a killing machine, O. K.?” he said. “Shooting low, fighting at that one point, going high, shooting down another street. This guy trained himself not for that exact location, but he knew how to elicit pain on people. ” The details emerged as the nation was immersed in protests, vigils and calls for peace from many pulpits after a week of unsettling violence that began with the fatal police shootings of Alton Sterling, in Baton Rouge, La. and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minn. The attack on officers on Thursday night in Dallas turned a peaceful demonstration against the earlier shootings into a scene of bloodshed and chaos. President Obama cut short an overseas trip and planned to travel on Tuesday to Dallas, where he, along with former President George W. Bush, will address a memorial service. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Laura Bush will also attend, the White House said. Mr. Obama, speaking in Spain, urged protesters to avoid inflammatory words and actions, but also defended the right to demonstrate, saying that one of the nation’s great virtues is its openness to protest and efforts to speak truth to power. He said Black Lives Matter had grown out of a long protest tradition that dated to the abolitionist movement. In such movements, Mr. Obama said, “there’s always going to be some folks who say things that are stupid or imprudent, or overgeneralize, or are harsh. ” Demonstrators gathered again on Sunday in cities as scattered as Dallas, Falcon Heights, Memphis, Baton Rouge, Atlanta and New York City, where 300 people marched silently, fists raised in the air, from Times Square to Union Square, with signs proclaiming “Stop police terror!” and “Stand together. ” In Baton Rouge, police officers in riot gear and flanked by SWAT trucks were trying on Sunday evening to turn back protesters who had come from a peaceful rally earlier and were trying to march to the Police Headquarters a few miles away. A Baton Rouge police spokesman said 48 arrests had been made by about 10 p. m. most for obstructing a roadway. No weapons had been confiscated, he said. News outlets in Memphis reported that protesters there had blocked traffic on the Interstate 40 bridge spanning the Mississippi River after a rally downtown. Some activists began circulating text messages asking around the country to boycott major retailers and to deposit $100 into a bank as a means of economically stopping the “slaughtering of black lives. ” Hundreds of demonstrators had been arrested Saturday night and into early Sunday in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, St. Paul and Baton Rouge, including DeRay Mckesson, a prominent activist in the Black Lives Matter movement who was released Sunday afternoon. In Phoenix, officers used pepper spray to disperse crowds. In St. Paul and Baton Rouge, the mood had been tense overnight Saturday into Sunday morning. In St. Paul, protesters had shut down an interstate highway for hours. At least 20 officers were injured as people threw rocks, bottles and bricks, the police said. The authorities in Baton Rouge, where Mr. Sterling was fatally shot early Tuesday, said they had arrested more than 100 people, charging most with obstructing the road. Among them were three members of the news media and Mr. Mckesson, who filmed his encounter with the police using the app Periscope. John Bel Edwards, Louisiana’s governor, said Sunday that the vast majority of protesters had behaved lawfully and that the police response had been moderate. He said some of the disturbances had been caused by demonstrators from outside Louisiana, but pledged that “they will not be allowed to incite hate and violence. ” Pastors across the nation called for reconciliation and compassion. At St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan spoke of a country “worried, frustrated and fatigued over senseless violence. ” “From Minnesota to Louisiana and Texas, one nation under God examines its soul,” he said. “Sadness and heaviness is especially present in our and law enforcement communities. ” He added, “We pray with and for them. ” In his television appearance, Chief Brown provided new details of the two hours of negotiations that the police conducted with Mr. Johnson, saying he had demanded to speak to a black negotiator, had sung and laughed, and had asked how many officers he had killed. Mr. Johnson also wrote the letters “R. B. ” in blood on the walls of the parking garage where he had hidden, Chief Brown said, an indication that he may have been wounded. It was not clear what those letters referred to, the chief said. Chief Brown said Mr. Johnson “obviously had some delusion. ” He described the gunman as doing “quite a bit of rambling at the scene. ” The police chief said investigators were examining Mr. Johnson’s laptop, journal and cellphone and had not completely ruled out the possibility that others were involved. He said he believed Mr. Johnson’s aim was to “make us pay for what he sees as law enforcement’s efforts to punish people of color,” including the fatal police shootings of in Louisiana and Minnesota in the days before the ambush. Those deaths, Chief Brown said, prompted Mr. Johnson to “fast track” plans to kill police officers. Describing the moments that occurred just before Thursday’s shootings, Chief Brown said that once the protesters had started to march through downtown Dallas, Mr. Johnson had driven his vehicle, a black Chevrolet Tahoe, well ahead of the group to prepare for the attack on police officers escorting the demonstrators. “You could easily see the march coming down the street they were walking, and saw an opportunity with some positions, a couple of buildings in the pathway of the marchers, and decided to take the high ground and start shooting right away,” Chief Brown said. “And we had to scramble to block intersections, which did expose our officers to this attack. And this suspect took advantage of that. And once he was in a position, officers did not know where the shots was coming from. ” Officials in recent days have revealed that Mr. Johnson, who served in the Army Reserve from 2009 to 2015, had materials, ballistic vests, rifles, ammunition and a journal of combat tactics in his home. His journal described a method of attack in which a gunman can keep moving to confuse the enemy. The chief and Mr. Rawlings, the Dallas mayor, defended the Police Department’s use of the robot bomb that killed Mr. Johnson. Critics have raised questions about the episode, which may have been the first time a local law enforcement agency in the United States had used such a device to kill a suspect. Chief Brown said that the suspect had hidden in a corner in the garage and that deploying a sniper would have exposed the police to “great danger. ” “We believe that we saved lives by making this decision,” he said. Mr. Rawlings, in the interview Sunday, described Mr. Johnson as having employed tactics designed to cause as much harm to people as possible. The mayor, who heard portions of Mr. Johnson’s discussions with police negotiators, said the gunman was “just talking about how he was just upset with the whole world and upset with police, upset with white police. ” He added, “I believe he was mentally ill. ” Mr. Rawlings added: “I believed he wanted to kill officers. He did it, and a person like that would never be satisfied usually until they were taken down. ” In a separate interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” he said that he supported the department’s use of the bomb, and that the authorities had opted to use it only after negotiators had been unable to persuade Mr. Johnson to surrender. “It was a difficult decision because the safety of our police officers were in our mind,” Mr. Rawlings said. “The chief had two options, and he went with this one. I supported him completely because it was the safest way to approach it, and we talked to this man a long time and he threatened to blow up our police officers. We went to his home, we saw that there was equipment later, so it was very important that we realize that he may not be bluffing. ” The Dallas Morning News published a editorial urging the city to emerge as an example of how to bring the nation together. “Today our country seems capable of pulling apart in ways that have not seemed possible in many decades,” the editorial said. “Dallas, again, has been bathed in blood and grief. How we respond will help show a path forward to a divided, reeling nation. ” Chief Brown called for Americans to support police officers, but acknowledged that “we’re not perfect. There’s cops that don’t need to be cops. ” And he had a message for the protesters: “We’re sworn to protect you and your right to protest. And we will give our lives for it. ”

House Republicans Shocked to Learn 18th Time's Isn't A Charm

Topics: Hillary Clinton , Donald Trump , email "I could've sworn this influx of duplicate emails we've already seen before would present us with some new information." After completing his review of the recently discovered email collection, FBI Director James Comey has stated that no additional evidence to further prosecute Secretary Hillary Clinton has been found. This has come as a shock to many who don't understand history and believed that this time would end differently then every single case before it. "I can't believe the FBI would allow such a travesty," Trump said in a speech Sunday afternoon, "I mean we went through all the necessary legal procedures. We grossly over-exaggerated everything and promised indictment without any real evidence or basis for evaluation but didn't get the results we were hoping for. The FBI is rigged, gotta be." The Republican Presidential Candidate didn't stay negative for long though as he then went on to describe his next wildly absurd plan that would no doubt backfire on him. "I'm proud to announce that I've been endorsed by the famous ACME Corporation! Anything you need to destroy your opponents, they've got it. Border walls, pneumonia, emails, "Nasty women", you name it, ACME is there to provide you with a service that in no way could ever end up hurting me in the end. Speaking of which, I've also come up with a new plan to paint tunnels leading to Welfare and free tacos on the border wall so when the Mexicans run into it we can quickly ship them back before they even regain consciousness. Tune in next Tuesday to see how this works out!!" Make Andrewnino12's

Bypassing Stigma to Take Care of Herself and Her Daughter - The New York Times

John Otis

Six years and contrasting personalities separated Diana Olivarez and her younger brother, Xavier. “I’m very intense,” said Ms. Olivarez, 29. “He was just carefree, didn’t take life too seriously. ” Before Xavier was born, Ms. Olivarez lived in Mexico with her grandparents. Her parents had left for the United States with the intention of finding work and making enough money to eventually return to Mexico and build a house. But once Xavier was born in the United States, the plan changed: Her parents decided to make a life in the Bronx and Ms. Olivarez joined them when she was 6. But she had difficulty adjusting. Her first winter in New York was brutally cold and dark. While her parents worked long hours, she and Xavier were handed off to babysitters. The language barrier was another hurdle. Classmates who spoke Spanish used an unfamiliar dialect, and learning English was difficult because she could not practice it with family members at home. “I became really withdrawn because I couldn’t communicate,” Ms. Olivarez said. In time, she not only taught herself English, but also started to excel in school. She received a scholarship in 2005 to attend Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N. Y. but she could not control her erratic behavior. “I was starting to get in trouble in school and I remember just having a lot of energy where I just couldn’t stop doing things,” Ms. Olivarez said. Her parents observed the behavior but did not address it, she said. Xavier rarely reacted to her outbursts, which only infuriated her, she said. At Marist, Ms. Olivarez learned the cause of her oscillating moods: She was told she had a bipolar disorder. “It costs you a lot of relationships, a lot of money and a lot of time,” she said. “People kind of stay away from you, think you’re trouble. ” Ms. Olivarez said she felt the stigma that society attached to mental illness, and it drove her into denial. She told herself that the problems were not severe, that the disorder was not what led her to drop out of Marist. Ms. Olivarez returned to school in 2011, enrolling at Fordham University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, majoring in philosophy and Spanish. In 2013, she married her longtime boyfriend. When she told Xavier about their engagement, he started to cry, a rare moment of affection between the siblings. “He said he felt like he was losing his sister and I said, ‘You aren’t losing me, I’m always going to be there for you,’” Ms. Olivarez recalled. She gave birth to a girl, Jade, in 2014, and made the choice to address her mental illness decided that she could not responsibly raise her daughter while she struggled with an untreated illness. She now takes medication. “It’s very serious if you don’t get the help that you need,” Ms. Olivarez said. “It can kill you. ” In March, Ms. Olivarez gave birth to a second daughter, Ruby. Both of her children are enrolled in early childhood programs with the Children’s Aid Society, one of the eight organizations supported by The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund. Jade was placed in an early intervention program after Ms. Olivarez said she observed developmental issues. Ms. Olivarez saw in Jade her own struggles growing up and she knew she had to act, unlike her parents. “I think they just did the best they could,” she said of her parents. “But I look at my daughter and how can I see her going through this and not get her help? You just really need to be aware. ” Ms. Olivarez has since postponed her academic ambitions in order to focus on Jade’s needs. But just as Ms. Olivarez was making strides in her life — with her children, her mental illness and her relationship with her brother — she was dealt a dramatic setback. Xavier got into an argument with a man on a street corner on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in April and was fatally stabbed. The police arrested a man, who was charged with murder. The family decided to bury Xavier, who was 22, in Mexico, where Ms. Olivarez’s parents hope to return after they retire in the next few years. “The decision was made to take him there, so they can have him there,” Ms. Olivarez said. The Children’s Aid Society used $1, 000 in Neediest Funds to cover some of the burial costs. Ms. Olivarez, her husband and children live with her parents in the Bronx. They all grieved for Xavier together, which she said helped them connect in ways they had not before. Ms. Olivarez’s mother now helps care for her grandchildren, and has become more attuned to her daughter’s struggles. Ms. Olivarez said her mother now notices when she is under stress and tries to put her at ease. “I still have my ups and my downs but they’re not as intense as they were before,” she said. Ms. Olivarez hopes that by being open about her own challenges, people might become empathetic to others suffering with mental illnesses. She wants everyone to shed the unreasonable fears and misconceptions. “It is so different when you get help,” Ms. Olivarez said. “I think that a lot of people stay in a state of shame,” she added. “They don’t reach out because there is a lot of shame, but life is so much better. ”

EPIC: New Yorker’s “Hillary Themed” Haunted House Has Libs Absolutely Furious

Davis

Before viewing the video, below, please be warned that its contents are truly disturbing. If you have children, have them avert their eyes so they aren’t forever scarred by the images of Clinton that decorate this person’s yard. This house in Bellmore!!! Posted by Brian Mc Kibbin on Thursday, October 20, 2016 The video of the house, posted on Facebook by Brian McKibbin, has gone viral, garnering over 2.5 million views in less than a week. Advertisement - story continues below The house was decorated with signs calling Clinton a “traitor,”“liar” and “murderer.” The house also featured several large displays encouraging people to vote for Republican nominee Donald Trump. It was unclear whether the person behind the decorations decided to do this for Halloween or just because he really doesn’t like Clinton . In any case, it really is an awesome display that works perfectly for both Halloween and the upcoming election. While this house might be scary, the real nightmare would be Clinton actually being elected. That’s why you need to get out and vote. If your state has early voting, go vote right away. We can laugh about this house’s anti-Hillary display all we want, but if she wins on Nov. 8, we won’t be laughing anymore. Advertisement - story continues below

The View From Syria as a Cease-Fire Takes Effect - The New York Times

Anne Barnard and Hwaida Saad

BEIRUT, Lebanon — The timing of the in Syria, which took effect on Monday at sundown and was largely holding on Tuesday, is fraught with symbolism. It coincides with Eid the Muslim Feast of the Sacrifice, which commemorates Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son for God. The tale is central to the Muslim, Christian and Jewish faiths — and a recurring literary metaphor for society’s sacrifice of the young in the wars of their elders. United Nations agencies and other aid groups have scrambled to prepare aid deliveries to the divided city of Aleppo. But on Tuesday they were still awaiting official word that the route was secure. We are tracking the experiences and observations of people in many parts of Syria as the truce changes, or fails to change, their lives. Read more about the terms of the deal here. Samsam, 26, is an aid worker in the western part of Aleppo, which was once Syria’s largest city. She asked to be identified by only a nickname — it means “sesame” in Arabic — because she was not authorized by the government to speak to foreign reporters. She said in a telephone interview from Aleppo, which is divided between the government in the west and the rebels in the east, that residents found frightening. When the truces inevitably break down, she said, violence escalates, and the halt in fighting also interrupts war’s predictable routine. Dr. Omar Abu Mariam, 30, a neurosurgeon, asked to be identified by only his first name and a nickname, for the safety of his family. He is the only neurosurgeon working in the part of eastern Aleppo, where many patients with brain injuries die because doctors lack equipment and the evacuation route to Turkey has lately been cut off by shelling. He often operates around the clock and does not expect the deal to change that, he said in a text message. For Eid, he went to a friend’s house for dinner. His friend had managed to find a sheep to slaughter, though it was more difficult and expensive to come by than usual, and they ate sheep’s liver and baklava, traditional Eid sweets. On the way back, the city was almost pitch black. “The streets were empty. Dark,” he said. “No fuel for cars. Few generators. ” The first evening of the truce passed without a call to the emergency room. But when he got home, he could hear explosions in the distance. missiles, he speculated. The doctor wondered if he would make it through another day without heading back to the operating room. “The is a big lie,” he said. Ibrahim Abo Allith, one of the volunteer rescue workers with the White Helmets, also known as the Syria Civil Defense, recounted a tense prelude to the planned in Aleppo. According to unconfirmed reports from Mr. Allith and other activists on the ground, there were barrel bomb attacks on Monday in the neighborhood of in eastern Aleppo. Dani Qappani, 28, graduated from Damascus University with a degree in English literature in 2011, the first year of the revolt against President Bashar ’s government. Mr. Qappani became an antigovernment media activist in Moadhamiyeh, a suburb less than two miles from downtown Damascus, the Syrian capital. He uses a pseudonym for his safety to post videos. Mr. Qappani writes poems and notes about politics on Facebook. He is worried about divisions in the Moahdhamiyeh, between those who want to accept reconciliation with the government and others, like him, who do not. Here’s how he described the situation in an online chat: “It’s a bit better today,” he said on Tuesday in a text message. “I can hear music being played in the Eid square. ” Khaled Khalifa, 52, is an author well known for his novel “In Praise of Hatred,” about the Muslim Brotherhood uprising in 1982 and the government’s crackdown. In the dark hours of Monday morning, he posted on his public Facebook page about his plans for Eid in Damascus. He chatted online about his plans for Eid with the Beirut bureau of The New York Times a short while later: Elham, 32, has two children and is married to a government employee. She woke up to quiet on Tuesday in Damascus, instead of outgoing blasts from a nearby army position. She spoke to a Times reporter, who is identifying her by her first name only for her safety. Muhammed Najdat Kaddour, 31, went to Binnish, in territory in Idlib Province, to film the aftermath of an airstrike over the weekend and to interview survivors. In a phone interview on Monday, he described a local Eid celebration (he sent photos, below) and his own pessimism about the and his distrust of President Assad and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia: Bashar 29, taught in a government elementary school in a village north of Raqqa until the Islamic State took over and made the city the de facto capital of its caliphate. Now he stays home except to shop for groceries. He spoke in a call over the internet.

Mistrial for South Carolina Officer Who Shot Walter Scott - The New York Times

Alan Blinder

CHARLESTON, S. C. — The trial of Michael T. Slager, the police officer whose videotaped killing of an unarmed black man staggered a nation already embroiled in a debate about police misconduct and racial bias in law enforcement, ended in a mistrial on Monday. Judge Clifton B. Newman’s decision to halt the proceedings came three days after jurors signaled that they were within one vote of returning a guilty verdict against Mr. Slager, who could have been convicted of murder or voluntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Walter L. Scott. But on Monday, in a final note to Judge Newman, jurors said that “despite the best efforts of all members, we are unable to come to a unanimous decision. ” The outcome was disappointingly familiar to critics of police practices and conduct, and demonstrated the steep hurdles associated with prosecuting a police officer for a shooting while on duty. Although other cases involving claims of police misconduct have ended in mistrials and acquittals, few resonated as widely as this case in North Charleston, where Mr. Slager fired eight shots as Mr. Scott ran away. “The fight isn’t over, that was Round 1,” said L. Chris Stewart, a lawyer for Mr. Scott’s family. “We all saw what he did. We all saw what happened. ” In a statement, Gov. Nikki R. Haley said: “Justice is not always immediate, but we must all have faith that it will be served — I certainly do. ” Prosecutors said they would seek a new trial for Mr. Slager, who was fired after the shooting, and the Scott family expressed confidence that he would ultimately be convicted. Mr. Slager’s lawyer, Andrew J. Savage III, did not comment as he left the courtroom, where jurors had heard testimony for about four weeks. No piece of evidence was more central than a cellphone video, which a Feidin Santana, recorded as he walked to work on April 4, 2015. The video began only after Mr. Scott fled on foot from a traffic stop for a broken taillight, but it was shocking and vivid. In the recording, the men engage in a struggle, and then, as Mr. Scott runs away, Mr. Slager raises his Glock handgun and fires. Mr. Scott falls to the ground. He was at least 17 feet away when Mr. Slager began to shoot. It was a sequence that jurors saw over and over, and the sound of the gunshots repeatedly pierced the courtroom. On Monday, the existence of the video, and its inability to lead to a conviction, fueled much of the furor and frustration about the trial’s resolution, incomplete as it was. “It saddens me, but I am not shocked,” said Howard Friedman, a civil rights lawyer and the former president of the National Police Accountability Project. “The fact that out of 12 people you would find one person so prejudiced in favor of police is saddening, not shocking, because I know that kind of prejudice in favor of police is out there. ” In Missouri, where an August 2014 police killing in Ferguson spurred both peaceful protests and unrest, State Senator Maria said the outcome in Charleston had left her “hopeless. ” “When you have the video that shows that Walter Scott is running away and still you have a mistrial?” Ms. said. Here in Charleston County, investigators at first believed Mr. Slager when he said he had been attacked. But Mr. Santana’s video, which emerged within days of the shooting and provoked international outrage, made Mr. Slager a pariah to many in law enforcement, an anomaly of policing who strayed far from his duties and oath when he opened fire and, prosecutors contended, tried to stage the scene to make the shooting appear justified. “Our whole criminal justice system rides on the back of law enforcement,” the chief prosecutor for Charleston County, Scarlett A. Wilson, said during her closing argument. “They have to be held accountable when they mess up. It is very, very rare, but it does happen. ” Ms. Wilson acknowledged from the beginning of the trial that she thought Mr. Scott had contributed to his own death by running away. “If Walter Scott had stayed in that car, he wouldn’t have been shot,” Ms. Wilson said. “He paid the extreme consequence for his conduct. He lost his life for his foolishness. ” Ms. Wilson’s concession, which she made during her opening statement, was something of an effort to immunize the prosecution from a theory that the defense advanced throughout the trial: that Mr. Scott had acted in ways that made Mr. Slager fear for his life. In his closing argument, Mr. Savage said Mr. Scott had left the officer with little choice after he “made decisions to attack a police officer. ” “Should he have assumed that an unarmed man would have attacked a police officer?” Mr. Savage said of Mr. Slager, who he complained had been made a “poster boy” of police misconduct claims because of disputed killings elsewhere in the country. Mr. Slager pressed a similar argument when he testified that he had felt “total fear” and “fired until the threat was stopped, like I’m trained to do. ” The jury here had three options, besides deadlocking: a conviction for murder, a conviction for voluntary manslaughter or an acquittal. In South Carolina, a murder conviction can lead to a life sentence, and manslaughter carries a term of two to 30 years. Mr. Slager’s case and its outcome were virtually certain to revive the storm that surrounded North Charleston, a city of about 108, 000 people, after Mr. Scott’s death. City officials, who agreed to a $6. 5 million settlement with Mr. Scott’s family, have long insisted that Mr. Slager was an outlier. But critics argued last year and again on Monday that the shooting was a tragic result of an aggressive law enforcement strategy carried out by a largely white police force. Drivers and pedestrians faced frequent stops for minor violations, and the police increased their presence, especially in areas that happened to be predominantly black neighborhoods. The approach, community leaders said, eroded trust, and North Charleston’s Police Department is now the subject of a Justice Department review as part of a “collaborative reform process. ” Another arm of the Justice Department is involved in a different legal battle against Mr. Slager, who has been accused in a federal indictment of violating Mr. Scott’s civil rights. But Mr. Slager will now also face a second trial in state court, and lawyers will undoubtedly consider the feedback that emerged from a jury that appeared bitterly divided during deliberations, which began on Wednesday. In a letter to Judge Newman on Friday, a single juror said he could not “in good conscience consider a guilty verdict. ” The jury’s foreman, the panel’s only black member, said in a separate note that the group was mostly in agreement that Mr. Slager should be convicted: “It’s just one juror that has the issues. ” The foreman also said: “That juror needs to leave. He is having issues. ” But on Monday morning, the jury said in another note that a majority of its members were “still undecided. ” Later, standing outside the courthouse on an overcast day, members of Mr. Scott’s family said they were not dwelling on a trial they had hoped would end with Mr. Slager bound for prison. “God is my strength, and I know without a doubt that he is a just God,” said Mr. Scott’s mother, Judy Scott. “Injustice will not prevail. ”

Asteroid Warning System Found ‘City-Killer’ Object Heading Toward Earth

Alex Ansary

Asteroid Warning System Found ‘City-Killer’ Object Heading Toward Earth 11/01/2016 DAILY CALLER NASA’s new asteroid warning system detected a large “city-killer” asteroid hurtling toward Earth less than a week before it narrowly missed. The rock, officially named 2016 UR36, was first detected Oct. 25 by a telescope in Hawaii and passed by Earth five days later. The asteroid missed by a distance of only 310,000 miles, around 1.3 times further away than the Moon. That’s incredibly close in space terms. 2016 UR36 could be up to 82 feet across, roughly comparable in size to the meteor that exploded over Russia in February 2013, causing hundreds of injuries . If 2016 UR36 had slammed into Earth, it would have struck with a force 55 times stronger than the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima near the end of World War II. That’s more than enough force to level a city. NASA director Charles Bolden told reporters in 2013 that the only response to a such a late detection of an asteroid set to collide with Earth was to “ Pray .” Global asteroid detection programs found more than 15,176 near-Earth objects of all sizes with 1,562 new near-Earth objects being identified this year alone, according to International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planets Center . These newly discovered near-Earth objects are part of a much larger population of more than 700,000 known asteroids in our Solar System. NASA and its European partners are now focused on finding objects that are 450 feet in diameter or larger, which could devastate a city or country if they struck Earth. In the event an asteroid couldn’t be prevented from hitting Earth, the Planetary Defense Coordination Office would work with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Department of Defense, and other federal agencies to coordinate disaster response.

Conway: We’re Seeing ’Hysterical’ Democratic Party ’Unravel in Front of Our Eyes’ - Breitbart

Pam Key

Thursday on “Fox Friends,” discussing the Democrats opposition to President Donald Trump’s nominees, White House aide Kellyanne Conway said we were seeing the Democratic Party “unravel in front of our eyes” because of what she called “a bunch of crybabies. ” Conway said, “The Democratic Party, we’re seeing it unravel in front of our eyes and revealed in front of our eyes. A bunch of crybabies who say that they’re going to oppose the Supreme Court nominees before they even know the person’s name and academic credentials and impeccable judicial record. They are holding up our nominees to the cabinet. I was told yesterday this is the longest that the nation has gone without a secretary of the Treasury at least in modern times, if not the longest, it’s darn close to it. ” “We need a secretary of Treasury, folks, for those who actually go to work in the morning and need the dollar to flourish,” she continued. “We need a secretary of Treasury to be running things. This obstinateness and obstruction is a modern Democratic Party. I think it’s going to cost them because they’re hysterical about everything now. There’s no gradation of hysteria, everything makes them cry and scream. ” Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN

Despite Cancer Diagnosis and Husband’s Death, Keeping a Positive Outlook - The New York Times

John Otis

Recalling that moment four years ago, when Gertrudis Torres learned she had Stage 3 breast cancer, still causes her breathing to become heavy and tears to well up. The unthinkable diagnosis was another blow to Ms. Torres’s family. Two years before, in 2010, her husband, Pedro Ayala, was told that he had throat cancer. Her first thoughts after receiving the news were about her son and daughter. How could they be left alone if their parents died? Who would care for them? “It’s like when you’re playing and somebody grabs ahold of you and you try to move but you can’t,” Ms. Torres, 45, said. “It’s not that you don’t want to. It’s like somebody’s holding you. ” In March 2013, she began chemotherapy at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx. In May, after years of treatment, her husband died, leaving Ms. Torres to look after their son, Divian, 16, and their daughter, Yeslly, 11. Ms. Torres said she had even more motivation to beat her disease, even as her substantial grief and her weakened physical strength made the challenge seem impossible at times. “I don’t think cancer kills the people,” she said. “It’s how they take it. ” During her treatments, she observed other cancer patients whose faces bore witness to the horrors of the disease. She told herself she would not end up like that. “I know we’re all going to die one day,” Ms. Torres said. “But when they say, ‘You have cancer,’ all people think, ‘You’re going to die now.’ And the cancer takes them. ” Every day before she went to the hospital for treatment, she dressed up with vigor and excitement, as if going to a fancy dinner or a happening nightclub, donning stylish wigs and makeup. “I would try to be strong,” Ms. Torres said. Her cancer has been in remission since 2014, but Ms. Torres stays active to fight off the remaining physical pain. On occasion, she and Divian play basketball at a park in the Bronx. Most mornings, Ms. Torres takes long walks around a running track, a form of meditative exercise. However, tight finances have become an inescapable part of the family’s life. Ms. Torres has been out of work for years. She left a job as a cashier when her husband fell ill, and it was difficult to return to work when she started her own treatment. The family receives $935 in Social Security disability payments every month. There is no room for extra expenses. In January, Yeslly came home from school with a note asking for $200 to pay her graduation dues. She attends Community School 61, a Children’s Aid Society school in the Bronx. The Children’s Aid Society is one of eight organizations supported by The New York Times’s Neediest Cases Fund. Unsure how she could afford the $200, Ms. Torres contacted the school for help. The Children’s Aid Society used $170 in Neediest funds to help. The agency previously assisted the family last December, giving them $300 in gift cards to buy clothing and other necessities. After a caseworker visited the Torreses’ home earlier this year, an additional $900 was used to buy two new beds. Ms. Torres and Yeslly had been sharing a twin bed, while Divian slept on a sofa. The agency also used Neediest funds to buy them a kitchen table. “Thank God we got a table,” Ms. Torres said. “We can go to the table and eat together. Pray first, then eat the food. ” In September, the family moved into a bigger apartment in the Bronx. Ms. Torres said she remained optimistic about her health and the family’s future. She said she hoped her children would attend college. Ms. Torres has career ambitions of her own. She plans to work on getting her high school equivalency diploma, and wants to become a medical assistant, a desire she has had for more than a year. Despite her hardships, and the loss of her husband that still weighs heavily on her and her children, Ms. Torres wakes up each morning thanking God for his blessings. She tells Divian and Yeslly to be grateful for another day of life and that fear has no place in their home. “It’s all about having a positive ” Ms. Torres said. “Whatever you think, that’s what you attract. Negative attracts negative. Positive attracts positive. ”

Donald Trump Gettysburg Address RECAP

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R. Alexander Acosta, Law School Dean, Is Trump’s New Pick for Labor - The New York Times

Alan Rappeport

WASHINGTON — Moving quickly after his first choice for labor secretary withdrew his nomination amid controversy, President Trump made a seemingly safe selection on Thursday in R. Alexander Acosta, a Florida law school dean and former assistant attorney general. In Mr. Acosta, Mr. Trump has chosen a nominee with deep experience in labor relations, law and education. The pick answers concerns about the lack of diversity in the Trump administration, in that Mr. Acosta would be the first Hispanic in the president’s cabinet. And his chances of being confirmed appear relatively high, since Mr. Acosta, currently the dean of Florida International University’s law school, has made it through the Senate process three times for different roles. “Alex is going to be a key part of achieving our goal of revitalizing the American economy, manufacturing and labor force,” Mr. Trump said as he called on the Senate to confirm Mr. Acosta swiftly. A Miami native, Mr. Acosta’s most relevant experience to the job of labor secretary is his time at the National Labor Relations Board, where he was a member from 2002 to 2003, under President George W. Bush. Mr. Bush later tapped Mr. Acosta to be assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s civil rights division, one of the highest positions at the agency. He went on to become the United States attorney for the Southern District of Florida, where his office prosecuted the lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the terrorism suspect Jose Padilla and founders of the Cali cartel. He achieved the conviction of Charles Taylor Jr. the son of Liberia’s former leader, for torture. His official biography said his office also prosecuted several cases and targeted health care fraud. Mr. Acosta’s record and writings will undergo close scrutiny in the weeks before his confirmation hearing. But some of the most outspoken skeptics of the previous labor nominee, the executive Andrew F. Puzder, have already expressed optimism and about Mr. Acosta. “I am thrilled that at long last, we have a Hispanic in this cabinet,” said Javier Palomarez, president of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, who was critical of Mr. Trump during the presidential campaign. Labor groups that assailed Mr. Puzder as being applauded the choice of Mr. Acosta. “Unlike Andy Puzder, Alexander Acosta’s nomination deserves serious consideration,” said Richard L. Trumka, president of the A. F. L. . I. O. trade union. “In one day, we’ve gone from a chain C. E. O. who routinely violates labor law to a public servant with experience enforcing it. ” Mr. Puzder withdrew his name from consideration on Wednesday after Republican senators began turning against him. They were concerned about a slew of accusations that had surfaced recently, ranging from Mr. Puzder’s business record to his employment of an undocumented housekeeper to his 1988 divorce. If confirmed, Mr. Acosta could also help smooth the relationship between Mr. Trump and American Muslims who have accused him of fomenting religious discrimination. Testifying before Congress in 2011 at a hearing about the civil rights of American Muslims, Mr. Acosta made a forceful appeal that they should be viewed as any other American community would. “Now is a good time to remember that no community has a monopoly on any particular type of crime,” he said. Despite the early praise Mr. Acosta has received, it is far from certain that his confirmation will be easy. Progressive groups, such as the Democratic “super PAC” American Bridge, were busy on Thursday digging through his background and looking for stains on his record. One area of potential concern is a 2008 investigation by the Justice Department’s inspector general, which looked into whether hiring practices and case assignments at the civil rights division he led were based on political affiliations. A report on the case found that Mr. Acosta had ignored warning signs about such problems. Another pitfall could be a 2004 letter to a federal judge in Ohio that Mr. Acosta sent while he was at the Justice Department, justifying “vote caging” in the presidential election. The practice, in which private citizens in Ohio challenged the eligibility of voters, was widely seen as a Republican strategy to disenfranchise minorities. Both issues came up when Mr. Acosta was interviewing to become dean of the University of Florida’s law school in 2014. Michelle Jacobs, a professor at the school, said that she and her colleagues were uncomfortable with how Mr. Acosta explained the case. She also said Mr. Acosta had described paying lip service to lawmakers when called to testify before Congress. “I feel that he lacked some transparency, and he didn’t show a full appreciation for ethical obligations,” Ms. Jacobs said. “We felt it deeply enough that we eliminated him from the list of candidates. ” But colleagues of Mr. Acosta’s at Florida International University said he was widely liked as a leader of the law school, striking a healthy balance of being without micromanaging. A father of two daughters and a lover of science fiction, Mr. Acosta is known within his department for being humble and genial. “I was actually stunned that Donald Trump would make such a sensible choice,” said José Gabilondo, an F. I. U. law professor who has worked closely with Mr. Acosta. “He’s a very mature person with a sense of decorum, and I think he’ll make a very big contribution to the administration. ”

Electronic Voting Machines Caught Switching Trump Votes To Hillary: “Trying to Steal Texas” | Survival

beforeitsnews.com

(Before It's News) This article was written by Michael Snyder and originally published at Economic Collapse blog . Editor’s Comment: In particular with electronic voting, the opportunity to flip votes and steal elections is almost unstoppable and will be very difficult to hold accountable. Nonetheless, that is exactly what activists in Texas and other key states should focus on. After decades of solid “red state” status, they are now talking openly about Hillary winning the Lone Star State and flipping it blue… despite being perhaps the most despised, unlikable and untrustworthy presidential candidate in modern history. Take a look at the electoral college, and the shades of ‘blue and red states’ as things have been… if Team Hillary is able to steal Texas, there will be no way for Trump to win 270 electoral college, even if he wins Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania and other swing states. Perhaps this has been their secret weapon all along, and the reason that she has been so arrogant throughout the entire campaign: These are dangerous times, and the establishment – after systematically denying the voice of the people on many fronts – is now making a huge gamble at holding onto power even in the face of obvious fraud. Will there be any legitimacy left in this country? And what happens if/when this election is stolen and everyone knows it? It Is Happening Again! Voting Machines Are Switching Votes From Donald Trump To Hillary Clinton by Michael Snyder Is the 2016 election in the process of being stolen? Just a few weeks ago I issued a major alert warning that this exact sort of thing might happen. Early voting has already begun in many states, and a number of voters in Texas are reporting that the voting machines switched their votes from Donald Trump to Hillary Clinton. The odd thing is that none of the other choices were affected when these individuals attempted to vote for a straight Republican ticket. If Hillary Clinton is declared the winner of the state of Texas on election night, a full investigation of these voting machines should be conducted, because there is no way that Donald Trump should lose that state. I have said that it will be the greatest miracle in U.S. political history if Donald Trump wins this election, but without the state of Texas Donald Trump has exactly zero chance of winning. So those living down in Texas need to keep reporting anything unusual that they see or hear when they go to vote. Most Americans don’t realize this, but the exact same thing was happening during the last presidential election. The state of Ohio was considered to be the key to Mitt Romney’s chances of winning in 2012, and right up to election day the Romney campaign actually believed that they were going to win the state. Unfortunately for Romney, something funny was going on with the voting machines. In a previous article , I included a Quote: from an Ohio voter that had her vote switched from Mitt Romney to Barack Obama three times … “I don’t know if it happened to anybody else or not, but this is the first time in all the years that we voted that this has ever happened to me,” said Marion, Ohio, voter Joan Stevens. Stevens said that when she voted, it took her three tries before the machine accepted her choice to vote for Romney . “I went to vote and I got right in the middle of Romney’s name,” Stevens told Fox News, saying that she was certain to put her finger directly on her choice for the White House. She said that the first time she pushed “Romney,” the machine marked “Obama.” So she pushed Romney again. Obama came up again. Then it happened a third time. “Maybe you make a mistake once, but not three times,” she told Fox News. And we did see some very, very strange numbers come out of certain areas of Ohio four years ago. For example, there were more than 100 precincts in Cuyahoga County in which Barack Obama got at least 99 percent of the vote in 2012. If that happened in just one precinct that would be odd enough. But the odds of it happening in more than 100 precincts in just one county by random chance are so low that they aren’t even worth mentioning. And of course this didn’t just happen in Ohio. Similar things were happening all over the country . The reason why I bring all of this up is to show that there is a pattern. If a fair vote had been conducted, Romney may have indeed won in 2012, and now it appears that voting machines are being rigged again. In Wichita County, Texas so many people were reporting that their votes were being switched from Trump to Clinton that it made the local newspaper … Shortly after early voting booths opened Monday in Wichita County, rumors swirled online about possible errors in the process. Several online posts claimed a friend or family member had attempted to vote straight party Republican ticket, but their presidential nomination was switched to the Democratic nominee, Hilary Clinton. None of the local reports were from people who experienced the situation first hand. A Bowie woman posted that a relative who lives in Arlington saw her votes “switched.” The post was shared more than 100,000 times Monday. And Paul Joseph Watson has written about some specific individuals that are making allegations that their votes for president were switched by the machines. One of the examples that he cited was a Facebook post by Lisa Houlette of Amarillo, Texas … Gary and I went to early vote today…I voted a straight Republican ticket and as I scrolled to submit my ballot I noticed that the Republican Straight ticket was highlighted, however, the clinton/kaine box was also highlighted! I tried to go back and change and could not get it to work. I asked for help from one of the workers and she couldn’t get it to go back either. It took a second election person to get the machine to where I could correct the vote to a straight ticket. Be careful and double check your selections before you cast your vote! Don’t hesitate to ask for help. I had to have help to get mine changed. I don’t know about you, but major alarm bells went off in my head when I read that. A similar incident was reported on Facebook by Shandy Clark of Arlington, Texas … Hey everyone, just a heads up! I had a family member that voted this morning and she voted straight Republican. She checked before she submitted and the vote had changed to Clinton! She reported it and made sure her vote was changed back. They commented that It had been happening. She is trying to get the word out and asked that we post and share. Just want everyone’s vote to be accurate and count. Check your vote before you submit! And of course they weren’t the only ones reporting vote switching. It turns out that lots of other Texans have also experienced this phenomenon … So is there a serious problem with the voting machines? According to Breitbart , one county in Texas has already removed all electronic voting machines and has made an emergency switch to paper ballots… Chambers County election officials have executed an emergency protocol to remove all electronic voting machines available during early voting until a software update can be completed to correct problems experienced by straight-ticket voters . Chambers County Clerk Heather Hawthorne told Breitbart Texas Tuesday morning that all electronic voting was temporarily halted until her office completes a “software update” on ES&S machines that otherwise “omit one race” when a straight ticket option is selected for either major party. The Texas 14 th Court of Appeals race was reported to be the contest in which voters commonly experienced the glitch. Let’s keep a very close eye on this. If the state of Texas ends up in Trump’s column on election night, perhaps no harm has been done. But if Trump loses Texas there is no possible way that he will be able to make up those 38 electoral votes somewhere else. Despite what the mainstream media is saying, the truth is that election fraud is very real. Just the other day, WND published an article that contained a list of documented cases of election fraud in 23 different states . And Devvy Kidd just authored a piece that pointed out that there are 24 million voter registrations in this country that are “no longer valid or are significantly inaccurate“… In 2012 the highly respected Pew Research Center exposed the sickening state of voter rolls in this country: Nearly 2 million deceased registered to vote Close to 3 million registered in multiples states Approximately 24 million—one of every eight—voter registrations in the United States are no longer valid or are significantly inaccurate More than 1.8 million deceased individuals are listed as voters Approximately 2.75 million people have registrations in more than one state But despite everything you just read, the mainstream media is trying very hard to prop up faith in the integrity of the process. In fact, just today CNN came out with an article entitled “ Poll: Most see a Hillary Clinton victory and a fair count ahead “… Almost 7 in 10 voters nationwide say they think Hillary Clinton will win the presidency next month, but most say that if that happens, Donald Trump will not accept the results and concede, according to a new CNN/ORC poll. Americans overall are more confident that the nation’s votes for president will be cast and counted accurately this year than they were in 2008. Whatever the outcome, however, nearly 8 in 10 say that once all the states have certified their vote counts, the losing candidate has an obligation to accept the results and concede to the winner. Unfortunately, CNN does not have much credibility left at this point, and it is getting harder and harder to believe the polls that are being put out by the mainstream media. And the mainstream media would also have us believe that if evidence of election fraud does emerge that it will be because the Russians have made it up … U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials are warning that hackers with ties to Russia’s intelligence services could try to undermine the credibility of the presidential election by posting documents online purporting to show evidence of voter fraud. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said however, that the U.S. election system is so large, diffuse and antiquated that hackers would not be able to change the outcome of the Nov. 8 election. But hackers could post documents, some of which might be falsified, that are designed to create public perceptions of widespread voter fraud, the officials said. Now that is a real “conspiracy theory”, and it would be incredibly funny if all of this wasn’t so serious. During this election season, if you see or hear anything unusual about voting in your area, please report it. The American people should be allowed to make a free and fair choice, and anyone that attempts to alter an election is committing a crime against all of us. And let’s watch the state of Texas very carefully. If it goes blue, you will know that something has gone terribly, terribly wrong.

Political Fashion Statements at the Men’s Wear Shows - The New York Times

Guy Trebay

Of course, reality intruded. Fabulousness is no barricade against politics. Reacting to President Trump’s executive order banning the entry of citizens from seven nations and refugees from any country, designers who are showing their work during the four days of men’s fashion in New York expressed dissent in gestures that, while mainly small and symbolic, added gravitas to the usual antics and overall frivolity. models in Robert James’s show at the New York Men’s Day event on Monday carried placards with pointed messages: “Made in a Sanctuary City” and “Bridges Not Walls. ” At a Private Policy presentation that afternoon, members of a multiracial cast clad in quilted bomber jackets and hot pants had words like “terrorist” stenciled on foreheads or cheeks. Taking a bow at the end of a show on Tuesday, in which models’ faces were obscured behind neoprene ski masks, the designer Robert Geller wore a sweatshirt that read: “Immigrant. ” And in a spirited introduction to Nick Graham’s collection on Tuesday, presented against a giant projection of Earth seen from space, Bill Nye — the “Science Guy” — addressed deniers with a paean to our fragile atmosphere. You only have to go backstage to see models from nearly every point on the globe — India, Mongolia, China and Sudan were just some of the countries that have been represented here this week — and to understand that fashion is a plurality undertaking. Sure, the panoply of multiethnic faces is a relatively new addition to a business not always known for welcoming diversity. Yet behind the scenes, fashion has always been global, as Fern Mallis, the former executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, said Tuesday afternoon. “You have no idea how many visa forms I filled out in my career,” Ms. Mallis said, referring to her work on behalf of the craftspeople from distant countries whose skills were essential if American designers’ visions were to be realized. The garment industry itself was built by immigrants, Ms. Mallis noted of a business that continues to be one of the city’s top economic drivers. societal anxieties seemed to inject themselves into the proceedings in other ways. Take a Krammer Stoudt presentation frankly inspired by transients, one in which the baggy layers often worn by “crustys,” or gutter punks, were used as a form of armoring. Or look at the N. Hoolywood show inspired by the designer Daisuke Obana’s and the stylist Tsuyoshi Nimora’s observations of homeless people on a recent trip. Wearing dazed expressions that made some look as though they had forgotten to take their meds, an array of models paraded around a Chelsea showroom. The coats they wore were adapted from utility blankets slung over multiple layers. One model wore a denim jacket pulled over a woolen coat squeezed atop a nubby Aran Island fisherman’s sweater that was tucked into a pair of the baggy pants that have been all the rage in Tokyo for a while now and that are slowly making inroads in the West. Still another jacket was knotted at the neck like a scarf. Streets and rail yards are familiar territory in fashion. Few can forget John Galliano’s “homeless chic” 2000 show for Dior, in which purposely raggedy models strutted onto the runway swathed in “newspapers,” clothes with torn linings or labels, frayed tulle glad rags, belts slung with little green empties of JB whiskey. Editorial writers, homeless advocates and moralists in general seized on that show as proof that fashion and its narcissistic practitioners are hopelessly disconnected from the real world. Yet what those who are quick to deride it often forget is that the glass of fashion is mostly a reflective device. Sure, Mr. Galliano may have misjudged his moment, given that the 2000 Dior collection coincided with a series of raids on shelters and arrests of the homeless directed by Rudolph W. Giuliani, the mayor of New York at the time. The N. Hoolywood collection could also be judged insensitive. Yet it served as a reminder of an often invisible population — one that, in light of recent studies showing that in almost no place in the United States can a person working a week at minimum wage afford a apartment at fair market rent, seems destined to increase. Home and homecoming were a theme at Billy Reid’s show Monday evening, held in the Cellar of the Beekman hotel, a chic nestled in the financial district, whose tall structures and windy streets on a cold winter night evoked the “cathedral of Januaries” Frank O’Hara wrote about in “Avenue A. ” The moody, elliptical O’Hara poem was recited at the show by the Tony actor Alex Sharp to a room full of guests eager to welcome Mr. Reid on his return to the New York fashion fold. “It’s good to be here,” the designer said to the crowd, referring to a period when he sat out the show cycle. And if it is good, indeed, to have the genial Southerner around again, that has less to do with the largely generic designs he presented in a collection inspired, he said, by the Beats (though some elements were more reminiscent of the stuff he used to design for the golfer Greg Norman) than because of his steady and grounding presence in a sometimes shaky industry. Also, he gives a good party. For the last eight summers, Mr. Reid has staged a festival of music, food, drinks and fashion in Florence, Ala. and on Monday, he gathered around him friends from many realms, including the musicians Winston Marshall and the Watson Twins. “Conceptually, it’s about people sharing their talents and inspiring each other,” Mr. Reid said. He also brought in the blues musician Cedric Burnside to offer his rendition of “Love Her ’Til I Die,” along with Karen Elson, the luminous British model turned Nashville singer, who took to a microphone with a tune from her new album, “Double Roses,” as models of both sexes ambled through the crowd. Even without the abundant bourbon, Mr. Reid’s show would surely have had the loose, homey quality of a party you hope will keep going. In this case it did. When it ended, the subterranean space at the Beekman became the “Speakeasy,” and those who didn’t have an early call the next morning stayed on, dancing to the music of a jazz band, Billy and the Rock Bottoms, and a D. J. set by Mr. Marshall. It can almost be predicted that unpredictable pairings will pop up during men’s week, which comes to a close Thursday night, and this one was no exception. Mr. Reid was inspired by the Beats, and so, too, somehow, was Steve Aoki, a star D. J. whose Dim Mak line of clothes, new to New York, has in only four seasons become a hit in Japan. “I wanted to embody the roots of what all that came from,” Mr. Aoki said in an interview Monday morning at the Roxy Hotel, referring to the punk music he listened to during his college days at the University of California, Santa Barbara. By Mr. Aoki’s reckoning, the lineage of the punk musicians he worshiped (“I almost fell to my knees when I met Jello Biafra,” he said of the Dead Kennedys singer) began with an “upstart hippie movement” that had its counterculture origins in the Beats. “Music is my breadwinner, but fashion is my creative outlet,” said Mr. Aoki, who, in an attempt to be disruptive (though “not obvious”) used quotes from and images of William S. Burroughs throughout his collection. Happily, Mr. Aoki’s music career is thriving since his debut outing at New York Fashion Week: Men’s was paid for from his own pocket. “It’s terrifying to me to show this to critics,” Mr. Aoki said, “but I accept that there are people that won’t accept me. ” His response to that hurdle, he said, is “to just go for it. ” He needn’t have worried. Not only was the Dim Mak collection of pink hoodies, oversize coats and khakis, and jackets printed with details from paintings by Mr. Aoki’s good friend, the artist (and early Facebook shareholder) David Choe, creditable on a design level, but the presentation itself made for one of the better shows in recent recollection. Having constructed two halfpipes in a large studio at Skylight Clarkson North in Lower Manhattan, the event space for most of the New York Fashion Week: Men’s shows, Mr. Aoki cast 20 local skateboarders to model the collection as they dropped in and did tricks at breakneck speed. With shirttails or coattails flying, skaters like Jazz Leeb, Caleb Yuan, Shane Medanich and Manu Kondo (the sole woman) barreled and spun and rotated across the ramps with, in the background, Mr. Choe and his band, Mangchi, blaring away at volume. Backstage after his turn on the ramp, the skateboarder Jordan Zoscak hooted and Dean Mendez, another athlete. “We nailed it!” Mr. Zoscak said. And it’s true. They did.

Re: Can’t make this up: Michael Moore is pissed that his anti-Trump movie might help elect Donald Trump

Tileus

Can’t make this up: Michael Moore is pissed that his anti-Trump movie might help elect Donald Trump Posted at 7:38 am on October 27, 2016 by Greg P. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter This is really one of the funnier things we’ve seen this election. Michael Moore has a new anti-Trump movie out called “TrumpLand,” but it’s a 4-minute clip of the movie where Moore makes the case for why Donald Trump will win that’s being shared right now by pro-Trump forces and that has the portly filmmaker all out of sorts. For example, Donald Jr. told all of his followers to watch it on Wednesday: Hey everyone – Trump, Jr. & right wing thinks my movie called "TrumpLand" is pro-Trump! Haha. Pls don't tell them otherwise! #satire #irony pic.twitter.com/difR93uzTg — Michael Moore (@MMFlint) October 26, 2016 Trump comms guy Jason Miller thinks it’s a “must-see”, too: Michael Moore must-see (not a typo) – disagree on many issues, but he speaks with conviction and clarity here: " https://t.co/Z1mU96doRZ " — Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) October 26, 2016 Whoops!

For Democrats, Anthony Weiner Makes an Unwelcome Return - The New York Times

Maggie Haberman and Alexander Burns

Carolyn B. Maloney, a congresswoman from the Upper East Side, was riding in a taxi on Friday when she heard the news: Emails discovered in an investigation into Anthony D. Weiner’s sexting had revived the F. B. I. ’s interest in the case of Hillary Clinton’s private server. “I said: ‘Oh, no, not this, not happening now,’” she said. And then Ms. Maloney’s thoughts turned to Mr. Weiner. “I can’t stand him — even before this,” Ms. Maloney said. On the West Coast, John L. Burton, the chairman of the California Democratic Party, informed of Mr. Weiner’s inadvertent intrusion into the election on Friday evening, let loose an emphatic expletive. “We’re still talking about that guy during a presidential election?” Mr. Burton fumed, using a profane word instead of “guy. ” Weiner — the name became almost a curse word among senior Democrats over the past two days, as the disgraced congressman unexpectedly surfaced in the final stretch of the presidential contest. The news resurrected memories of previous Weiner scandals. “He is like a recurring nightmare,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton. “It’s like one of those ‘Damien’ movies — it’s like every time you think he’s dead, he keeps coming again. ” The fury that many leading Democrats feel toward Mr. Weiner had been building for years. His sexting habits embarrassed them. His attempted political comeback in 2013 disgusted them. But their high regard for his wife, Huma Abedin, always kept them from going public. On Friday that was over. Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers and an influential Clinton supporter, said she had long held her tongue out of “enormous respect and love” for Ms. Abedin. But Ms. Weingarten said Mr. Weiner’s treatment of women demanded forceful censure. “I don’t care who it is, no one should be a sexual predator,” Ms. Weingarten said. “I think we all have to take a stand about that, and I think what’s happening now is that people are. ” Mr. Weiner, who lost his seat in Congress and his mayoral hopes after repeated episodes in which he sent lewd messages to women, is now under federal investigation for allegedly sending sexual messages to a girl in North Carolina. In that inquiry, the F. B. I. this month seized a laptop that contained thousands of messages belonging to Ms. Abedin, a top aide to Mrs. Clinton. The F. B. I. director, James B. Comey, told Congress on Friday that investigators will now review those messages for possible relevance to the Clinton inquiry, news that rattled the Clinton campaign and stung her supporters. For some, the development touched off more worry than anger: former President Bill Clinton, who learned of the news en route to his last event of the day, in Pennsylvania, fretted that it would draw hostile attention to Ms. Abedin, according to a person familiar with his thinking. Around the country, former aides to Mr. Weiner, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, traded emails and texts throughout the weekend, fuming at the “collateral damage” inflicted by their onetime boss. Mr. Weiner did not respond to an email seeking comment. Mrs. Clinton’s campaign has largely ignored Mr. Weiner’s connection so far, and has instructed campaign surrogates to avoid discussing his role. But amid fears that Mr. Weiner’s behavior might undermine the party in a critical election, Democrats — especially in his native New York — said that perhaps they had given Mr. Weiner too many second chances over the years, and given him too much latitude out of deference to Ms. Abedin. Beyond New York, there was a sense of disbelief that one former lawmaker, whose memorable surname and lewd online habits made him a staple of comedy, could disrupt the election of an American president. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. in an interview with CNN, blurted out, “Oh, God,” at the mention of Mr. Weiner’s name. He added, “I’m not a big fan. ” But Mr. Weiner has been a figure of consternation in Democratic politics for years, in New York and nationally, regarded simultaneously as a sharp political mind and a man of striking immaturity and ambition. With a gift for combat on cable television, Mr. Weiner repeatedly forced himself to the fore of Democratic politics, despite being seen by many in the party as too clever by half, too boastful about his intelligence — and too hungry for attention from reporters and women. A 2001 story in Vanity Fair captured Mr. Weiner, then unmarried, leering at congressional interns while presenting himself as an salesman. When Mr. Weiner explored a campaign for mayor in 2009, aides to Michael R. Bloomberg, who was seeking a third term, highlighted media coverage of his support for legislation making it easier for foreign models to get approval for visas. “We had a sense of who he was,” said Bradley Tusk, who was campaign manager for Mr. Bloomberg. “He knew exactly who he was. ” Also before the same election, Senator Chuck Schumer, for whom Mr. Weiner once worked, privately expressed frustration that Mr. Weiner was insufficiently interested in substance, telling one aide: “It’s all political ricochet. ” The senator is said to have made his peace with Mr. Weiner’s problems long ago. But Mr. Schumer is in line to lead Senate Democrats next year, and any damage from Mr. Weiner’s latest scandal could impede the party’s quest for a majority. Still, he won the lasting appreciation of Mrs. Clinton during the 2008 election, defending her in fashion during a difficult primary against Barack Obama. And Mr. Weiner’s marriage to Ms. Abedin, in 2010, seemed to install him permanently among party elites — whatever their reservations about his company. So tied into the party’s power brokers was he, by marriage, that when Mr. Weiner sought to resurrect his political career with a bid for mayor in 2013, numerous Democratic donors cut checks to his campaign at Ms. Abedin’s urging. John P. Coale, a wealthy lawyer supportive of Mrs. Clinton, said many donors gave money to Mr. Weiner out of friendship with Ms. Abedin. But Mr. Coale said the 2013 race, which brought new revelations of more sexting, had been exasperating. “It was just too much for everybody,” Mr. Coale said. “And now, it’s out of the park. Come on. ” Bill Hyers, a Democratic strategist who managed Mayor Bill de Blasio’s campaign that year, said the party establishment had erred by allowing Mr. Weiner “a second breath of life. ” “They knew he was a narcissist who was massively flawed,” Mr. Hyers said. “And now we’re all still stuck with him. ” Among Democrats who shunned Mr. Weiner from the start, there was little joy at the apparent vindication of their judgment. Sarah Kovner, a major Democratic donor, said there was less concern that injuries might cost Mrs. Clinton the election, than sheer frustration that a known bad seed had created such endless tumult. “We basically never wanted to have anything to do with him,” Ms. Kovner said of herself and her husband, Victor Kovner. “ too wise for himself, too glib, too full of himself — that’s how we felt about him. ” While predicting Mr. Weiner’s latest scandal would not doom Mrs. Clinton’s presidential hopes, Ms. Kovner sighed: “It is more pain. ”

In a Big Hole for a Detroit House, but Happy - The New York Times

Ron Lieber

DETROIT — Many residents of areas entertain the dream, at least occasionally: Give up the rent or mortgage grind, liquidate assets and start over someplace cheaper, perhaps one that could use a few spirited new residents. Amy Haimerl and her husband, Karl Kaebnick, fell hard for Detroit and thought they could make their own dream of financial freedom come true when they moved here in 2013. But this is what happened: They put more than $400, 000 (including all of their retirement savings) into a home in the city’s West Village neighborhood that was most recently appraised at just $300, 000. They claim, however, to be 100 percent satisfied and genuinely happy. Which raises a question: Are they insane? Ms. Haimerl’s book about their migration and renovation adventure, “Detroit Hustle,” will be out on May 3. It’s a love song sung to a house and a city, but it’s also a money memoir, one marked by ignorance at the outset and a triumph of feelings over financial facts. It does not end in ruin, but it does end in debt. So let’s start with those facts. Ms. Haimerl, who is 40, and Mr. Kaebnick, 44, had about $10, 000 in liquid assets when they decided to move. They settled on a house on a block where only two homes were boarded up. They bought the smaller one, a wreck with no wires or radiators or doors or pipes, for $35, 000, liquidating Ms. Haimerl’s retirement account to close without a mortgage. “There is essentially nothing left inside the walls,” she writes in her book. “What we have is a pile of bricks with character. ” For the renovation, they were counting on the $110, 000 that would be left from Mr. Kaebnick’s accounts. The previous owners had figured it would take $150, 000 or so to make it habitable. What could go wrong? Well, the couple was missing two crucial bits of knowledge, one about the Detroit market and the other about themselves. First, they realized only after they had bought the house that there were no construction loans available. That was because there wasn’t any evidence that after renovation, homes like theirs would be worth more than what it would cost to fix them. So whatever work the couple wanted to do, they would have to pay for it themselves. Then, they could try to get a mortgage after the work was done and take out cash to repay any other debts they incurred along the way. And it turned out that there were a lot of those debts, in part because the couple misjudged the amount of work they would need and want to do. They started by looking at options for doing just $100, 000 of work, but that might have forced them to move in without any water. The only contractor who made them feel comfortable figured it would take $300, 000. He went to work, and they ended up spending $400, 000 total, not including the purchase price. You’ve heard versions of this story before, but the specifics here involved a balcony from a crumbling church that made incredible wainscoting but begged for matching custom woodwork and installation that eventually cost $65, 000. So they borrowed $75, 000 from Ms. Haimerl’s father and $40, 000 from her grandparents and aunt. Mr. Kaebnick’s family chipped in with kitchen appliances in lieu of a wedding or a gift, and the rest came from a $25, 000 Lending Club loan, $50, 000 in USAA personal loans and some credit card debt. The result is by no means extravagant, though it is a lot of space for two people with no designs on having children. The interior trim is bare, and the house still needs paint in many rooms. It’s missing a porch, and the garage out back is crumbling. On paper, Ms. Haimerl is about the last person you would expect to go all in like this. She grew up poor and lost a house to a foreclosure in Denver several years ago, when a previous relationship disintegrated. She has even worked as a personal finance editor. The money scold in me believes she should have known better, but she believes she knows plenty. “As a contractor’s daughter, I grew up with men who want to do it right,” she said. “You don’t skimp on work now because you pay for it later. ” So they shored up the roof and rebuilt the rear of the structure. Then, there is her take on retirement. Her father had $75, 000 to lend to her because he had been forced to liquidate a business that he built after the family’s earlier lean years. “I never grew up with any idea that there would be retirement,” she said. “You were trying not to go to a payday lender. My dad’s retirement was supposed to be the business. ” Ms. Haimerl is a writer and Mr. Kaebnick is a computer programmer, and perhaps they can work well into their 70s or 80s. In the meantime, their net worth is negative. They did get a mortgage after the work was done, and the appraiser assigned the $300, 000 value to their home, a triumph in their neighborhood at the time. They pulled most of that money out in a mortgage to repay many of their other debts and write a giant check to their contractor, Calvin Garfield. They still owe him about $80, 000, but aspiring Detroit residents should not expect loose terms if they come to town. “I’m confident other contractors would not have made the same call,” Mr. Garfield said. “But I do think everyone we have done business with has become a friend, and in that mix of things, this seemed to be the right thing to do. ” The couple desperately wants to repay him, and because their income is just over $100, 000, they expect to do so sooner rather than later. Ms. Haimerl freelances, and they have an Airbnb side business going using some of that 3, 000 square feet. For just $65 a night, aspiring Detroit residents can soak up plenty of advice and bear witness to the kind of house that a lot of money and worry can buy. But how best to explain away their lack of retirement savings? Plenty of people who sank their life savings into real estate in less desirable parts of Brooklyn or San Francisco a decade or two ago are probably thrilled. So is that how they think about the money they have put into their Detroit dream? That they bet on a city instead of a bunch of stocks? “We have gotten about talking that way,” Ms. Haimerl said. “People here say, ‘How dare you treat our city like an investment. ’” Mr. Kaebnick said he understood the sentiment. “So many people who stuck it out here for so long never had anything to show for it,” he said. “To them, we might come across as privileged newcomers who are going to ride it to the bank. ” In fact, they are true believers who love the city enough to go all in and then some. Others have found their own way of demonstrating their commitment to the city, and at least one of them, Drew Philp, is writing his own book about the house he bought for $500 and fixed up without borrowing anything. His BuzzFeed story about the experience describes the two winters he had without much, if any, heat, among many other unsettling experiences. Families without the means for $400, 000 investments or the fortitude to see their breath indoors can buy houses that have electricity and running water for half that amount or less. And a new program called Detroit Home Mortgage aims to make it possible for people to get loans before they start their renovations. In the meantime, Ms. Haimerl and Mr. Kaebnick have not found financial freedom in Detroit, though they insist that they are so much richer for having moved. In a poignant moment early in her book, Ms. Haimerl describes gazing longingly into a window in a newly gentrified Denver neighborhood, before her dream of homeownership there turned into a nightmare. The living room looked like luxury, a place where the residents weren’t constantly hustling to hold things together. Aspiring homeowners in Detroit may well walk down her street someday soon, see her through the window and wonder how she had it so good. Would they be jealous? Should they be? “I thought maybe that once you were inside the window, you didn’t have to hustle,” she said. “But the truth is, we’re all hustling. ”

Dem Wingnut James Carville Melts Down, Says 'KGB' Controls FBI - Edmund Kozak

People over profits Dem Wingnut James Carville Melts Down, Says 'KGB' Controls FBI The Democratic strategist calls reopened Clinton probe an 'attack' on American democracy in a MSNBC tantrum PoliZette Famed Democratic strategist James Carville may be the first Clinton surrogate to have officially lost his mind over the FBI’s decision to reopen its investigation into Clinton’s private email server. In an appearance on MSNBC on Monday, Carville relentlessly — and repeatedly — attacked the FBI’s decision to reopen the investigation, asserting it is part of a conspiracy to subvert American democracy. Apparently the fact that the Soviet security agency was disbanded in 1991 does not preclude its involvement in this vast, anti-Clinton, FBI-organized conspiracy, according to Carville. Poor Carville was clearly apoplectic at the news of Comey’s announcement, describing it as an assault or attack on American democracy multiple times.“This is in effect an attempt to hijack an election,” Carville claimed. “It’s unprecedented … the House Republicans and the KGB are trying to influence our democracy,” he said. He was also adamant about who was responsible. “Comey was acting in concert and coordination with the House Republicans,” Carville said. “We also have the extraordinary case of the KGB being involved in this race and selectively leaking things from the Clinton campaign that they hacked,” he added. Carville was very upset that Comey's announcement thrust Clinton's behavior back into the spotlight. "It would seem to me that the FBI shouldn't be getting rolled by the House Republicans, that's what happened here — there's nothing else that's going on — and in the meantime … democracy is under assault by the KGB," he said. "To me that's something we ought to be talking about." Unfortunately for Carville, fanciful tales about time-traveling Soviet spies and an FBI in the GOP's pocket certainly make for interesting entertainment — but they pale in importance to the real-life stories of Clinton's brazen lawlessness. When the MSNBC anchor dared raise the fact that Democrats were praising Comey only a few months ago when he announced the FBI's decision not to recommend indictment, Carville went into a stuttering, sputtering fit. "When the facts change I change my mind," Carville said. "Why are you defending this, why are you sitting here as American democracy is under assault?" he asked. "This is an unprecedented event that was done on behalf of the House Republicans," Carville repeated. "And as we know the KGB is all over this election and this is what we are talking about? We ought to be talking about [how] our democracy is under assault right now and what we are going to do about it, not [what somebody said in July] about James Comey."

Burnt homes and broken promises: the Jungle evicted

Rowan Wolf

[Graphic: Calais street scene by Harriet Paintin of Bow and Brush .] =By= Harriet Paintin and Hannah Kirmes-Daly Editor's Note The news of the destruction of the Calais refugee camp, known as “The Jungle”, has been pointed to by many as part of the hardening of European hearts to the terrible plight of refugees who have made it to their shores. It is relatively easy to make appropriate noises and go on with one’s life, but add a visual component and what remains is much more haunting. This can be particularly true with an artiti’s hand in the mix for his or her feelings and impressions are carried forward and the painting (or sculpture, or sometimes photograph) places us as a surrogate in that place and time. This clearly happens with this article so read at your own risk … and I hope you will. L ast week saw the brutal destruction of the Calais Jungle, Europe’s largest unregulated refugee camp and home to around 10,000 people who have built communities, collective solidarity and even an autonomous economy. The eviction of the camp yet again calls into question Europe’s asylum policy as refugees who have fled war, persecution and destruction once again witnessed their homes and community spaces razed to the ground, this time as part of a “humanitarian effort”. French authorities declared on Wednesday that the camp was empty, but hundreds of people — including unaccompanied minors — remain in an incredibly precarious position, sleeping rough and at risk of arrest. Unlike most refugee camps in Europe where food and facilities are provided by authorities, the Jungle evolved as a relatively autonomous entity, more like a shanty town than a camp. Restaurants, shops, barber shops and community spaces lined the muddy high street, which served not only as small commercial enterprises, but also as spaces of collective solidarity where people would gather, share information and build their community. Without these networks of support, the experience of being a refugee is infinitely more isolating and confusing. The Day Before the Eviction The day before the eviction a tense, uneasy mood settled among the residents of the Jungle, many of whom decided to leave on their own terms. Rather than giving up their autonomy and freedom for a place on one of the state provided buses to “Healthcare and Advice Clinics” (CAOs) and detention centers across the country, they left before they could be forced to leave, traveling to Paris, Marseille, anywhere they might have friends or hope of finding shelter. In one of the few restaurants which remained open, people attempted to keep a brave face as they spent the last day among friends with whom they had spent the last few months, years even. Some were resigned to whatever might happen the next day, throwing out light hearted comments to disguise their apprehension, “we’re not scared of the police! We’re Afghan, the police should be scared of us!” A young married couple had only just heard the news of the eviction; they were frantically trying to work out how they could avoid the risks of separation, of detention, and of becoming locked into the French asylum system which is already crumbling in its own inadequacy to provide aid, security and safety to the vulnerable. Aged just 18 and 20 years old, they had traveled together from Eritrea, fleeing the horrors of dictatorship and indefinite military conscription, in search of safety and a life worth living. “I just want a safe place for my wife. We want to build a life together; we can’t live in camps anymore, relying on the state for tiny handouts and waiting in line for food,” exclaimed the young man. The only reassurance they received from a British volunteer was that, as Eritreans, they face little chance of deportation as Europe has finally recognized that Eritrea is an unsafe country, unlike Afghanistan. A middle-aged Afghani man who had been listening in on the conversation interjected at this point, “who says Afghanistan is safe?! You ask your governments how Afghanistan can be safe, while drones and bombs fall from the sky, who sent them?! While your soldiers patrol our villages, who sent them?! Who is responsible for Al-Qaeda, for the Taliban?! Tell me!” Afghanis comprise a significant proportion of the Jungle’s residents. In light of a recent EU agreement with Afghanistan which means that European aid money is dependent on the Afghani government agreeing to accept 80,000 deportees, Afghanis stand little chance of being granted asylum in Europe. This man highlighted the painful contradiction felt by so many in the Jungle, that the nations responsible for so much of the violence in their country turn them away when they seek protection. So many have already had their asylum cases denied in various European countries and now expect to be deported. Their long journeys of flight and hope will end right back where they started. The high street, once a buzzing center of activity, was deserted; the closed shops, restaurants and barber shops reduced to empty shells with broken windows lining a muddy street. The police perimeter was already firmly in place, a man cycling past with plastic bags of clothes was pulled over and interrogated. “It’s just clothes! Nothing else,” he insisted as the policeman in full riot gear roughly pulled out the contents of the bags, revealing just clothes, nothing else. Misinformation and Confusion French authorities claimed that 7,500 beds had been made available, that a simple registration procedure would see people onto buses to transport them to three CAOs across the country, or possibly detention centers. Three different lines for single men, families, and minors, marked out by pictograms. This registration would take place on October 24 and 25, with the demolishment of the camp scheduled for the 25th. Women’s protest ( Harriet Paintin ) This information had been made available far too late to be translated and transmitted to the many languages and residents of the Jungle, meaning that Monday morning began with an overwhelming sense of chaos, disorganization and misinformation that would come to characterize the following days. Scarce scraps of information were filtered down through various organizations on the ground and painstakingly analyzed by everyone, volunteers and refugees alike, in an attempt to understand what was happening. As Clouchard states, “misinformation is to democracy what propaganda agencies are to totalitarian states”. In the context of this eviction the lack of information felt like not just an organizational slip-up, but a deliberate attempt to misinform and mislead people. In the confusion that ensued, people were unable to take balanced, well-informed and empowered decision about their futures; instead, they were herded onto buses that they didn’t even know the destination of. At one point, volunteers tried to hand out maps, to enable refugees to decide between the three locations that were supposed to be on offer to them. Officials shouted back, “this is not allowed, people don’t have a choice, don’t give them a map!” The Registration Process Calais police registration lines ( Harriet Paintin ) With a heavy media and police presence the mood was subdued and access was restricted to accredited media (500 people) and a handful of volunteer organizations. Inside, people packed up their homes and belongings in the cold, gray morning light and headed towards the police lines for registration. The long line of unaccompanied minors waited for their futures to be determined by one woman peering into their face for about 30 seconds to decide if they were under 18. Inside the Jungle however, far from the complete chaos which everyone had been expecting, there were pockets of relative normality as those who did not want to take the buses busied themselves with their daily lives, cooking lunch for their children, playing guitar. As for the official demolition, the police cordoned off a tiny section of the camp and invited journalists to watch as they carefully dismantled it. When the real demolition began the following day all access to the high look-out point in the camp was restricted to journalists, where they would have been able to see the bulldozers and cranes destroying houses, and countless fires breaking out across the camp. Jungle house on fire ( Harriet Paintin ) One of the most noticeable homes on fire was a beautifully constructed two-story building complete with a terrace. The inhabitants had set the house on fire themselves as a symbol of protest; they did not want their home and their memories to be destroyed at the hands of the police. As the smoke climbed into the sky, they laughed and reminisced about their past years in the Jungle. Only three people of a community of more than twenty were left, everybody else had already left, to Paris, to flats in Calais; not a single one was planning on taking the bus. In the midst of this dehumanizing chaos there were several moments of resistance like this where people, for a brief moment at least, were able to take control of their situation and express discontent. Faced with extreme police repression and no individual rights, these actions were incredibly powerful. Individuals carried flags of their home nations up and down the line of policemen who stood stoic and expressionless in their riot gear. The women of the camp, so infrequently visible that their presence has even at times been doubted, organized themselves and protested against their treatment, calling out for “safety and dignity for all women! Underage, overage, we’re all the same! In [camps in] Paris we sleep on the streets!” The Fire At about 3am on Wednesday morning a huge fire started, burning all the homes and possessions left behind. A fire which quickly spread out of control throughout the camp and razed it to the ground, leaving the high street looking like a devastated ghost town. Later, the registration area quickly descended into chaos as people were told that the last buses were leaving that afternoon. The line for minors closed early and hundreds were told to come back the next day. In the midst of this chaos and confusion the destruction of the camp continued in full force as the bulldozers and cranes moved in. Calais Jungle burning scene ( Harriet Paintin ) “It’s exactly like the scenes we have run away from, it’s just like watching our homes being burnt by the rebel forces” gasped one young man from Sudan as he gazed upon the desolation and destruction before him. After the last buses departed, the French authorities and some media outlets reported that the camp had been cleared and the eviction was a success, ignoring the hundreds left behind. Having been turned away by the authorities for the third day running, children were ordered back into a Jungle which by this time had become an apocalyptic scene of burning buildings, toxic smoke, exploding gas canisters. They had nowhere else to go but the streets, with no information about what options are open to them, if any. This eviction may have been dressed up as a “humanitarian effort” but the blatant contradictions between the official line of events and the reality on the ground reveals gaping fault-lines in Europe’s refugee policies. With unaccompanied minors left sleeping on the street, then by no stretch of the imagination has this been a successful operation. Rather, this is nothing but a complete failure on behalf of the authorities who are responsible for their protection. If the eviction was planned with the best interests of the Jungle residents in mind, then it would have worked out in a different way. There has been a refugee camp in Calais since the early 1990s, and after each eviction people have returned to rebuild. Long term residents of the Jungle believe that there is nothing that the authorities can do to stop people coming and trying to reach the UK; they are confident that before long, small camps will spring up again, but without the facilities and systems of mutual cooperation and aid that people have built in the Jungle their survival will be even more precarious. Harriet Paintin is a freelance writer and musician, and Hannah Kirmes-Daly is a freelance reportage illustrator. They work together on documenting individual stories through art and music, focusing on refugee stories. Follow them at brushandbow.com. Note to Commenters Due to severe hacking attacks in the recent past that brought our site down for up to 11 days with considerable loss of circulation, we exercise extreme caution in the comments we publish, as the comment box has been one of the main arteries to inject malicious code. Because of that comments may not appear immediately, but rest assured that if you are a legitimate commenter your opinion will be published within 24 hours. If your comment fails to appear, and you wish to reach us directly, send us a mail at: editor@greanvillepost.com We apologize for this inconvenience. Nauseated by the Had enough of their lies, escapism, omissions and relentless manipulation?

Doctor Finds New Life As A Clown More Fulfilling | GomerBlog

Tweet Pediatrician Jim Smith is thrilled with his new career as a professional Clown. He specializes in children’s birthday parties but has the skill set to perform at kindergarten graduations as well. “Leaving the hospital was the best thing I’ve ever done. Can I say that again?” said an elated Dr. Jim Smith. Dr. Jim Smith first became interested in becoming a Clown after suffering from extreme burnout. Catalysts included helicopter Moms, antivax Jenny Mccarthy supporters, and the general stress of saving the world. After dealing with one particularly overbearing soccer mom, he stormed out of the office ranting, “**** this noise; I can’t take this horse**** anymore!” and never returned. Using obscenities for the first time felt nothing short of liberating. Dr. Jim Smith’s new lifestyle is entirely different from the clinic he used to work at. Previously, he woke up at 6am sharp but now he rolls out of bed in the neighborhood of 11:30am to ensure he is prompt for lunchtime birthday contracts. “I take my responsibilities very seriously,” said Dr. Jim Smith proudly. After a solid hour of challenging work, he practices his Downward Dog poses. In spite of all the Clown perks, Jim has admittedly taken a rather large pay cut. As a pediatrician, the Doctor made $200,000.00 per year. Now he makes $17,500.00 a year if fully booked and tipped generously. However, Dr. Jim Smith says that eating Ramen noodles with his wife and kids is definitely worth the consistent joy he experiences performing slapstick routines. “Freedom really has no price tag,” said Clown Jim Smith. Dr. Jim Smith’s favorite part of the job is showcasing his balloon skills. “Even though the kids cry sometimes, they don’t die,” he stated enthusiastically. Creating these balloon animals has proved to be significantly more meaningful than diagnosing heart defects. Dr. Jim Smith sleeps soundly knowing the nurses aren’t “hunting (him) down like cattle.” Instead, parents and children alike watch him smile and laugh as if he’s the greatest entertainer in the world. He even gets to wear a red nose! And doing mime is endlessly entertaining and unpredictable too. Dr. Jim Smith’s old colleagues have inquired what degree is needed to become a Clown. They’ve also expressed curiosity as to whether it is a high demand skill. Dr. Jim Smith’s only regret is that he didn’t become a Clown sooner. 315 Shares

Betsy DeVos’s Education Hearing Erupts Into Partisan Debate - The New York Times

Kate Zernike and Yamiche Alcindor

WASHINGTON — At her confirmation hearing on Tuesday to be education secretary, Betsy DeVos vigorously defended her work steering taxpayer dollars from traditional public schools, arguing that it was time to move away from a “one size fits all” system and toward newer models for students from preschool to college. The hearing quickly became a heated and partisan debate that reflected the nation’s political divide on how best to spend public money in education. Republicans applauded Ms. DeVos’s work to expand charter schools and school vouchers, which give families public funds to help pay tuition at private schools. Democrats criticized her for wanting to “privatize” public education and pushed her, unsuccessfully, to support making public colleges and universities . Ms. DeVos, a billionaire with a complex web of investments, including in companies that stand to win or lose from federal education policy, was the first nominee of Donald J. Trump to have a Senate hearing without completing an ethics review on how she planned to avoid conflicts of interest. Democrats pointed out that in the past, Republicans had insisted that no hearings be conducted before those reviews were complete. Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee and chairman of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, limited the questioning to one round of five minutes for each senator, prompting howls from Democrats, who noted that previous hearings had included two rounds of questions. “It suggests that this committee is trying to protect this nominee from scrutiny,” said Senator Christopher S. Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut. With time limited, Democrats confronted Ms. DeVos with questions, demanding that she explain her family’s contributions to groups that support conversion therapy for gay people her donations to Republicans and their causes, which she agreed totaled about $200 million over the years her past statements that government “sucks” and that public schools are a “dead end” and the poor performance of charter schools in Detroit, where she resisted legislation that would have blocked chronically failing charter schools from expanding. Under questioning, Ms. DeVos said it would be “premature” to say whether she would continue the Obama administration’s policy requiring uniform reporting standards for sexual assaults on college campuses. She told Mr. Murphy, whose constituents include families whose children were killed in the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, that it should be “left to locales” to decide whether guns are allowed in schools, and that she supported Mr. Trump’s call to ban zones around schools. She also denied that she had personally supported conversion therapy. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts pressed Ms. DeVos on how she could oversee the Education Department, the largest provider of student loans, given that she had no experience running a large bureaucracy and that neither she nor her children had ever taken out a student loan. “So you have no personal experience with college financial aid?” Ms. Warren asked. Ms. DeVos, who did not attend public schools or send her children to public schools, argued that vouchers and charter schools were simply a way of offering poor parents the kind of school choice that wealthy parents have long been able to afford. She described a visit she and her husband, an heir to the Amway fortune, made to a Christian school in her hometown, Grand Rapids, Mich. as a turning point in her career as a school choice advocate. “We saw the struggles and sacrifices many of these families faced when trying to choose the best educational option for their children,” she said. “For me, this was not just an issue of public policy but of national injustice. ” But Democrats said research showed that voucher programs had done little to raise achievement among poor students. Senator Patty Murray of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the committee, asked Ms. DeVos, “Can you commit to us that you will not work to privatize public schools or cut a single penny from public education?” Ms. DeVos began to demur, saying that “not all schools are working for the students that are assigned to them” and that she would work to find “common ground” to give parents “options. ” “I take that as not being willing to commit to not privatizing public education,” Ms. Murray said. Mr. Alexander, himself a former education secretary, argued that Ms. DeVos’s support of charter schools and vouchers put her in the “mainstream” of public opinion, and that her critics were outside it. He noted that charter schools, which are publicly funded but typically run independently of local school districts and teachers’ unions, have been supported by Republican and Democratic presidents going back to Bill Clinton. Democrats, however, argued that Ms. DeVos’s support went well beyond charter schools, to include the more contentious policy of sending public money to private and religious schools. “Charter schools are not the issue here,” said Senator Al Franken of Minnesota, where Democrats pushed the nation’s first law allowing charter schools nearly three decades ago. He noted that 37 states prohibit the use of public dollars for religious schools. One Republican, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, expressed concern about Ms. DeVos’s enthusiasm for school choice — a moot point for many of her constituents, given the vastness of her state. “When there is no way to get to an alternative option for your child, the best parent is left relying on a public school system that they demand to be there for their kids,” she said, asking Ms. DeVos to ensure that her commitment to traditional public education was as “strong and robust” as her passion for school choice.

Rafael Nadal Wins a Marathon to Set Up a Final With Roger Federer - The New York Times

Ben Rothenberg

MELBOURNE, Australia — Rafael Nadal completed a slate of throwback singles finals at the Australian Open, beating Grigor Dimitrov, (5) (4) in a battle of 4 hours 56 minutes that started Friday evening and ended at 12:44 Saturday morning. In Sunday’s final, Nadal, 30, will face his longtime rival Roger Federer, 35, a nostalgic counterpoint to the women’s championship match between Venus Williams, 36, and Serena Williams, 35. Nadal and Federer have not met in a Grand Slam final since the 2011 French Open. Against Dimitrov, Nadal saved three break points in a tightly fought fifth set, including two at . With a backhand winner down the line, he earned the crucial break in the next game to go up by and serve for the match. On Nadal’s third match point, Dimitrov’s final backhand landed long to end a rally, and Nadal fell to the ground in relief. “Difficult to describe the emotions,” he said in his interview. “First of all, I was tired. ” That last point was emblematic of how the Nadal managed to outlast the Dimitrov, time and again showing his superior physicality in the longest exchanges. The two were more evenly matched on shorter points, but of the 64 points that lasted nine or more shots, Nadal won 39. Dimitrov, 25, had reached only one previous Grand Slam semifinal, at Wimbledon in 2014, but he rarely seemed daunted by the occasion. Already to start the year and a title in Brisbane to his name, Dimitrov frequently displayed improved power and consistency in the match, even as it wore on into the fifth set, striking 79 winners to 45 for Nadal. But he could not match Nadal’s ability to turn defense into offense few can. Dimitrov’s backhand was particularly exposed by Nadal’s attacks and counted for the majority of his forced and unforced errors. “It’s never easy to lose a match like that,” Dimitrov said. “I’m happy, though, with a lot of things. I’m going to stay positive and keep my head up high. For sure, Rafa deserves pretty much all the credit right now since he’s such a fighter, such a competitor. At the same time it was an honor for me to play a match like that against him. It also shows me that I’m in a good way, I’m on the right path. ” Nadal started the match with dominant serving, winning 90 percent of points on his serve in the first set. But in the second set, Nadal dropped serve three times and Dimitrov twice. Dimitrov, former player who tumbled to 40th last summer, held firm after Nadal won the third set in a tiebreaker. Neither player faced a break point in the fourth set, won by Dimitrov in another tiebreaker. Nadal, a major champion, last reached a Grand Slam final at the 2014 French Open, which he won. He last reached a final in Melbourne earlier that year, losing to Stan Wawrinka. Nadal has missed large stretches of competition in recent years because of various injuries, including a wrist ailment that forced him out of the French Open and Wimbledon last year. “I never, ever dreamed to be back in a final of the Australian Open, the second tournament of the year, after a lot of months without competing,” Nadal said on the court after the match. “But here I am, and I feel lucky, and I feel very, very happy. ” Sunday’s match will be the ninth Grand Slam final between Federer and Nadal, and their second here. In their previous one in 2009, Nadal beat Federer, (3) a match perhaps best remembered for Federer’s tearful speech in the trophy ceremony. That final was also preceded by an epic semifinal for Nadal, who needed 5 hours 14 minutes to put away Fernando Verdasco in five sets. Federer, the No. 17 seed, needed five sets Thursday to take his semifinal against Wawrinka, but that match was nearly two hours shorter than Nadal’s win Friday. Nadal has won 23 of 34 matches against Federer, and 9 of 11 meetings at Grand Slam events. Nadal’s 14 Grand Slam titles is second among active players, behind Federer’s 17. Federer has not won a major tournament since Wimbledon in 2012. “It’s special to play with Roger again in a final of a Grand Slam,” Nadal said. “I cannot lie. It’s great. It’s exciting for me, and for both of us, that we’re still there and we’re still fighting for important events. ” The women’s final Saturday night also will feature the two active players with the most Grand Slam singles titles, with the winner Serena Williams meeting her sister, the winner Venus Williams. This is the first Grand Slam tournament in the Open era in which all four singles finalists are 30 or older.

Creepy ‘Liason’ Project Depicts Society’s Reliance On Technology [Photos]

Amanda Froelich

There’s no shortage of artwork depicting the flaws of modern-society, and to be fair, the photos in this series aren’t incredibly unique. However, it might be argued that any reminder to take a break...

Obama Says Republicans Should Withdraw Support for Trump - The New York Times

Michael D. Shear and Nick Corasaniti

WASHINGTON — In an extraordinary denunciation of Donald J. Trump’s temperament and competence, President Obama urged leaders of the Republican Party on Tuesday to withdraw their endorsements of Mr. Trump’s candidacy, flatly calling him “unfit to serve” as the nation’s 45th president. Speaking in the East Room of the White House while Mr. Trump rallied supporters in a nearby Virginia suburb, the president noted the Republican criticism of Mr. Trump for his attacks on the Muslim parents of an American soldier, Capt. Humayun Khan, who died in Iraq. But Mr. Obama said the political recriminations from Republicans “ring hollow” if the party’s leaders continue to support Mr. Trump’s campaign. “The question they have to ask themselves is: If you are repeatedly having to say in very strong terms that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him?” Mr. Obama said. “What does this say about your party that this is your ?” The president’s condemnation of Mr. Trump, and his direct appeal to Republicans to abandon their candidate, were stunning even in a city where politics has become a brutal and personal affair. Mr. Obama seemed eager to go beyond his past interventions in the race, which have included forceful rejections of Mr. Trump’s statements and policy proposals. The last time a sitting president was as openly critical of the other party’s candidate, said Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian, was when President Harry S. Truman mocked Dwight D. Eisenhower during the 1952 campaign. And once Eisenhower was elected, Truman said he did not know “any more about politics than a pig knows about Sunday. ” “It’s a reflection of just how radical and dangerous President Obama feels that Trump is,” Mr. Brinkley said. Using the formal backdrop of a joint news conference with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, Mr. Obama suggested that Mr. Trump would not abide by “norms and rules and common sense” and questioned whether he would “observe basic decency” should he reach the Oval Office. The president said he would have been disappointed to lose in 2008 or 2012, but added that he had never doubted whether his Republican rivals in those races, John McCain and Mitt Romney, could function as president or had the knowledge to make government work. “That’s not the situation here,” Mr. Obama said. As Mr. Obama condemned Mr. Trump, the Republican candidate — apparently unaware of the president’s remarks — repeatedly criticized his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, and the president in an hour of remarks. He called Mrs. Clinton a “liar” and a “thief” and said the country would be “finished” if voters chose four more years of a presidency like Mr. Obama’s. Mr. Trump also accused Mrs. Clinton of repeatedly lying over the weekend when she told Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday” that James B. Comey, the F. B. I. director, had said her statements about her private emails were truthful. “I mean, she lied,” Mr. Trump said, prompting cries of “Lock her up!” from his supporters. “She, pure and simple, she only knows to lie. She really does. She only knows to lie. But she lied, and it’s a big story. ” Mr. Comey, testifying last month to Congress, said that “we have no basis to conclude she lied to the F. B. I. ” But he also said he could not say whether Mrs. Clinton’s many public statements on the issue were truthful. Mr. Trump, in a written statement meant to respond directly to the president’s remarks, called Mrs. Clinton “unfit to serve in any government office. ” He also accused Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton of allowing Americans to be slaughtered in Benghazi, Libya letting veterans die waiting for medical care and releasing immigrants into the United States to kill innocent people. “Our nation has been humiliated abroad and compromised by radical Islam brought onto our shores,” Mr. Trump’s statement said. “We need change now. ” The dueling appearances by the president and the Republican candidate seeking to replace him escalated the heated political rhetoric in a race that had already devolved into a series of personal attacks and character assassinations. Mr. Obama cited Mr. Trump’s reaction to Captain Khan’s parents, Khizr and Ghazala Khan, as a principal reason for his extended remarks. Mr. Trump had criticized the Khans after they honored their son at the Democratic National Convention and urged people to vote for Mrs. Clinton. Mr. Obama lamented what he called an attack on a “Gold Star family that had made such extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our country. ” He said he did not doubt that Republicans were outraged about the statements Mr. Trump and his supporters had made about the Khan family in the last several days. “But there has to come a point at which you say somebody who makes those kinds of statements doesn’t have the judgment, the temperament, the understanding, to occupy the most powerful position in the world,” Mr. Obama said. The president did not limit his criticism to Mr. Trump’s treatment of the Khan family. Mr. Obama said the Republican nominee had repeatedly demonstrated that he was “woefully unprepared to do this job. ” The president said Mr. Trump had proved he lacked knowledge about Europe, the Middle East and other parts of Asia. “This isn’t a situation where you have an episodic gaffe. This is daily,” Mr. Obama added. “There has to be a point at which you say, ‘This is not somebody I can support for president of the United States, even if he purports to be a member of my party.’ The fact that that has not yet happened makes some of these denunciations ring hollow. ” Mr. Trump, who spoke at a boisterous rally at Briar Woods High School in Ashburn, Va. began his remarks there by saying a veteran had given him a Purple Heart medal earlier in the day. “I always wanted to get the Purple Heart,” said Mr. Trump, who received five deferments from the draft during the Vietnam War. “This was much easier. ” Throughout his speech, Mr. Trump argued his case that Mrs. Clinton was “unfit” for the presidency, accusing her of being dishonest, weak on foreign policy and corrupt. He accused the president of doubling the national debt and said the Iraq war exit was a “disaster. ” “Let Obama go to the golf course,” Mr. Trump said. “But you know what? We’d be better off. ” At one point during the rally, a crying baby interrupted Mr. Trump’s speech. “Don’t worry about that baby. I love babies,” Mr. Trump said at first. “I hear that baby crying, I like it. What a baby, what a beautiful baby. Don’t worry, don’t worry. ” A few beats later, he changed his tune. “Actually, I was only kidding,” Mr. Trump said. “You can get that baby out of here. ” Laughs and a few gasps escaped from the crowd. “Don’t worry, I think she really believed me that I love having a baby crying while I’m speaking,” Mr. Trump added. “That’s O. K. People don’t understand. That’s O. K. ” Even as Mr. Obama discussed trade policy and security issues with the Singaporean prime minister, Mr. Trump criticized world leaders. He said he would ask Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany “what went wrong” in her country. And he criticized Mrs. Clinton for what he called “terrible relations” with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. At the White House, Mr. Lee of Singapore responded to a question about Mr. Trump with diplomacy, and said Singapore would look forward to working with whomever Americans chose as president. “Many pressures build up during the election campaign, and after the elections in a calmer, cooler atmosphere, positions are rethought, strategies are nuanced, and a certain balance is kept in the direction of the ship of state. It does not turn completely upside down,” Mr. Lee said. “The Americans take pride in having a system with checks and balances,” he added. “So, it is not so easy to do things, but it is not so easy to completely mess things up. ”

Why Was A Mysterious Navy Plane Conducting “Secret Electronic Command/Control Drill” Over Denver?

Mac Slavo

Why Was A Mysterious Navy Plane Conducting “Secret Electronic Command/Control Drill” Over Denver? Mac Slavo SHTFplan.com Read by 2 people It seems that the U.S. military is geared up for a permanent cyber war with the people and various governments of this globe. Though tensions with Russia may have been temporarily alleviated with the election of Donald Trump – who has signaled for peace with Putin – the long game is much more complicated. With new powers in Washington taking shape in the next administration, one faction in government was quietly, subtly parading its power. The Continuity of Government contingent of the shadow government will not be taken out of power by any mere election, and no matter what decisions Trump makes and no matter what inflammatory remark he may make, there are those who will still have their finger on the button. And that means a tremendous amount of power. Residents in the Denver area were presented with a mysterious white plane that flew in a “racetrack pattern” for more than an hour above the city before it landed at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, where the aircraft – what the Navy has now disclosed to be an E-6B – is housed. Here’s the bizarre route that observers tracked, and the Navy was later forced to confirm: “Mysterious” plane circling over Denver was “just” an E-6B Mercury “doomsday” plane https://t.co/SqJlBkdIqg pic.twitter.com/oE0BBWrhFL — The Aviationist (@TheAviationist) November 17, 2016 It’s mission remains classified, but military officials admit a drill was underway… via ABC 7 Denver : A plane shrouded in mystery captured the attention of thousands on Wednesday. Nobody knew why a high-altitude plane circled the City of Denver for hours. Now the Navy has some answers. Denver7 tracked IRON99 as it traveled from the West Coast to Oklahoma, where it eventually landed at Tinker Air Force Base, however it spent roughly an hour in Denver, circling in a racetrack-style holding pattern over the city. Denver7 branded it a mystery in a previous report because officials from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and a dozen Air Force Bases could not confirm what the flight may have been. A day later — after the plane landed — Navy officials… confirmed IRON99’s identity is a Navy E-6B Mercury, created by Boeing at a cost of $141.7 million per unit. The unit’s overall mission is classified, Hubbell said, [elaborating that] the E-6B is “command, control and communications abilities to direct and employ strategic resources.” […] the planes are able to launch nuclear missiles and communicate with diverse assets, including nuclear submarines. […] a high-ranking federal official … said the plane was involved in a classified training mission organized by the Department of Defense. The training mission reportedly centered around electronic surveillance and involved several agencies which aren’t likely to comment on the mission, the source said. Given that the E-6B deals with “command, control and communications,” as well as electronic surveillance and communications with nuclear submarines and other assets that could launch nuclear war… one can assume that a major mission is in rehearsal – to take charge of the nation’s vital weapons and resources in the event of a catastrophic emergency, break down in order or disabling of the power structure in Washington. A similar E-4B was spotted flying above the capital on the morning of September 11th, shortly after the attacks. It was reportedly conducting a drill, but later instructed to prepare to go active as a mobile command center. Both planes deal with sensitive electronics communications involving, at least in part, nuclear launch codes and military continuity in the event of a breakdown of order. DOOMSDAY PLANES It is important to note that the E-4B is no ordinary aircraft. It is a militarized version of a Boeing 747-200, equipped with advanced communications equipment, and capable of carrying a crew of up to 112 people. Nicknamed “Doomsday” planes during the Cold War, E-4Bs serve the president, the secretary of defense, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In times of national emergency, they can act as highly-survivable command, control, and communications centers to direct forces, execute war orders, and coordinate actions by civil authorities. The U.S. military possesses four of them in total. One is always kept on alert, with a full battle staff. Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska is the “Main Operating Base” for the E-4B, though there are also numerous “Forward Operating Bases” (FOB) throughout the U.S. [7] Here’s the reported layout of the E-6B, upgraded for the cutting edge of electronic warfare: In the current context, there are perhaps three distinct fronts that this command unit could have theater over. COMMUNICATIONS BLACKOUT – The E-6B’s communications and control powers could be used to disrupt or disable electronic communications in the population over a given city or area. With sensitive military installations near Colorado Springs, the plane could have blacked out much of the Denver area accordingly with the situation. This CoG plane has dominance over the civilian population, and can bring their ordinary activities to a halt. Surveillance, data collection and ‘drone detection’ may have also been objectives of this drill and real-life activities. CHECK AGAINST AGGRESSION – The E-6B’s capabilities are a powerful counterbalance to possible hostile intentions on the part of Russia, China or other adversaries. As SHTF has often highlighted, modern warfare is based around the use of electromagnetic fields, communications jamming and, potentially, the use of an EMP to knock out electronics. Depending upon the potential situation, the ranking U.S. official on board or in communication with this plane could launch nuclear weapons, communicate with SSBN submarines around the globe or deny airspace to a conflicting force. TRUMP CARD FOR THE COG – Symbolically, at least, the E-6B, conducting a drill a week or so after the election sends a message to the President-elect, and perhaps to his constituents as well, that there are limits to the power of a president. While Trump’s power is theoretically capped by the Constitution’s checks and balances, in the real world, the Continuity of Goverment (CoG) structure has operational superiority over any president, and perhaps they wanted to signal to Trump here (or perhaps not). If any president ‘gets out of line’ or starts to ‘believe they are truly in charge’, this plane can override their ego and maintain the dominance of the status quo… it is a potential coup in motion. This is the true face of the ruling elite. This is the system they maintain, and anything below this threshold is not truly in charge. This what democracy looks like, when you strip away the silly game of voting, candidates and campaigns. This is the military industrial complex that Eisenhower warned us about. Read more:

Trump Busted For Flat Out Financially Scamming His Donors, Campaign Goes Into Last Minute Freefall

Jameson Parker

Trump’s campaign has been frantic to close the huge gap in donations between Clinton’s and their own. By some estimates, Hillary is outspending Trump 7-to-1 in advertising – a steep hill to climb for a campaign that is already losing badly in nearly every battleground state. But in his desperation, Trump did something incredibly stupid. He promised his fans that he would “triple match” any donation over $75 that they made on October 1st. His fans, believing Trump would put his money where his mouth is, gave generously. Instead of make good on the promise, Trump donated squat. In fact, his donations for the entire month were less than he should have donated that very first day. On Oct 1, I got an email from Trump pledging to triple donations for 24 hrs. Donors gave $165,829 that day. Trump gave $30,682 all month. — Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) October 28, 2016 Even for Trump’s diehard fans, this looks like the man is just the kind of grifter his critics have always claimed he was. Despite pretending to “self-fund” his campaign, Trump has chipped in hardly anything. He’s run his campaign much like he ran his charity, using other people’s money to promote himself. This is in stark contrast to Trump’s boasts. Famously, the candidate once said he was willing to spend upwards of one billion dollars on his campaign to be president. With just 11 days to go, Trump hasn’t even come close. Most estimates put his own contribution around $50 million – chump change for an alleged billionaire. Kellyanne Conway: The rest of Trump’s $100 million donation to his campaign is still coming (with 11 days left) pic.twitter.com/7U3UF9a0dM — Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) October 28, 2016 And it seems Trump’s campaign knows how badly he screwed this up. His campaign manager Kellyanne Conway scrambled to the nearest media outlet to proclaim that Trump would absolutely be fulfilling a promise he made to donate $100 million by the election. (Note again: He has just 11 days left to do so.) And then Trump himself reportedly wired $10 million to his campaign on Friday morning in a day late, dollar short desperation maneuver to help pull out of this tailspin. Donald Trump wired $10M of his own money into this presidential campaign this morning – Dow Jones — CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) October 28, 2016 It’s hard to truly be surprised that Trump has been stingy with his own campaign. This is the “billionaire” who managed to pay no taxes in twenty years and donate almost no money to charity in the same period. He makes Scrooge McDuck look generous. And with less than two weeks to go, Trump’s chances of becoming president are looking about as fictional as the cartoon duck. Go home, Donald. Featured image via Ethan Miller/Getty Images Share this Article!

Mexicans Say They Will Build Trump Wall – Three Feet High

dailouk

Home | World | Mexicans Say They Will Build Trump Wall – Three Feet High Mexicans Say They Will Build Trump Wall – Three Feet High By Eduardo Cojon 22/11/2016 11:46:05 MEXICO CITY – Mexico – The Mexican government has agreed to Trump’s demands to build a wall along the U.S. border, and will start building as soon as Donald Trump is inaugurated as president in February 2017. Speaking from his presidential palace, Enrique Peña Nieto, revealed the Mexican plans to waiting journalists. “We have taken up the mantle to build the wall and will foot the cost as well. As agreed, the wall will go along the entire U.S. Mexico border.” Unbeknownst to Trump, he did not specify how tall the wall should be, and when he finds out the wall will only be three feet high, he is sure to hit the roof. “That is a minor detail we did not reveal to Señor Trump. The wall will be three feet high but it will fulfil our contract, and there is nothing the Don can do about it. Even an eight year old kid can jump over,” the Mexican president added. Trump was not available for immediate comment when contacted.

Trump vs. Congress: Now What? - The New York Times

Robert Draper

On Monday, Jan. 9, less than two weeks before President Trump’s inauguration, the House speaker, Paul Ryan, hosted a dinner at his office in the Capitol with members of Trump’s inner circle. The guests included the ’s chief White House strategist, Stephen K. Bannon his and family consigliere, Jared Kushner his chief of staff, Reince Priebus his economic adviser, Gary Cohn his nominee for Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin his incoming deputy chief of staff, Rick Dearborn and his director, Marc Short. The ostensible purpose of the dinner was to discuss the details of Trump’s legislative agenda — in particular, the prospects for a sweeping measure that Republicans, and especially Ryan, have been coveting for the past decade. It was hoped that the dinner could also establish some sort of common ground between Ryan and Bannon, the two figures who would arguably wield the greatest influence over how Trump’s campaign promises became law — or didn’t. Ryan was a fixture among establishment Republicans even before joining Mitt Romney’s presidential ticket in 2012, his previous labors on the House Budget Committee cementing his reputation as the wizard of fiscal conservatism. Bannon, by contrast, was a renegade autodidact who read Plato and had seemingly materialized from nowhere to become the intellectual architect of Trump’s campaign and, later, administration. Up to this point, Ryan had epitomized to Bannon everything that was wrong with the Republican Party. Discussing the two parties’ shortcomings, Bannon later told me, “What’s that Dostoyevsky line: Happy families are all the same, but unhappy families are unhappy in their own unique ways?” (He meant Tolstoy.) “I think the Democrats are fundamentally afflicted with the inability to discuss and have an adult conversation about economics and jobs, because they’re too consumed by identity politics. And then the Republicans, it’s all this theoretical Cato Institute, Austrian economics, limited government — which just doesn’t have any depth to it. They’re not living in the real world. ” Breitbart News, the media outlet Bannon ran before becoming the chief executive of the Trump campaign in August, had described Ryan, referring to his position on immigration, as “arguably the most G. O. P. lawmaker in Congress” — an apostasy of nearly impeachable proportions from Bannon’s perspective. Worst of all, Ryan all but abandoned Trump during the 2016 campaign. After the leak in October of the damaging “Access Hollywood” tape, Ryan told fellow Republican House members on a conference call, “I am not going to defend Donald Trump — not now, not in the future. ” A Republican lawmaker on the call told Trump what Ryan had said, yet another reason for Bannon to regard himself as Ryan’s worst enemy. But as the dinner progressed, it became clear that Bannon and Ryan actually had some ideas in common. Over memorably bad chicken Parmesan, Ryan described his vision for a “ tax,” which would levy taxes on imports while offering exemptions for exports. His tax package would include “immediate expensing,” he explained, in which capital expenditures would be written off against profits in the first year rather than over time. It also would abolish the alternative minimum tax and the estate tax. These were ideas Ryan had been pushing since 2008. Now they had Bannon’s attention. Taken together with a drastic reduction in corporate taxes, Bannon believed, Ryan’s scheme would spur a renaissance of a export economy, producing labor in keeping with Trump’s populism. “I would actually say,” Bannon remembers observing admiringly, “that this tax reform comes as close to a first step of economic nationalism as there is. ” “I would call it ‘responsible nationalism,’’u2009” Ryan said, according to Bannon. Bannon laughed. “You’re going to have a lot of folks in the Senate say this is breathtakingly radical. ” He meant it as a compliment. To Bannon, the entire world order — from the two political parties to the Wall Street reliance on leveraging to multiculturalism — was undergoing an extraordinary realignment, one made manifest in the 2016 election. According to Bannon’s vision, economic nationalism would reorient priorities to the working class’s benefit. Trade deals, jobs programs, tax incentives, immigration restrictions, environmental deregulation and even foreign policy would ultimately serve to restore the primacy of those Trump called “the forgotten Americans. ” In March, when I spoke to Trump by phone, I asked him what the term “economic nationalism” meant to him. Compared with Bannon’s revolutionary fervor, his reply was surprisingly cautious. “Well, ‘nationalism’ — I define it as people who love the country and want it to do good,” he said. “I don’t see ‘nationalism’ as a bad word. I see it as a very positive word. It doesn’t mean we won’t trade with other countries. ” Trump’s tone was genial but also a touch defensive. His postelection honeymoon had been short, if it existed at all. There were the administrative intrigues and Twitter drama, along with the questions about his campaign’s contacts with Russia, which had already forced the resignation of his national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Still, Trump’s legislative liaisons and their counterparts on Capitol Hill were doggedly negotiating a rollout of the Trump Era, one that would fulfill his most significant campaign promises — those that could not be done with just a stroke of Trump’s own pen but required acts of Congress. First, Obamacare would be repealed and replaced. Next, an austere budget would be passed, with emergency funds allotted for the construction of a wall along the Southern border. Then would come a plan, presumably of the type Ryan and Bannon discussed. And finally, a bipartisan coalition would deliver a infrastructure plan to Trump’s desk. If all this came to pass by the end of 2017, it would lend some credence to Trump’s pledge that this would be “the busiest Congress we’ve had in decades. ” But by March, this timetable was looking like a formidable “if. ” Trump himself seemed prone to distraction as he spoke to me from the Oval Office. Though I was asking about his policy aims, his musings swerved off to other vexations. More than once he denounced as “fake news” reports about his administration’s supposed disharmony. He brought up his speech before the joint session of Congress in February, “which I hope you liked, but I certainly have gotten great reviews — even the people who hate me gave me the highest review. ” During the call, I could hear Priebus nearby, occasionally murmuring encouragement. Trump sounded more clipped and less jaunty on the call than he did during the discursive chats I had with him last year on the campaign trail. The business of governing had little to do with any trade he had previously practiced. In Congress, he was grappling with an arcane and famously inefficient ecosystem over which he had little if any control — and people he incessantly derided on the campaign trail as being “all talk and no action. ” I asked him if he still felt that way. “It’s like any other industry,” he replied, somewhat morosely. “I’ve met some great politicians and some, to be honest, who aren’t so hot. ” Trump wanted to make sure that he was given adequate credit for his achievements, even in his administration’s infancy. “We’ve only been here for a tiny speck of time,” he said, “and what I’ve done with regulations, moving jobs back into the country, what I’ve done with airplane pricing and buying is amazing. We’ve done a lot. I think we’ve done more than anybody for this short period of time. ” Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson would take exception to this claim. And Trump’s significant actions to date have consisted entirely of executive orders. What he has not yet demonstrated is his ability to actually shepherd a bill into law. The only major legislation that congressional committees have even seen thus far is a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, which met with a stunning rebuke from Trump’s own party, forcing Ryan to withdraw the measure on the afternoon of March 24. At this stage of his presidency, Barack Obama had already signed into law his $787 billion package and had moved on to holding White House meetings on health care. It’s conceivable that Trump could hit Day 100 with only minor symbolic legislative achievements to his name. For him to avoid this ignominy, the 45th president will have to develop a rapport with Washington’s 535 federal deal makers, including the ones who “aren’t so hot. ” Whether Trump’s agenda succeeds will also depend in no small measure on the ability of Bannon to expand his game beyond 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. At 63, and with a fortune reported to be in the tens of millions of dollars — partly through his investment in the company that owns the syndication rights to “Seinfeld” — Bannon is regarded by Trump as a peer in the way that, say, the lifelong politico Priebus is not. He is also approvingly seen as a fellow workaholic by the president (whose only known hobbies are golf and CNN). And he is a deft operator who has learned from the successes and failures of other Trump advisers. He has carefully not claimed credit that the president would wish for himself and avoids giving expansive interviews on his own controversial views that might detract from his boss’s celebrity. Like the former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, Bannon understands that power in Trump World derives mainly from close and sustained physical proximity to the boss. Unlike Lewandowski, Bannon immediately grasped the importance of maintaining close relations with Jared Kushner, who factored heavily in Lewandowski’s dismissal from the Trump campaign last summer. But like Kushner, Bannon has never worked in government or at a institute and has no meaningful experience when it comes to getting legislation passed. On the Hill, he has a few random associations — Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and Representative John Culberson of Texas among them. Otherwise, he remains a looming but indistinct presence to the lawmakers who will be needed to pass most of Trump’s agenda. Bannon’s interest in this agenda predated his association with Trump. One evening in January 2013, two guests showed up for dinner at the Capitol Hill townhouse that Bannon liked to call the Breitbart Embassy. One was the man Bannon would later describe to me as his “mentor”: Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama. The other was Sessions’s top aide and protégé, a jittery named Stephen Miller. Two months earlier, Obama decisively defeated Mitt Romney in the presidential election, prompting Priebus, then the chairman of the Republican National Committee, to commission an analysis of the state of the party and its future, known colloquially in Washington as the “autopsy,” which would be delivered that spring. The only certainty was that the report would urge Republicans to court the growing Latino electorate — which had voted for Obama by a margin that November — by championing comprehensive immigration reform. The three men at the dinner table that night were among the few Republicans in town who thoroughly rejected that conclusion. Bannon wanted to talk to Sessions and Miller about a different report: an article written by Sean Trende, the senior elections analyst for the website RealClearPolitics, titled “The Case of the Missing White Voters. ” Trende observed that Obama’s victory was less a function of increased minority turnout than of the fact that 6. 6 million white voters who participated in the 2008 election stayed home in 2012. The reason for this drop, Trende argued, was that white voters who did not approve of Obama but were alienated by Romney’s perceived elitism had not voted. These votes were gettable, Bannon believed. As he would later tell me: “The working class, and in particular the lower middle class, understands something that’s so obvious — which is that they’ve basically underwritten the rise of China. Their jobs, their raises, their retirement accounts have all fueled the private equity and venture capital that built China. Because China’s really built on investments and exports, right? People are smart enough to know that they’re getting played by both political parties. The two may be different on social issues, but when it comes to fundamental economics, they’re both the same. That’s why the American working class is interested in trade. It’s linked to their lives. ” Sessions shared Bannon’s belief that the Republican Party needed to emphasize immigration reduction, border security and the preservation of jobs through trade policy rather than courting Latino voters with a bill he regarded as “amnesty. ” As Sessions would write in a memorandum to his Republican colleagues six months later, “This humble and honest populism — in contrast to the administration’s cheap demagoguery — would open the ears of millions who have turned away from our party. ” At some point during the dinner, Bannon recalls blurting out to Sessions, “We have to run you for president. ” Just two years earlier, in 2011, he made a similar pitch to Sarah Palin, after completing a documentary about her called “The Undefeated. ” Palin demurred. She was enjoying her life of celebrity and wealth, she had done little to immerse herself in policy minutiae and she was no doubt unsettled by Bannon’s warning that she stood little chance of defeating Obama. Now he delivered a similar message to Sessions. “Look, you’re not going to win,” he recalls saying. “But you can get the Republican nomination. And once you control the apparatus, you can make fundamental changes. Trade is No. 100 on the party’s list. You can make it No. 1. Immigration is No. 10. We can make it No. 2. ” Acknowledging that the drawling Alabama senator lacked Palin’s charisma, Bannon said, “You’ll be the . ” But Sessions told Bannon he did not see himself running for president. “It was pretty obvious by the end of the night,” Bannon recalled, “that another candidate would have to do it. ” Two months later, on March 15, 2013, Bannon happened to be attending the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington when Trump took the stage. Trump had been a marginal figure at most in politics up to that point, entertaining a Reform Party run in the 2000 election — when he speculated that he would probably take more votes from the Democratic candidate than the Republican one — and leading a conspiratorial crusade in 2011 to force Obama to release his birth certificate. The possibility that he might be a suitable host body for Bannon’s worldview had not occurred to Bannon before Trump spoke. But Trump’s grousing references to China’s economic superiority, to 11 million “illegals” and to the erosion of America’s manufacturing sector were right out of Bannon’s playbook. From his desk in the Russell Senate Office Building, Stephen Miller, too, watched Trump’s speech. By 2014, Miller was sending emails to friends expressing the hope that Trump would run for president. By the time Trump announced his candidacy, in June 2015, Sessions was officially uncommitted but privately of the view that Trump was best suited to tap into the movement that he, Miller and Bannon discussed over dinner more than two years earlier. Bannon’s early support for Trump was manifest in Breitbart’s breathless coverage of his candidacy. In an email he sent on Aug. 30, 2015, to his former filmmaking partner Julia Jones, Bannon explained that while Republican candidates like Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina were “all great,” Trump represented a superior choice, because he “is a nationalist who embraces Senator Sessions’s plan” on immigration. Still, recalls Sam Nunberg, Trump’s first campaign strategist, “Steve kept all of his cards. ” He added: “He was respectful to some of the other ones who were running, like Walker and Cruz and Carson. He didn’t want to be seen as . ” When Trump publicly disparaged John McCain’s credentials, Bannon — himself a Navy veteran — called Nunberg and demanded that Trump issue an apology. (Trump did not.) Bannon was well positioned as a supportive but not sycophantic observer by Aug. 13, 2016, when the Trump donor Rebekah Mercer read with alarm a New York Times account of the Trump campaign’s inability to handle its mercurial candidate. At Mercer’s behest, Bannon (whose website Mercer’s family helped underwrite) and Kellyanne Conway (who at that point was receiving money from both a Mercer family political action committee and the Trump campaign) flew out that day to East Hampton, N. Y. where Trump was attending a dinner at the home of the New York Jets’ owner, Woody Johnson. After the dinner, Bannon and Conway huddled with the candidate. Bannon remembers telling Trump, who at the time was trailing Hillary Clinton by double digits in the polls, “As long as you stick to the message” — by which he meant economic nationalism — “you have a 100 percent probability of winning. ” A week after the election, in an interview with the journalist Michael Wolff, Bannon offered a bold, sweeping sketch of what the vision might mean in policy terms: “Like [Andrew] Jackson’s populism, we’re going to build an entirely new political movement. It’s everything related to jobs. The conservatives are going to go crazy. ” Of course, some of the conservatives Bannon intended to drive crazy possessed the congressional votes Bannon and Trump would need to advance this agenda. Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, a leading conservative in the House, told me in March, “I would argue that populism, as long as it’s rooted in conservative principle, is a darn good thing. ” Jordan was smiling as he said it, but the note of warning was hard to mistake. The last time the Republican Party controlled all branches of government in Washington was from 2003 to 2007. During that period, the United States military toppled Saddam Hussein, Congress delivered tax cuts for the wealthy and President George W. Bush appointed the reliably conservative jurist Samuel A. Alito Jr. to the Supreme Court. But in the collective view of conservatives, these years of the Bush presidency were mostly characterized by betrayal and disappointment. Goaded by Bush, congressional Republicans passed into law a new federal entitlement (prescription drugs for senior citizens, also known as Medicare Part D) ran up the deficit, promoted democratic ideals overseas in the feckless manner of Woodrow Wilson, considered a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and confirmed a Supreme Court chief justice, John G. Roberts Jr. whose swing vote would later save Obamacare from judicial evisceration. “My line when I first ran in 2008 was, ‘Republicans had the House, the Senate and the White House — and they blew it,’’u2009” Representative Jason Chaffetz of Utah, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, told me. “Now we’ve got all three again, and I’m the guy who’s in Congress, not running for it. I don’t want to be in a position where we’re going to blow it one more time. ” Chaffetz and other House conservatives freely acknowledge that Trump is not cut from their cloth, but they say they could not care less as long as he gives them what they want. Selecting Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the Supreme Court seat once held by Justice Antonin Scalia was “the best thing the president did in his first 50 days,” Chaffetz told me. He and his conservative colleagues have been cheered by Trump’s recruitment of former House colleagues and conservative stalwarts like Vice President Mike Pence Tom Price, the health and human services secretary and Mick Mulvaney, the Office of Management and Budget director. When Chaffetz and I spoke in March, he had met with the president twice so far — access he considered “such a huge sea change” from the stony silence Republicans say they encountered from the Obama White House. Most important, the Trump agenda’s first three projected legislative moves — the Obamacare repeal and replacement, an austere budget and tax reform — were intended to keep conservatives happily in Trump’s camp. In turn, when the agenda moved on to less conservative items like infrastructure and trade agreements, Trump and Bannon would fully expect Republicans, including Ryan, to remember whose message resonated most with voters last year. Representative Kevin McCarthy, the House majority leader, is Trump’s chief point of contact on the Hill. When McCarthy was a college student and budding entrepreneur in Bakersfield, Calif. in the late 1980s, his girlfriend at the time, now his wife, Judy, gave him an autographed copy of Trump’s “The Art of the Deal. ” “I thought it was great,” he told me. In McCarthy’s view, Trump is a master of today’s media, much as Lincoln and Kennedy were in their own times. “He’s mastered instantaneous Twitter,” he said. “It’s like owning newspapers. ” Trump has found a kindred spirit in McCarthy, a coastal extrovert of ambiguous ideological portfolio who (unlike Ryan) would far rather talk about personalities than the tax code. And as the former minority leader in the California Legislature during the governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, McCarthy is experienced in the care and feeding of celebrity egos. Since Trump’s nomination, the two have spoken frequently by phone — to date, Trump has never been known to directly email or text anyone — about the cast of 535 characters with whom the president must now deal. But in the end, what Trump needs from the majority leader is not gossip but votes — 216 of them, to be exact, in the House. And McCarthy’s recent track record in obtaining majorities has not been the greatest. In his previous capacity as House whip, he was thwarted by members of his own party when it came to subjects as diverse as reauthorizing a Patriot Act they deemed too intrusive, a farm bill they considered too expensive and a bill they regarded as too lenient. His most reliable obstacles have been the three dozen or so House conservatives known as the Freedom Caucus, a group of fiscal . Early this year, McCarthy predicted to me that the new president would quickly subjugate the Freedom Caucus. “Trump is strong in their districts,” McCarthy told me. “There’s not a place for them to survive in this world. ” When we spoke on the morning of March 7, Trump assured me that he would not bully the bill’s loudest Republican critics, like the Freedom Caucus chairman, Representative Mark Meadows, on Twitter: “No, I don’t think I’ll have to,” he said. “Mark Meadows is a great guy and a friend of mine. I don’t think he’d ever disappoint me, or the party. I think he’s great. No, I would never call him out on Twitter. Some of the others, too. I don’t think we’ll need to. Now, they’re fighting for their turf, but I don’t think they’re going to be obstructionists. I spoke to Mark. He’s got some ideas. I think they’re very positive. ” But on March 21, in a meeting with the Freedom Caucus about the bill, Trump called out Meadows by name, saying, “I’m going to come after you, but I know I won’t have to, because I know you’ll vote ‘yes. ’’u2009” Meadows remained a “no” on the bill, and among conservatives, he was far from alone. One of the Freedom Caucus’s most outspoken members, Representative Raúl Labrador of Idaho, believes that the Trump White House was led astray by Ryan’s confidence that he knew what conservatives wanted when drafting the bill. “The legislation has to go through the body, not the top,” Labrador told me. “And if our leadership thinks now that we’re a unified body, that they can do things while ignoring us, that’s not going to happen. ” Labrador is an affable but decidedly stubborn Mormon and former immigration lawyer who moved as a child with his single mother from Puerto Rico to Las Vegas. He was interviewed by the for the post of interior secretary at Trump Tower last December — though Trump selected Labrador’s House colleague Ryan Zinke for the post a few days later. For now, Labrador and other Freedom Caucus members have been willing to blame House leaders like Ryan and McCarthy for drafting a health care bill that was not to conservatives’ liking. They aspire to remain philosophical whenever Trump’s daughter Ivanka persuades her father to propose initiatives like paid family leave, as he did during his speech. “I didn’t stand up when he said that,” Labrador said. “That’s the only part of the speech where I thought, That’s not even close to what my party stands for. ” To House conservatives like Labrador, the Republican Party stands for limited government. To Trump and Bannon, items like a border wall and infrastructure take priority over shrinking America’s debt. As Chaffetz admitted to me, “On the spending front, things could slip away really quickly. ” Trump’s budget blueprint is regarded by deficit hawks as fundamentally unserious, because it does not touch entitlements. Instead, it ravages perennial (and already ) conservative piñatas like foreign aid, public broadcasting and the National Endowment for the Arts, in addition to downsizing the Environmental Protection Agency and the Interior Department — cuts that focus on the 27 percent of the federal budget that is not mandatory spending or devoted to defense. And for all the Republicans’ chesty rhetoric on cuts like these over the years, as a top House Republican staff member told me, “even the cabinet secretaries at the E. P. A. and Interior are saying these cuts aren’t going to happen. They’re going to protect their grant programs, their payments to states, their Superfunds. So how do you cut 31 percent of the E. P. A. out of the 5 percent that isn’t protected? And a bill that cuts all money for the N. E. A. will not pass. For Republicans in the West” — states whose vast rural areas benefit disproportionately from N. E. A. grants — “that’s a killer. The campaign commercials write themselves. ” Labrador says he would defend Trump’s cuts but doubts that many of his colleagues would. “What he’s going to learn is that members of Congress are unwilling to take the tough votes,” he told me. “When he learns that, what’s going to be the next step?” In Labrador’s view, Trump’s only sane recourse will be to accept the need for entitlement reform. “At some point, the reality of the budget is going to have to hit him,” he said. “You can have this economic nationalism — Bannon is very smart, he clearly helped him with his messaging, it was so successful — but at some point, that theory is going to hit reality. ” When I spoke with Trump, I ventured that, based on available evidence, it seemed as though conservatives probably shouldn’t hold their breath for the next four years expecting entitlement reform. Trump’s reply was immediate. “I think you’re right,” he said. In fact, Trump seemed much less animated by the subject of budget cuts than the subject of spending increases. “We’re also going to prime the pump,” he said. “You know what I mean by ‘prime the pump’? In order to get this” — the economy — “going, and going big league, and having the jobs coming in and the taxes that will be cut very substantially and the regulations that’ll be going, we’re going to have to prime the pump to some extent. In other words: Spend money to make a lot more money in the future. And that’ll happen. ” A clearer elucidation of Keynesian liberalism could not have been delivered by Obama. The one clear point of agreement between the Trump economic nationalists and the House conservatives is the one Ryan and Bannon identified over dinner in January: tax reform. But in so doing, they will be picking a fight that may prove perilous to Republicans. The proposal that Ryan floated to Bannon has never been able to get past K Street lobbyists and wealthy Republican donors like the Koch brothers. When I asked Trump if he was a fan of the tax, he replied: “I am. I’m the king of that. ” Almost no other country grafts an import tax onto a corporate tax, and it’s possible that enacting a tax might well be in violation of the World Trade Organization’s agreements. Of course, Bannon has openly advocated abandoning the W. T. O. anyway, because of China’s membership in it. Still, the specter of new taxes on American corporations, higher prices for consumers and a jump in the dollar’s value may compel an unusual confederacy against the plan. Labrador predicts that the tax “will have very little political legs” in the conservative House, while Senator Lindsey Graham said in February that even in the Senate, Ryan’s tax plan “won’t get 10 votes. ” Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a North Dakota Democrat who has been outspoken in her willingness to work with Trump in spite of the broader stance of her party, says, “Let me tell you, I represent farmers, and anyone who tells me that farm country benefits from a high dollar needs to have a discussion with me. ” Perhaps the Republican faction most alarmed by Bannon’s economic nationalism is Washington’s military hawks. John McCain is among those not mollified by Trump’s pledge of enacting “one of the largest increases in spending in American history. ” McCain scoffed when I brought this up to him. “Of course that’s simply not true,” he said. “When you look at 1981 and Reagan’s commitment to rebuilding the military, there’s no comparison to this 3 percent increase. It’s a shell game, my friend. ” Despite his obvious differences with Trump, McCain was willing to work with him — but Bannon’s presence seemed to confound such prospects. “It’s kind of interesting,” McCain said, “because I have decades of experience with Kelly, with Mattis, with Dan Coats, McMaster,” referring to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly Defense Secretary James Mattis Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence and H. R. McMaster, the national security adviser. “We discuss issues all the time. I think this is probably the finest team that I’ve ever observed. It’s almost schizophrenic, in that I obviously don’t have conversations with Steve Bannon, but I do with Reince Priebus — he was my Republican chair in Wisconsin in my 2008 presidential campaign. So it’s almost a schizophrenic — that’s not the right word. A very divided kind of relationship. Paradoxical. ” McCain acknowledged to me that economic nationalism was a global movement and therefore not entirely “the making of some members of the Trump entourage. ” He then said: “But it is an articulation that I believe is strongly reminiscent of the 1930s. It certainly has unsettled our allies and friends around the world, there’s no doubt about that. ” Already, the senator asserted, the new administration’s bellicosity toward Mexico has increased the likelihood that its citizens will elect “a very president. ” As for an import tax of the sort favored by Bannon and Ryan, “talk about harkening back to the 1930s,” he said. “It’s unbelievable to me that they somehow think if we start taxing goods coming across the border, that that’s somehow not going to be responded to by the Mexicans. Please. History shows this sort of action gets you into a trade war. ” Listening to McCain’s tirade, I found it evident that the Bannon Effect might well cost the Trump White House at least one Republican Senate vote on a number of central issues — this at a time when Republicans are clinging to a slender majority in the upper chamber. In such cases, Trump could find himself asking for something Obama was never able to count on: votes from the opposition. Early in the afternoon of Feb. 9, several Democratic senators met with Trump in the Roosevelt Room of the White House to discuss the Gorsuch nomination and other matters. Among them were Heidi Heitkamp, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana. All four are moderates who are up for in 2018 in states Trump carried in 2016 by titanic margins — the least of which, in Donnelly’s state, was nearly 20 points. If Democrats are to nurture any hopes of retaking the Senate majority, they will need to hold these four seats. But if Donnelly, Heitkamp, Manchin and Tester need to be seen back home as willing to work with Trump, the president needs them as well. Republicans enjoy a precarious advantage in the Senate. On matters like the Supreme Court, Trump can count on all 52. On votes requiring a simple majority, any two of those Republicans could fall away, and Pence could preserve the win with a tiebreaking vote. But a trio of fiscal (like Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Mike Lee) military hawks (John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio) or social moderates (Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Shelley Moore Capito) could deny Trump a majority, unless he could swing at least one Democrat to his side. That February afternoon in the Roosevelt Room, Donnelly thanked Trump for negotiating with Carrier, the manufacturing company based in Indiana that had threatened to move jobs to Mexico before Trump it into keeping many of them in Indiana. But Donnelly urged him not to view that episode as a “ . ” He requested the president’s support for his End Outsourcing Act, which would give preferential treatment in awarding federal contracts to businesses that kept jobs in America. The words were scarcely out of Donnelly’s mouth before Trump said, “I’m 100 percent for that, and I’ll do everything I can to help get it passed. ” He then asked Pence, who was in the room, “What do you think, Mike?” Trump was apparently unaware that Pence, as the governor of Donnelly’s state, had refused to back the senator’s initiative, claiming instead that burdensome federal regulations were to blame for outsourcing. According to Donnelly, Pence gamely replied, “If it’s like what Joe describes, I’ll do everything I can to help. ” Donnelly, a Irish Catholic with a barroom guffaw, had met Trump once before. In January 2011, he was among the Blue Dog Coalition, composed of conservative House Democrats — what remained of them, anyway, after the previous November’s disastrous midterms — who traveled to New York for their annual retreat. At a hotel conference room in Midtown Manhattan, the 20 or so Blue Dogs received a procession of guests, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former President Bill Clinton. Only one of their scheduled appointments required that they go to their guest — and so they did, by bus, to Trump Tower. Trump greeted them in his boardroom, with its commanding view of Central Park. He was charming but also brash. “Remember, at that point he wasn’t really talking about running for office,” recalls one attendee, former Representative Dan Boren of Oklahoma. “But what strikes me was how he talked about the same issues — the wall, China — that became his stump speech years later. ” It was evident to the Blue Dogs that Trump was no Clinton or Bloomberg when it came to the issues. Says former Representative Ben Chandler of Kentucky, who was also in attendance: “The difference in terms of detailed knowledge of policy was stark. Trump just made bald assertions, really. ” Particularly memorable to Chandler was Trump’s insistence “that one of the best things the country could do was slap a massive tariff on the Chinese. ” Chandler continued: “He seemed not to understand that this would probably cause the entire world economy to melt down by causing a huge trade war. What I remember more than anything else was our general reaction afterward. And it was one of disbelief. ” Today Donnelly remains offended by what he calls Trump’s “crazy stuff,” as well as the alternative to Obamacare that Trump supported. But he does not begrudge Trump his showmanship. “He came to the Carrier plant,” Donnelly said. “I’ve been working on that issue since Day 1. I was begging people in the Obama administration to come out and talk to our workers. Donald Trump came out there. And Donald Trump talked to our workers. You can tell people you care. But it matters if you show up. ” The Senate Democrat who, to outward appearances, seems closest to Trump is Joe Manchin, who met face to face with the in Trump Tower in December. Before the meeting, Bannon took the West Virginia senator aside. “The thing you need to know about Trump,” Bannon said, “is he doesn’t care about the Republican Party and he doesn’t care about the Democratic Party. He just wants to put some wins on the board for the country. ” In the meeting, Trump asked Manchin what could be done for coal miners. Manchin replied that he should support his Miners Protection Act, which would secure health benefits and pension funds for retired miners. According to Manchin, Trump replied that he would thoroughly support such a measure. Later that month, Manchin went on “Morning Joe” — the one show on MSNBC that Trump has been known to watch — to discuss, on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the Newtown school massacre, the need to expand background checks on gun purchases. Within an hour after Manchin was offscreen, his cellphone rang. It was Trump. Manchin was not completely forthcoming about the conversation, but he did tell me that he envisioned “a complete opportunity” for new legislation. Unlike with Obama, he said, “no one thinks President Trump would do anything that would take away your gun rights. ” In his conversations with Manchin and Donnelly, Trump was essentially throwing his support behind a Democratic initiative without first checking with the Republican Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, to ask what he thought of those proposals. Had he done so, the answer in each case would have been: not much. (Though on the coal miners’ legislation, Manchin said: “We’re seeing Mitch McConnell go from a ‘No, no and hell no’ to now dropping his own bill. Which is fine, so long as we get it. ”) Still, Trump may have little choice but to indulge Democrats on some of their pet issues, given that he will need their votes on two of the most critical pieces of his agenda: infrastructure and trade deals. Until now, Trump has divulged few details about this infrastructure venture. On the campaign trail, he frequently cited America’s crumbling roads and bridges. He bemoaned the potholes defiling the runways at La Guardia Airport, where he parked his two planes. During Donnelly’s visit with Trump in the Roosevelt Room, the president “talked about the Tunnel with the tiles falling off, which he would see on his way to La Guardia,” Donnelly recalled. (The Metropolitan Transportation Authority denies that tiles are falling off the tunnel.) When I asked Trump for more specifics, he gingerly offered a few morsels: “This is something that’s going to be a real infrastructure bill, where real work is going to be done on bridges and roads and airports and things that we’re supposed to be doing. So it’s not just a political piece of paper. We’re going to do infrastructure, and it’s going to be a very big thing. ” Trump’s description struck me as uncharacteristically modest. Bannon had evoked a more gleaming vision when he told me: “Look, economic nationalism is predicated on a infrastructure for the country, right? Broadband as good as Korea. Airports as good as China. Roads as good as Germany. A rail system as good as France. If you’re going to be a power, you’ve got to have a infrastructure. ” When I asked the president if his initiative might include such features, he replied: “Yes. It could, it could. You look at Japan and China, where they have the fast trains, and we don’t have any. You look at other countries where we used to be the leader, and now we’re the laggard. It’s not going to happen anymore. ” What also may not happen is House Republicans’ supporting a bill that is at least somewhat reminiscent of the stimulus bill they unanimously opposed eight years ago. It’s also possible that even moderate Democrats in swing states may face pressure not to come to Trump’s rescue. After all, the president remains intensely unpopular among Democrats, who continue to nurture hopes that Trump is one Russia connection away from impeachment. As a senior White House official told me of Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court: “The comment we often get from Democrats is, ‘That’s a great nominee.’ Oh, so you’re voting for him? ‘I can’t.’ Why not? ‘My base would go crazy, and I’d be primaried.’ That environment has to change before we can have any of these conversations. ” On the morning of Feb. 2, two Democratic leaders on trade issues, Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon and Representative Richard Neal of Massachusetts — the ranking members of the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees — met with Trump, along with a few of his advisers and Republican lawmakers. Trump had already greeted the day by threatening to yank federal funding from the University of California at Berkeley after acts of violence had forced the cancellation of the Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos’s speech on campus, and by taunting Arnold Schwarzenegger’s poor ratings on “The Apprentice” during the National Prayer Breakfast. Disquiet lingered from Trump’s travel ban on refugees and his surly phone conversation with the Australian prime minister the previous week. Amid this chaos — entirely to Bannon’s liking and grating to nearly everyone else in Washington — actual legislative activity was slowly unfolding. Trump began the meeting by condemning the trade deals negotiated by his predecessors. The press pool was then ushered out before the Democrats could say anything in front of the cameras. When Neal was given a chance to speak, he informed Trump, Pence, Bannon, Kushner and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross that America had in fact prospered as a result of past trade deals. Neal emphasized the crucial role that the Panama Canal played in the economic vitality of the Eastern Seaboard. Other than Ross, no one on Trump’s team seemed aware of this. “They were a bit surprised,” Neal later told me. He was also struck by the White House’s abhorrence of multilateral pacts, which seemed to him to be naïve. “The idea that you’re going to negotiate 148 bilateral agreements with W. T. O. members does not seem realistic,” Neal said. “The idea that we’re all of a sudden going to have a agreement with Great Britain, that’s going to take years to do. ” Later, Neal said, Ross privately assured him that the Trump administration “would not give up on multilateral deals. ” Neal’s lecture signified the start of what is likely to be a long and at times contentious reckoning on the part of Trump and Bannon with the limits of their nationalist rhetoric. Of all the legislative lifts, none will be heavier than renegotiating trade agreements, which require a simple majority approval by both the Senate and the House. Scrounging up 15 Democratic senators who are willing to vote along with 52 Republicans would be a formidable enough task on any issue. But just as Democrats like Neal in the Northeast would fight for a trade deal that benefits their region, so will Republican lawmakers along the Southern border rebel at an effort to repeal Nafta. As McCain told me, “If you negated Nafta, it would send my state into a severe recession. ” He assured me that Trump’s nationalist posture would not provoke only regional opposition. He conjured up another Republican era — not Reagan’s, not Bush’s, but instead that of Herbert Hoover, when two Republican lawmakers joined with a Republican president to design a protectionist initiative that ultimately caused American exports to plummet during the Great Depression. “Somewhere,” McCain said with a dark chuckle, “Mr. Smoot and Mr. Hawley are smiling. ” On Thursday, March 23, Trump hosted a morning meeting of Freedom Caucus holdouts in the Cabinet Room. Jeff Duncan, a congressman from South Carolina who was present, told me that Trump told them: “I need you guys. We need to put up a win. It’s not just about needing to repeal Obamacare — though we do. It’s also that a win here sets up a win for tax reform and gives us momentum going into infrastructure. And if the bill fails, it could derail all of that. ” With customary bravado, Trump told the conservative members that he didn’t want to squeak by with just a victory. “I want all 237 of you,” he said, according to Duncan, referring to the entire House Republican conference. That included the more moderate members, who had told Trump they felt that the White House wasn’t paying sufficient attention to their concerns. Later in the day, Trump hosted another meeting with the moderates, where Representative Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania informed Trump that he remained a “no. ” According to an attendee, Trump angrily informed Dent that he was “destroying the Republican Party” and “was going to take down tax reform — and I’m going to blame you. ” Until that day, Duncan had been an unyielding “no” on the bill. The previous week, he delivered an impassioned speech to the vice president and other Republicans, insisting that this vote constituted “our generation’s rendezvous with destiny — a real chance to roll back the size and scope of the federal government, returning some liberty back to the people through our actions to repeal Obamacare. ” In a text to me, Duncan pointed to history: “39 men in a hot room in 1787 had the courage to break from the norm and empower a nation. ” But now the congressman was, for the first time in his life, sitting across the table from a president who was personally appealing for his support. The White House was offering concessions and agreeing to them in writing. Duncan left the meeting and spent a few hours pondering, as he would later put it, “the greater opportunity we as Republicans have. ” By that evening, Trump had won Jeff Duncan’s vote. It wasn’t enough. The next afternoon, Ryan pulled the House health care bill, conceding that neither he nor the White House could muster enough votes. “You get about nine months to do the big things,” Kevin McCarthy, the House majority leader, told me at the beginning of the year. Nine months seemed like a long time then, the calendar spacious and the legislative possibilities plentiful. But more than two of those months are gone already — and the path to future wins, as Trump foresaw in his meeting with the Freedom Caucus, is now more complicated. When he took office, Trump relished the prospect of becoming a new kind of deal maker in the White House. By the time I spoke with him in early March, however, he already seemed to be taking stock of the limits to his powers. He still saw himself as the closer in chief — but then that was “typical, I would think, of a president,” he mused. “Some more than others. ”

’Refuse Fascism’ Group Behind Berkeley Riot Received $50k from George Soros - Breitbart

Charlie Nash

One of the “ ” groups behind last week’s riot in Berkeley, Refuse Fascism, received $50, 000 from a group backed by socialist billionaire George Soros, according to the Daily Caller. [The Alliance for Global Justice, which is funded by the George Tides Foundation, reportedly donated $50, 000 to fund Refuse Fascism, which openly brags about using violence to shut down conservative and libertarian speech. “While it is unclear whether those who carried out the violence were paid to do so, the benefactors of the Alliance for Global Justice — and Refuse Fascism — are listed online,” reported the Daily Caller. “According to its most recent 990 tax form, Alliance for Global Justice (AfGJ) received $2. 2 million in funding for the fiscal year ending in March 2016. One of the group’s biggest donors is the Tides Foundation, a funded by billionaire progressive philanthropist George Soros. Tides gave AfGJ $50, 000. ” “Other notable donors include the city of Tucson and the United Steel Workers labor union. The former gave $10, 000 to AfGJ while the latter contributed $5, 000,” they continued. “Charities associated with several major corporations also donated. Patagonia. org, the outdoor apparel and equipment company, gave $40, 000. The Ben Jerry Foundation, the charity associated with the ice cream maker, gave $20, 000. And Lush Cosmetic gave $43, 950. Another bit of irony is seen in the $5, 000 contribution from the Peace Development Fund, a group that claims to support organizations that fight for human rights and social justice. ” The group defended the violent riot at Berkeley on Facebook, which left numerous Trump supporters and fans of MILO injured and bloody, before deleting their post. “Dismantling police fences is not violent,” they claimed, according to the Daily Caller, ignoring the rest of the violence that occured. “And to compare preventing someone like that from speaking to the violence that they perpetuate everyday is ludicrous. ” Refuse Fascism also branded the riot as “righteous,” and encouraged more violence to shut down conservatives in a post on their website. “Last night, thousands of students, professors and others protested the appearance and organizing rally of Milo Yiannopoulos, a major fascist operative, shutting it down. This was righteous and much more like this is needed,” the group proclaimed. “Lets be clear: Milo Yiannopoulos is not engaging in ‘free speech.’ He is consciously spearheading the Nazification of the American University. ” The riot started at UC Berkeley on Wednesday after protesters against Breitbart Senior Editor MILO became increasingly violent outside of his show. “ ” started several fires, smashed windows and ATMs, looted downtown stores, attacked cars, and assaulted dozens of MILO fans, male and female, who they falsely accused of being “Nazis. ” Despite the large amount of violence, numerous reports indicate that police officers refused to intervene, and only one suspect was arrested. UFC veteran and professional MMA fighter Jake Shields was even forced to rescue a man who was being assaulted by rioters after police allegedly refused to intervene. “Like fifteen people were trying to attack him and others were cheering them on,” explained Shields, who managed to successfully rescue the man, in an interview with Breitbart News. “No one helped, no one had the balls to step in, so my reaction was to run in and start picking people off. ” “More chaos started happening, so I went up to the police and tried bringing them back, but they were just like ‘we’re not really going over there. You should just stay away. ’” he continued. “I don’t know if they were taking orders from someone or if they were just being lazy. I don’t know what the situation was, but it was pathetic to watch. Our police, who are supposed to defend the citizens of Berkeley. It’s a sad scene that they would allow that. ” The national for the Alliance for Global Justice, Chuck Kaufman, claimed he wasn’t aware that Refuse Fascism were involved in the riots, but defended their involvement citing the fact that numerous groups joined in. “I wasn’t aware that Refuse Fascism was involved, but probably they were one of a whole lot of groups calling to shut down Milo Yiannopoulos’ hate speech,” said Kaufman to The Daily Caller. “AfGJ acts as fiscal sponsor for Refuse Fascism which means we process donations for them. As long as their use of the money falls into areas permitted for 501( c)(3) organizations, we don’t involve ourselves one way or the other in their program work. ” Several celebrities and news outlets expressed support for the riot, including Hollywood director Judd Apatow, who deleted his tweet shortly after, and Fusion, who smeared MILO as a “Nazi,” before praising rioters. The day after, MILO’s tour bus was tracked down by “ ” and vandalized, forcing both him and his team to evacuate the premises after his location was leaked online. Four were also arrested last week after they became violent during a protest against libertarian commentator and VICE Gavin McInnes, who was speaking at New York University. DANGEROUS is available to now via Amazon, in hardcover and Kindle editions. And yes, MILO is reading the audiobook version himself! Charlie Nash is a reporter for Breitbart Tech. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington or like his page at Facebook.

Liberals Setting Up a Pass on Colin Kapernick’s NFL Free Agency as Evidence of ’Racism’ - Breitbart

Warner Todd Huston

As more members of the media discover that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s free agency is going ignored by the NFL, many are pegging his failure an example of “racism. ”[Kaepernick became the subject of both praise and condemnation last season with his protests, by refusing to stand for the playing of the national anthem at the start of each game. After the season, the quarterback declared his free agency but with the announcement also announced an abrupt end to his refusal to stand for the anthem. But, with the league’s free agents signing to teams at a quickening pace, Kaepernick has thus far gone unsigned. Only last week, Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman took a look at Kaepernick’s inability to find a new team and noted that many executives don’t want his type of disruption in their locker rooms. Over the weekend, a Fox News article revealed that “70 percent of NFL managers genuinely hate” Colin Kaepernick. Many reasons have been listed. Some analysts criticize Kaepernick’s throwing accuracy, others think he isn’t much of a team player because he is a moody loner, and still others say he seems out of his depth when asked to learn new plays and plans. Rumors circled early in the season that Kaepernick only began his protests to raise his profile as a race activist to head off being traded by the 49ers. This rumor charged that Kaepernick meant use his activism as a weapon against the team, so that in case they tried to trade him he could claim racism. And in that vein, it appears that some in the media fell right into line with that tactic. TV One host and former CNN personality Roland Martin is a case in point. Martin made just that very charge in a March 17 tweet. If not a single @NFL team signs @Kaepernick7, it shows their hatred of a Black man taking a social stand. These execs are pathetic. — rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) March 17, 2017, By not signing @Kaepernick7, these @NFL teams are sending a signal to their players: Don’t you dare use your voice. We own you! — rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) March 17, 2017, The fired CNNer isn’t alone. Activist filmmaker Spike Lee also called the NFL’s refusal to hire Kaepernick an example of “racism. ” Just Had Brunch With My Brother Colin @Kaepernick7 . How Is It That There Are 32 NFL Teams And Kap Is Still A Free Agent? WTF. Smells MAD Fishy To Me, Stinks To The High Heavens. The New York Need A Quarterback. Who Is The Quarterback? Is My Man Joe Willie Namath Coming Back? Crazy Times We Live In. The Question Remains What Owner And GM Is Going To Step Up And Sign Colin So Their Team Has A Better Chance To WIN? What Crime Has Colin Committed? Look At The QB’s Of All 32 Teams. This Is Some Straight Up Shenanigans, Subterfuge, Skullduggery And BS. ? . By Any Means Necessary. And Dat’s Da NoFunLeague Truth, Ruth. A post shared by Spike Lee (@officialspikelee) on Mar 19, 2017 at 2:10pm PDT, The claim that Kaepernick is being punished because he is black or outspoken has been taken up by many in an effort to use him for their own activist purposes. . @ShannonSharpe: The NFL owners are sending a message. By punishing Colin Kaepernick, they are deterring others from taking such acts. pic. twitter. — UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) March 20, 2017, . @MichaelSam52 came out he’s out of NFL. @brendon310 @ChrisWarcraft support gay rights are gone. @Kaepernick7 took knee is unsigned. — Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) March 11, 2017, @TheEconomist tell that to the conservatives who crucified colin kaepernick — for having the temerity to kneel. — Gordon Ballingrud (@gdb50001) March 10, 2017, The NFL proved how racist it is with its lack of support for #ColinKaepernick. To be honest it will be hard for … https: . — Jackie Rae (@JRaethefanatic) March 20, 2017, Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail. com.

Hacker Claims To Have Stolen These Controversial Photos From NASA

Eddy Lavine

posted by Eddie The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has always been at the frontier of science and technology. Since 1958, NASA has done its best to allow humankind to know more about life and the universe. Thanks to this space agency, people have been able to walk on the moon. In the near future, we might even have people walking on Mars. NASA will be moving farther into the unknown areas of the Universe. I know that many of us are hoping to find life beyond the earth. But what if NASA is already aware of alien life ? Well, one hacker claims to have found NASA’s secret photos for all the world to see. Read on! 1. Is that a massive wheel from an extinct civilization? This could have possibly been a part of a huge machine. 2. The side of this cliff has been charred. This shouldn’t look like this if this portion was a representation of what occurred thousands of years ago. Is this because of extraterrestrial activity? 3. This metal vault was hidden in ice for so long. I want to know what’s inside this mysterious container! 4. Is this place from another planet? If you look closely, the area beyond shows a structure that doesn’t look like anything on the earth. 5. These golden bricks hide an unknown language. Sadly, no one has been able to decipher what these writings mean. 6. What were all those military ships doing there? Either they were observing a supernatural phenomenon, or they were trying a new military weapon. 7. Did NASA hide this asteroid impact from the public? If they did, they must have good reason to keep it away from everyone else. Did they witness extraterrestrial life? 8. Those holes don’t look natural at all. The circles are almost the same, and the placement is strange. It looks like a place where machines are hidden and deployed. 9. Using night vision, NASA supposedly captured an unknown structure. It looks like a pyramid, but it is not visible using normal cameras. 10. Was this huge skeleton a part of the Anunnaki? The Anunnaki was known in Mesopotamia as a group of Gods. 11. Large human beings probably existed at some point. However, why can’t scientists find something like this today? This creature might have been an alien that looks like a human. 12. I found this image incredibly terrifying! If this is true, then NASA has evidence of extraterrestrial life. That obviously looks like a spaceship. 13. A temple was found underneath the ocean. Source:

ctwatcher✓ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ

While in the NV dessert 2 fake nuclear bombs were tested, wait, were they fake or were they real, how would we know, then the water giving many of us cancer, how will we connect the dots.

Mark Ruffalo Just Did Something Amazing For Protesters Fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline

Tom Cahill

27444 SHARES The Standing Rock Sioux’s camp, set up to physically stop construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, just got solar power thanks to Mark Ruffalo. The actor and director delivered trailers full of solar panels alongside Wahleah Johns, founder of Native Renewables, to the Standing Rock camp. As cold weather begins to set in for the indigenous tribes facing off with oil companies in North Dakota, the solar panels will help generate electricity to provide the camp with life-sustaining heat and medical treatment. EcoWatch reported that Ruffalo and Johns touted the necessity of switching to renewable energy in the wake of drastic climate change. Ruffalo also emphasized the right of Native Americans to protect their land from predatory fossil fuel companies. “Around the world, more than 80 percent of the forests and lands with protected waterways and rich biodiversity are held by indigenous tribes. This is no coincidence,” Ruffalo said. “As so many of us suffer from polluted water, air and land in our rural and urban communities, the water defenders at Standing Rock are showing us another way.” However, Ruffalo was quick to note that he was merely “trying to be of service” in using his platform to bring awareness to the Dakota Access Pipeline protest. “It was really Wahleah Johns responsible for the delivery. I was there to draw the spotlight,” Ruffalo told US Uncut in an email. Johns, whose company’s goal is to provide low-cost, renewable energy sources and green energy jobs for indigenous communities, praised the Standing Rock Sioux’s fight against Energy Transfer Partners’ pipeline, calling it necessary for the sake of the planet’s survival. “Water is life,” said Johns , who is a leader in the Navajo nation. “By leading a transition to energy that is powered by the sun, the wind, and water, we ensure a better future for all of our people and for future generations.” The Dakota Access Pipeline, if constructed, would carry highly toxic tar sands oil through North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois , where it would then be transported by train to ports on the Gulf of Mexico. Sacred land belonging to indigenous communities in North Dakota was destroyed for the pipeline route, with Native American leaders saying they were never consulted about the pipeline before construction began. The Standing Rock Sioux, who call themselves “water protectors,” say the pipeline would endanger drinking water for millions of people along the pipeline route. Tom Cahill is a writer for US Uncut based in the Pacific Northwest. He specializes in coverage of political, economic, and environmental news. You can contact him via email at [email protected]

Study: More Vitamin B In Mother’s Diet Reduces Risk Of Colon Cancer In Offspring

Dr. Edward F. Group III

in: General Health (image: shutterstock) Few experts question the influence a mother’s diet can have on her children’s long term physical health. Yet, many believe this effect is mostly sociological, limited to positive or negative role modeling, and the development of general dietary habits later in life. However, research suggests that the foods moms eat could impact the health of their children much more directly. Scientists at Tufts University’s USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA), near Boston, have published findings of a study which shows a strong connection between the quantity of B vitamins pregnant mice consume and the likelihood of their offspring developing colorectal cancer as adults [ 1 ] . Breaking Down The Study Three test groups of pregnant and nursing mice, which were genetically engineered to be predisposed to develop colorectal cancer, were fed diets with either higher than normal, adequate, or slightly deficient amounts of folate and vitamins B2, B6, and B12. Once fully weened, all newborn mice were fed identical, nutritionally balanced diets through adulthood. The occurrence of tumor development appeared similar between both the adequate and B vitamin deficient groups, with about 60 percent of the mice in each of these two groups eventually developing colon cancer . In comparison, less than 20 percent of the mice in the group that was given larger than normal servings of B vitamins were found to have malignant growths. While these figures are impressive, the researchers caution that the study itself is only a preliminary investigation, and additional studies will be needed to further assess the correlation between maternal vitamin B consumption and reduced risk of cancer in humans. Dr. Jimmy Crott, PhD, lead author of the HNRCA study: “We saw, by far, the fewest intestinal tumors in the offspring of mothers consuming the supplemented diet. Although the tumor incidence was similar between offspring of deficient and adequate mothers, 54% of tumors in the deficient offspring were advanced and had invaded surrounding tissue while only 18% of tumors in the offspring of adequate mothers displayed these aggressive properties.” Most healthcare providers already recommend higher than normal intake of folate and other essential B vitamins during pregnancy and while nursing as part of routine prenatal care. And accordingly, most popular brands of prenatal vitamins> contain significantly larger than normal serving of all four B vitamins as compared to regular multivitamins. The standard reasons for this, however, have nothing to do with with the prevention of colon cancer. In addition to their potential for the risk of colorectal cancer, Vitamin B – folate, more specifically – has long been known to play an important role in the prevention of spina bifida and related defects of the neural tube (a sort of embryonic forerunner of the central nervous system) during fetal gestation. It’s also believed to have a strong influence on proper neurological development in very young children. References:

Daily Mail Compares 2 U.K. Leaders — Their Legs, Not Their Ideas - The New York Times

Sewell Chan

LONDON — Britain’s prime minister and Scotland’s leader met on Monday to discuss the most consequential of questions: Will Britain’s departure from the European Union cause Scotland — joined with England since 1707 — to leave the United Kingdom? But for The Daily Mail, one of Britain’s most popular newspapers, the question that mattered was: Which leader had better legs? “Never mind Brexit, who won !” its cover on Tuesday blared. Many readers were appalled that the encounter between Theresa May, the prime minister, and Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland, had been reduced to a comparison of their bodies. By Tuesday afternoon, at least one complaint had been filed with Britain’s press regulator. “This is 2017,” Chuka Umunna, a Labour lawmaker, wrote on Twitter. “Sexist does not begin to describe this front page. ” Others, perhaps more jaded, were unsurprised, given how The Daily Mail has represented women in its pages in the past. “The Daily Mail do this regularly,” said Roy Greenslade, a professor of journalism at City University in London and a columnist for the liberal newspaper The Guardian. “And this is a particularly venal example, but if you look at it day on day, there are plenty of similar examples. ” Professor Greenslade said the blatant sexism was done unapologetically, “with a sense of confidence on the understanding that they can’t see what the fuss is all about. ” Mrs. May and Ms. Sturgeon met at a hotel in Glasgow on Monday, two days before the British government was set to invoke Article 50, formally notifying the European Union of Britain’s intention to leave the bloc. The leaders stopped for a photograph, sitting next to each other in armchairs. “But what stands out here are the legs — and the vast expanse on show,” Sarah Vine, the author of the Daily Mail article, wrote. Ms. Vine is married to Michael Gove, the British politician who helped lead the campaign to leave the European Union. The article went on to describe each woman’s stance. “Knees tightly together,” Mrs. May opted for “a studied pose that reminds us that for all her confidence, she is ever the vicar’s daughter,” the article said. Ms. Sturgeon’s legs, described as “undeniably more shapely shanks,” were “more flirty, tantalizingly crossed. ” The writer then called the Scottish leader’s posture “a direct attempt at seduction: Her stiletto is not quite dangling off her foot, but it could be. ” The Daily Mail has a readership of about 3. 4 million. It has often portrayed what it calls “career women” through the lens of their appearance, rather than through their accomplishments. “Even though they are great champions of Theresa May — and were champions of Mrs. Thatcher — they still basically see women in a 1950s role, as an adornment,” Professor Greenslade said, referring to former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. “That’s why so much of their editorial is about how women look. ” In 2014, for example, The Daily Mail compiled photographs of female lawmakers entering or leaving 10 Downing Street, the prime minister’s office and residence, during meetings about a cabinet reshuffle by David Cameron, Mrs. May’s predecessor. The article, with the headline “Esther, the Queen of the Downing Street Catwalk,” referring to one of the lawmakers, Esther McVey, also caused an uproar. To the latest criticism, The Daily Mail issued the response “For goodness sake, get a life!” Its statement called the article “a sidebar alongside a serious political story” that appeared “in an paper packed with important news and analysis. ” The statement added that the newspaper had backed Mrs. May when she ran to succeed Mr. Cameron as leader of the governing Conservative Party. The newspaper added that it had often commented on the appearance of politicians, including “Mr. Cameron’s waistline” the hair of the former chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne and the attire of Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour Party. If the statement reflected a certain sensitivity to the negative coverage, so did later versions of the front page. Observers noted that it was tweaked in print, for a later edition, to add the words: “Sarah Vine’s lighthearted verdict on the big showdown. ” Some critics said that the adjustment was itself sexist, as it appeared to shift attention to the writer. “I think people maybe have had a slight sense of humor failure,” said Ms. Vine, speaking on the BBC radio show “World at One. ” “What we’re doing is creating a more approachable version of the story,” she added. Ms. Vine also defended the cover change, saying she stood by what she had written. Professor Greenslade saw the late change in the cover language as a belated attempt to a controversy. “It is a pretty pathetic excuse,” he said. “When you see that front page, it’s quite clear what they meant: Don’t worry about the politics, just look at the legs. ”

James Comey Hearing Destroys Obstruction of Justice Case Against Trump - Breitbart

Joel B. Pollak

Former FBI director James Comey began his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday by suggesting that the question of whether President Donald Trump had committed obstruction of justice was one for Special Counsel Robert Mueller to investigate. [But under questioning by Sen. James Risch ( ) Comey all but destroyed any hope Democrats had for bringing a case of obstruction of justice against President Donald Trump. Their exchange was as follows: Risch: I want to drill right down, as my time is limited, to the most recent regarding, allegations that the President of the United States obstructed justice. And, boy, you nailed this down on page page five, paragraph three, you put this in quotes. Words matter, you wrote down the words so we can all have the words in front of us now. There’s 28 words that are in quotes, and it says, quote: “I hope” — this is the president speaking — “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go. ” Now, those are his exact words is that correct? Comey: Correct. Risch: And you wrote them here and you put them in quotes. Comey: Correct. Risch: Thank you for that. He did not direct you to let it go. Comey: Not in his words, no. Risch: He did not order you to let it go. Comey: Again, those words are not in order. Risch: No. He said, “I hope. ” Now, like me, you probably did hundreds of cases, maybe thousands of cases, charging people with criminal offenses. And of course you have knowledge of the thousands of cases out there where people have been charged. Do you know of any case where a person has been charged for obstruction of justice or for that matter any other criminal offense where they said or thought they hoped for an outcome? Comey: I don’t know well enough to answer. And the reason I keep saying his words is, I took it as a direction. Risch: Right. Comey: I mean, it’s the President of the United States with me alone, saying, “I hope this. ” I took it as this is what he wants me to do. I didn’t obey that, but that’s the way I took it. Risch: You may have taken it as a direction, but that’s not what he said. Comey: Correct. Risch: He said, “I hope. ” Comey: Those are exact words, correct. Risch: You don’t know of anyone that’s been charged for hoping something? Comey: I don’t, as I sit here. Risch: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Democrats have hinged their hopes for impeachment — and reversing the 2016 elections — on the idea that Trump committed obstruction of justice. That case has now been smashed beyond repair. Joel B. Pollak is Senior at Breitbart News. He was named one of the “most influential” people in news media in 2016. He is the of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

Half of US Voters Concerned About Potential Violence on Election Day

0 19 2 0 A majority of likely US voters are concerned about the potential for violence during the upcoming presidential election on November 8, a USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll revealed on Wednesday. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The 2016 election will be the first held without the full protections afforded by the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which the US Supreme Court invalidated in 2013. The decision limited the federal government's power to supervise areas of the country historically prone to voter intimidation. © AP Photo/ Don Ryan Black Lives Matter Activist Endorses Clinton for US President in Opinion Article "A 51 percent majority of likely voters express at least some concern about the possibility of violence on Election Day; one in five are ‘very concerned’," the poll stated. Additionally, only 40 percent of the 1,000 respondents said they were very confident the country would have a peaceful transition of power from President Barack Obama to his successor. © REUTERS/ Nick Oxford/File Photo Coalition of US Rights Groups Urges States to Prevent Voter Discrimination Republican nominee Donald Trump has claimed the election is rigged and called for his supporters, including police and sheriffs, to independently patrol polling places for voter fraud, sparking at least some concerns that minority voters could be subject to intimidation. Trump, but also numerous other critics , have warned of mass voter fraud in light of the fact that no mechanism exists to verify individuals are legally entitled to vote or keep people from voting more than once. Moreover, critics have raised the issue of names of dead people being included on voter lists as well as voting machines being highly vulnerable to manipulation and hacking. On October 19, detectives in the US state of Indiana found evidence of mass voter registration fraud after conducting an investigation into tampering of personal voter data. ...

5 DIY Survival Tools To Make From Scratch

Chris Black

Chris Black November 21, 2016 5 DIY Survival Tools To Make From Scratch Let’s begin today’s article with a question: do you know what homo sapiens means? Well, I bet you do. But then again, how about homo faber? What’s the relation between homo sapiens and homo faber? Translated literally, homo faber means “man, the maker.” To put it simply, let’s assume that dolphins are very intelligent creatures since that’s what I hear constantly on National Geo and the Discovery Channel. But that intelligence doesn’t help them much; they’re just the same as they were 500,000 years ago. Cute, intelligent creatures that constantly get caught in our fishing nets (by mistake) and they can’t get out. They often end up in tuna cans (that’s why I never eat tuna, but I’m digressing). Are you starting to get the picture? Homo faber is a peculiar creature, and I mean us, the people, the only “animals” on the planet which are able to control their environment through the use of – you guessed it – tools. Okay, tools and a juicy brain-to-body ratio. Some say that we control our fate too with those same tools , but I have my doubts about that. Regardless of what you’re thinking about your fate or the lack thereof, tools are pretty cool to have, especially in a survival situation . But then again, tools aren’t necessarily defined by what you can buy for $3.99 in your local hardware store. Actually, some while ago, I saw an octopus on TV that was using a small rock to break a clam’s shell. By most accounts, octopuses are pretty stupid compared to humans. The idea is that when confronted with an outdoors survival scenario, you can improvise tools from scratch, thus living to fight another day. If an octopus can do it, so can you, right? So, if early humans were able to manufacture tools using first animal bones, then stones, then metal and then via 3D printing, what’s there to stop you from learning from your ancestors? Now that you have the general idea, let’s see about a few primitive-technology ideas which may very well save your life someday, or at least improve the quality of life for you and your family in a survival scenario, which is the next best thing. 1. How to build a fresh water prawn trap from scratch The idea is very simple and straightforward: one must eat in order to stay alive. So, with the prawn trap you can catch prawns and eat them. The trap is very easy to build using lawyer cane, vine, and sticks. Prawn/fish traps are very easy DIY traps which can successfully be used to catch aquatic life thanks to their peculiar shape. Basically, you’ll have to build a simple basket with an entrance designed in a funnel-like fashion so that the prawn will get funneled in, but it will not be able to get out. Here’s the detailed video tutorial about the DIY-ing job itself. Video first seen on Primitive Technology . The trap must be placed under some tree roots or something similar in the water and it doesn’t require bait, as curiosity kills the cat … err, prawns. You’ll require a little bit of basketry practice but if you’re into outdoor survival, learning this skill may prove very useful some day for many different tasks. 2. How to make a survival spear from scratch Spears were among the first hunting/ self defense weapons used by mankind and this video tutorial will teach you how to make your own survival spear from (almost) scratch. Video first seen on Animal Man Survivor . All that’s required is a cutting tool, which may very well be a knife or a stone with a sharp edge. and a piece of wood of the desired length. Watching the video will also teach you how to make a fire using what’s available in the woods, i.e. almost nothing. Oh, I almost forgot – here’s how to make a rock knife if you don’t carry a survival blade on your person 24/7 (not good). Video first seen on Captain Quinn . 3. How to build a grass hut from scratch You do remember the holy trinity of survival, right? Food, water and shelter. I know that a grass hut made from scratch is not a tool per se, but it’s a shelter by any definition and it can be built basically anywhere on Earth, provided there’s grass available. Which means, almost anywhere. This project is easy to build, with a simple yet effective design and you’ll only require a sharp stone (or a knife) and a digging tool (stick, shovel, whatever). Here’s the video tutorial. Video first seen on Primitive Technology . 4. How to DIY a Bow and Arrow from scratch While hunting with a spear requires some mad skills, bows and arrows are the ideal hunting tools for long-term wilderness survival. This video tutorial will teach you how to DIY a bow and arrow outdoors, using primitive “technology” – natural materials and tools made from scratch, i.e. a stone chisel, a stone hatchet, fire sticks and various stone blades. Video first seen on Primitive Technology . 5. How to DIY a cord drill from scratch Check out this video tutorial and you’ll learn how to make a cord drill from scratch. This baby consists of a fly wheel, a shaft, and a piece of cord and it can be used for making a fire without getting blisters on your (soft) hands or for drilling holes. Video first seen on Primitive Technology . Now, with the “survival stuff” taken care of, let’s see about a few life-hacks, i.e. some “more benign” tools made from recycled materials. Next time you destroy a tape measure, you can improvise a depth gauge using a piece from the broken tape-measure by cutting out a twelve inch section using a pair of tin snips. To get an usable zero to twelve inch scale, start cutting at the beginning of a one footmarker and then use the ultra-thin, elastic material for measuring stuff in small/confined places You can use scrap wood from the shop for improvising a table saw push stick for keeping your hands and fingers on the safe side when feeding wood to the saw at a consistent rate. Video first seen on Adam Gabbert . Here’s how to make a scratch stock cutter from an old hand saw which can be used for scraping/scratching a decorative profile into a piece of wood, a method used by furniture manufacturers on historic pieces for creating a hand-made appearance. Video first seen on Wood By Wright . You can improvise an adjustable marking gauge by driving a dry-wall screw into a piece of wood. Video first seen on Paul Sellers . You can use an empty bottle as a glue dispenser, thus saving money by buying glue in bulk. You’ll require an empty bottle that features an extendable cap, which allows you to distribute a consistent amount of adhesive for, let’s say edge-gluing boards. When closing the cap, you’ll prevent the glue from drying out. The best bottles to use are bottles with sports caps, such as water bottles,, Gatorade bottles, or dish soap bottles. An expired credit card is excellent as a glue spreader. If you want to drill perfectly perpendicular deep holes without a drill-press, just use an old piece of mirror and position it against the drill bit. You’ll have to fine-tune the position of the drill until the reflection and the bit are combined in such a way that they look perfectly aligned. That’s all! Or you can make your own smart saw at home. Click the banner below to find out how to transform your ideas into real projects. Chris Black for Survivopedia. 363 total views, 363 views today

President Trump Calls for Immediate Investigation Into Chuck Schumer’s Ties to Russia, Vladimir Putin - Breitbart

Penny Starr

Following an online report showing photographs of Democrat Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( . Y.) meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in New York City in 2003, President Donald Trump tweeted: “We should start an immediate investigation into @SenSchumer and his ties to Russia and Putin. A total hypocrite! ”[We should start an immediate investigation into @SenSchumer and his ties to Russia and Putin. A total hypocrite! pic. twitter. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 3, 2017, On Thursday, the Gateway Pundit published two photos of Putin and Schumer in New York City. The caption under the Associated Press photo said: “Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, enjoys a Krispy Kreme doughnut and coffee with Senator Charles Schumer from New York as Putin visits the first New York gas station of the Russian company Lukoil [on] Friday. ” “The hysteria over Trump administration officials talking — or not talking — with Russia needs to end,” the Gateway Pundit’s post said. “It’s getting in the way of putting America back on track. ” A spokesperson for Schumer replied to a Breitbart News inquiry sent to his office by email on Friday: During their careers, Senator Schumer and Sessions both met with Russian officials — that’s where the similarities end. Senator Schumer’s meeting was a press conference, in full view of the press and public in 2003. Senator Sessions met with the Russian Ambassador and then went on to mislead Congress about those meetings, while being put in charge of an investigation into ties between Russia and the President’s campaign. That’s why he should resign, and why he had to recuse himself from the investigation.

New ISIS Video Threatens Putin While Russian Child Executioners Execute 4 Men

ahtribune.com

26 Shares 21 4 0 1 A new video purportedly released by the Islamic State shows 2 young ISIS boys executing two “spies.” The film, titled “Repent and you have safety from us,” is directed at Russians and Putin, threatening violence at the Syrian government ally. The nearly 14-minute video was released on ISIS terrorist channels on November 9 and comes from “Wilayat al-Jazirah,” northern Iraq. Vulnerable cities in the ISIS-occupied region include “Tal ‘Afar, Al-Ba’aj, Al-‘Ayadiyyah, Al-Mahlabiyyah, Sinjar, Wardiyyah, Sanuni, Khana Sor, Ibrat al-Saghira, Al-Badi, [and] Al-Qanat.” Prisoners can be seen kneeling on the ground in an unknown location in northern Iraq, while so-called 'cubs of the caliphate', dressed in military outfits, stand behind them wielding hand guns. In one scene a child rants to the camera about Putin's intervention in Syria before he and a second youngster shoot their captives - who were accused of being spies - in the back of the head. MORE... Saudis Foil ISIS Terror Attacks on Packed Stadium U.S. Commander John Nicholson: ISIS Attempting to Establish Khorasan Caliphate in Afghanistan ISIL executes Iraqi citizens listening to gov't radio Iraqi forces burn 16k m² ISIS poppy fields to curtail heroin and opium revenue The child soldiers threaten attacks on Russia and call Putin a 'dog', according to Terror Monitor. One of the Russian children says: 'O Russian disbelievers... We will kill you and nothing will save you from that dog Putin.' The video emerged on the same day that a senior UN official said the operation to liberate the city of Mosul marks the beginning of the end of the ISIS caliphate in Iraq. Jan Kubis, the UN envoy for the country told the Security Council, said efforts by the Iraqi Security Forces, the Peshmerga and other allies are making steady progress in liberating the city, while seeking to minimise civilian casualties. 'This liberation operation marks the beginning of the end of the so-called `Da'esh caliphate' in Iraq,' Kubis said, using an Arabic acronym to refer to the group. Early on Agugust ISIS released a video urging his memebers to stage attacks in Russia.

Samantha Bee Mocks Trump, Roasts Media at ’Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner’ - Breitbart

Amanda House

(Adult Language Warning) Liberal comedian Samantha Bee roasted the news media, past presidents, and President Donald Trump during a taped mock White House Correspondent’s Dinner Saturday afternoon in Washington, D. C. From the Hollywood Reporter: “As much as I might love poking fun at the media and as much as you kind of deserve it sometimes, your job has never been harder,” she said. “You’re basically get paid to stand in a cage while a geriatric orangutan screams at you. … You expose injustice against the weak and you continue to the president as if he might someday get embarrassed! Tonight is for you. ” … The special’s commercial breaks were led with taped sketches of Bee roasting a handful of previous presidents like Woodrow Wilson and Bill Clinton, complete with garb. “This story has more wrinkles than the president’s nutsack,” she said of Ronald Reagan and the affair, while Richard Nixon “achieved John F. Kennedy’s two goals: landing a man on the moon and getting f — ed by a deep throat. ” The final sketch of this series had Bee roasting Mike Pence, who became president after Trump died after “getting his head stuck in a jar of honey. ” She was shown wearing a chastity belt and a turtleneck: “I attempted to cover my pillows but the slut shines through. ” … One segment skewered Jeff Zucker and CNN. “Zucker’s greatest success besides The Apprentice — which, by the way, thanks for that — is filling airtime between car crashes with a reality show loosely based on the news where hacks make us measurably dumber by spewing mendacious nonsense while a hologram of Anderson Cooper stand by,” said Bee, pleading for the network to “free” its journalists. “Anderson is a smart reporter! Give him his black back and put him in front of a natural disaster!” She added, “CNN gives you news like your shitty boyfriend gives you orgasms: in the end, you wind up lying in the wet spot and he’s snoring. ” For the rest of the article, click here. The TBS program Full Frontal with Samantha Bee’s Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is set to air Saturday at 10 p. m. eastern.

President Obama Is Handing a Strong Economy to His Successor - The New York Times

Patricia Cohen

Departing occupants of the White House rarely hand off an improving economy to a successor from the opposing party. When Barack Obama was waiting in the wings after the 2008 presidential election, for example, the economy was in a severe downward spiral: Employers reported cutting 533, 000 jobs that November, the biggest monthly loss in a generation. But according to the government’s report on Friday, Donald J. Trump can expect to inherit an economy that has added private sector jobs for 80 months, put another 178, 000 people on payrolls last month and pushed the unemployment rate down to 4. 6 percent today from 4. 9 percent the previous month. Wage growth, though slower, is still running ahead of inflation, and consumers are expressing the highest levels of confidence in nearly a decade. The Federal Reserve is confident enough about the economy’s underlying strength that it is now set to raise the benchmark interest rate when it meets later this month. The jobless rate for November, the lowest since August 2007, “is a testimony to how strong employment growth has been,” said Jim O’Sullivan, chief United States economist at High Frequency Economics. Jason Furman, now chairman of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, remembers the transition eight years ago, when he was crammed into his office with a circle of key officials as the latest jobs numbers from the Labor Department landed. “It was an utterly terrifying time, the likes of which none of us had ever seen in our lifetimes,” Mr. Furman recalled. Fearing that “the economy was following the same trajectory that it did at the beginning of the Great Depression,” everyone was focused on how to “rapidly slow the bleeding and figure out how to get the economy growing again. ” By contrast, Mr. Furman said, “the economy today is healthy and it’s improving. ” For all the improvements, tens of millions of Americans understandably feel that the recovery has passed them by. Those without skills are relegated to positions without steady schedules, security and benefits. Breadwinners who once held manufacturing jobs are angry about being forced to settle for service jobs — or no jobs at all. Profound anxiety, particularly among the white working class, about the ability to reach or comfortably remain in the middle class is one of the factors that helped propel Mr. Trump to the White House. Pockets of weakness also surfaced in the latest jobs report, which showed that more people dropped out of the labor force last month than joined it. Manufacturing jobs declined further, and there are still plenty of workers who would rather be full time. And while the official jobless rate for high school graduates fell to 4. 9 percent, it is more than twice the rate for college graduates. “There is a bifurcation of the work force,” Jonas Prising, chairman and chief executive of the ManpowerGroup, one of the largest recruiters in the United States. People who are able to take advantage of advances in technology, globalization and other shifts that favor those with the right skills for the nation’s advanced services are thriving. For others, the prospects do not look good. “There used to be part of the work force that had jobs that were low or unskilled,” Mr. Prising said. “Those kinds of jobs are very difficult to find today. ” The deal that Mr. Trump made with the heating and cooling company Carrier this week to keep 1, 000 manufacturing jobs from moving to Mexico from Indiana is emblematic of the kind of actions he said he would take as president to help workers. But there are limits to the power of persuasion. Betsey Stevenson, an economist at the University of Michigan and a former economic adviser to Mr. Obama, said that manufacturing, while still a driving force in the economy, employed fewer and fewer people. More than 80 percent of jobs are now in the service industry, Ms. Stevenson said, and Mr. Trump should be thinking more about how to match workers with those jobs. “The economy is in a great place, and his biggest challenge is continuing that,” she said. Some economists worry that the Federal Reserve is too focused on fears of future inflation and that it should hold off on any increase in rates until conditions have improved further. “There’s no reason to slow the economy down, given that we’re starting from less than full employment,” said Elise Gould, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington. “Right now, the priority should be keeping the economy on track and moving it forward. ” Such pleas are unlikely to win the day. At last month’s meeting of the Federal Reserve, members concluded that the case for an increase in the benchmark rate had been “strengthened,” and that they would be ready to move “so long as incoming data provided some further evidence of continued progress. ” Many employers are having a harder time finding and retaining workers. “Recruiting is a tough issue right now in skilled and semiskilled industries,” said Robert A. Funk, chairman and chief executive of Express Employment Professionals, a staffing agency based in Oklahoma City. He mentioned a particular need for workers in accounting, information technology, call centers, warehousing and office and professional services. Mr. Funk said employers often complained about being unable to find employees with a strong work ethic who met the minimum requirements. “Drug screening is a real challenge in many parts of the country,” he said. “Only 30 percent can pass a drug screen in the state of Washington,” where marijuana is legal. At the same time, employers have been reluctant to raise wages to a level that might lure back sidelined workers. The result has been that the country has 5. 5 million job openings, a level, but still relatively anemic labor force participation rates. “The challenge out there now is finding workers and keeping the workers you have,” said Steve Rick, chief economist at CUNA Mutual Group. Those shortages, whatever the cause, are likely to push wages higher next year, he said. “People are feeling good not only about their current income but their future income,” Mr. Rick said. Whatever the economy’s current failings, Mark J. Rozell, a political scientist at George Mason University in Virginia, said it was nonetheless better than the ones most incoming presidents have faced in the last . “Trump can be thankful that his predecessor is handing him a fairly strong situation,” Mr. Rozell said, “especially when compared to many past party transfers of power. ”

Enjoykin4

A leading US senator: US Supporting War in Syria A leading US senator said the war in Syria would have been over by now if the US had put an end to its intervention when Russia entered the war-ravaged country. “If the United States had just stayed out of it at that point, the war would be over by now; people would be rebuilding, refugees would be returning back to Syria, but the United States rushed anti-Tank missiles, and we used these so-called moderate rebels as a conduit to supply al-Nusra Front (also known as Fatah al-Sham Front), which is al-Qaeda in Syria,” republican member of the Virginia State in US Senate, Richard Hayden Black said in an exclusive interview with Press TV. “If we were not supporting the war in Syria, I believe that the Syrians, combined with their allied forces from Iran, Lebanon and Russia… would move very steadily and restore the borders of Syria.” The senate member, who visited Syria in April, refused to distinguish between militants and terrorists fighting the government of President Bashar al-Assad, saying, the two are “thoroughly integrated.” “They really are one and the same, they’re part of the same army,” he said, citing a US defense intelligence agency’s investigation in 2013, which showed Washington’s ties with the terror group. The outspoken state senator referred to plans by the CIA to transfer arms from Libya to Turkey and from there to Syria to supply the militants, noting that the move “evolved into an indiscriminate program of supplying all militant groups, including specifically ISIL and al-Qaeda.” “We do it indirectly because it’s unlawful to do it directly,” he said, adding that the US keeps “extremely violent organizations… off the terrorist watch list because these are the agents that take our weapons and then distribute them to ISIL and al-Qaeda.” In response to a question on why Iran and Russia are portrayed as the “bad guys,” while they are the ones really fighting terrorism there, as put recently by GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, Black said the Republican candidate has a “clear understanding of what’s happening over there.” “Sometimes, his rhetoric has to match the political mood of the moment… but I know a number of his advisers and they believe that our determination to topple the government in Syria is suicidal, that it threatens not only the entire Middle East but literally the entire world.” He further warned that the US itself could be “threatened,” arguing that, “if Syria falls, it will be dominated by some al-Qaeda-related organization; Lebanon will fall; Jordan will fall and the entire area will be destabilized.” The Vietnam war veteran also elaborated on his personal definition of the Middle East “axis of evil,” naming Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and “particularly” Turkey over their support for terrorism. “Probably, three quarters of the rebels are not Syrian at all, they are mercenaries recruited by Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia,” he asserted, describing the three countries as “the primary force behind the terrorist movement.” “Turkey has invaded Iraq and Syria with heavy military forces. Turkey has really become a rogue nation,” he added, referring to a 1923 treaty that set the border between Turkey and Greece, saying that was even being questioned by President Rececp Tayyip Erdogan. “And now you see this emerging threat against Western Europe by Turkey,” he noted, further adding that Erdogan “has made it clear that he looks to resurrection of the Ottoman Empire.” “He has become more and more aggressive; he’s crushed the military, the free press; every powerful institution of the Turkish government has come under his iron fist and he’s now a total dictator. He’s a man who has said that he wants the constitution amended so that he will have power similar to those of Adolf Hilter… This is our great ally; we’re allied with a man who would be Hitler.” He also blasted Washington’s alliance with Saudi Arabia, “where women are not allowed to walk out in the front yard to pick up the newspaper without a man’s permission; they can’t drive a car!” “Somehow, this is part of the liberalization that we seek to impose on the Middle East,” he said ironically, calling it “bizarre.” He also praised the resistance against the Saudi aggression by the people of Yemen, saying, “God bless them! The Yemenis are giving the Saudis a bloody nose,” despite being a “tiny little, poor nation.” “I think the world recognizes that Saudi Arabia has just embarked in massive war crimes in Yemen,” he said, voicing regret over the US support for the monarchy. “We don’t pay too much attention to them while engaged in war crimes because they’re our good allies,” he said, concluding that Washington is on a “suicidal course of action.” “Saudi money pays the very top politicians in many Western nations. And they really have co-opted the American military into acting as mercenaries for Wahhabism.”Black referred to the Western media’s portrayal of Iran as a supporter of terrorism, saying, “The fact of the matter is that if you really look at global terrorism, it all emanates from Saudi Arabia.” He exemplified various terrorists attack, including the 9/11, the Boston bombing, and the Brussels attacks, noting that they are all a “reflection of the Wahhabi philosophy.”

3 Top D.N.C. Officials Leave as Upheaval After Email Breach Continues - The New York Times

Alan Rappeport

The at the Democratic National Committee after an embarrassing breach of its email system continued on Tuesday with the departure of three senior officials. Amy Dacey, the committee’s chief executive Luis Miranda, its communications director and Brad Marshall, its chief financial officer, will leave amid a reshuffling of leadership positions, said Donna Brazile, the interim chairwoman. The departures came more than a week after WikiLeaks posted almost 20, 000 of the committee’s emails, a number of which revealed officials showing favoritism toward Hillary Clinton in her primary campaign against Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. The messages confirmed the concerns expressed by Mr. Sanders throughout the campaign, cast a cloud over the start of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last week and led to the resignation of Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida as the committee’s chairwoman. Ms. Brazile praised the outgoing staff members and made no mention of the controversy. “Thanks in part to the hard work of Amy, Luis, and Brad, the Democratic Party has adopted the most progressive platform in history, has put itself in financial position to win in November, and has begun the important work of investing in state party partnerships,” she said in a statement. “I’m so grateful for their commitment to this cause, and I wish them continued success in the next chapter of their career. ” American intelligence officials believe that the Russian government was behind the breach of the committee’s emails and documents, possibly as part of an effort to damage Mrs. Clinton and sow discord in the Democratic Party. An email from Mr. Marshall to Mark Paustenbach, a communications official, and Ms. Dacey suggesting that the committee promote questions about Mr. Sanders’s faith drew particular scorn from the senator and his supporters. “It might may no difference, but for KY and WVA can we get someone to ask his belief. Does he believe in a God,” Mr. Marshall wrote, referring to Kentucky and West Virginia. “He had skated on saying he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. This could make several points difference with my peeps. ” In May, Mr. Paustenbach wrote to Mr. Miranda about encouraging reporters to write that Mr. Sanders’s campaign was “a mess” after a glitch on the committee’s servers gave the Sanders campaign access to the Clinton campaign’s voter database. “Wondering if there’s a good Bernie narrative for a story, which is that Bernie never ever had his act together, that his campaign was a mess,” Mr. Paustenbach wrote. Mr. Miranda wrote back: “True, but the Chair has been advised to not engage. So we’ll have to leave it alone. ” The committee has since apologized to the Sanders campaign. To help fill the void, the committee announced, it is bringing on Tom McMahon, a former executive director of the committee, to lead a transition team.

And Now the Work Begins

Karl Denninger

Today, in the light of the morning, what do we have in America today? We have watched a tidal wave come ashore in Washington DC. We saw the impossible, according to the pundits. But let’s have a bit of sobriety to go along with the wry smile, ok? We still have policy acts that need to be addressed. In specific order of priority: Health care monopolies must be broken up and those in the industry who resist must be jailed under existing anti-trust law. This has to happen right up front, especially if we are going to do “tax reform” (and we should) or the result will be deficits that explode so fast, and so ruinously that they will force interest rates up to near or even beyond those of the early 1980s, bankrupting everyone at once that has any debt at all. Simply put you have to take close to a trillion dollars out of the Federal Budget and $2 trillion out of the economy as a whole in terms of spending in this sector or our nation does not fiscally survive. This was true yesterday and it still is. The problem is illustrated here and one potential set of solutions is here , along with my 2012 article here .. “Repeal and replace” will not do it ; you need to attack the problem, not remove the band-aids that were put over a sucking chest wound. President Trump can do the largest part of this without Congress since it requires only enforcing existing anti-trust law, and the responsibility to enforce the law rests solely with the Executive. The swamp must be drained. Candidate Trump repeatedly called for it. President Trump has to do it. Again, this is a function of existing law and therefore requires exactly zero Congressional buy-in. While cabinet-level positions require Senate approval the rank and file cop on the street positions in the US Government do not. There are an utterly insane number of crimes that have been committed over the last two terms and while the Statute of Limitations has run on some of them it has not run on all. Those for which prosecution is still possible must be prosecuted. This is not only important in the medical realm (see above) but also in the financial realm. We can start with Wells Fargo and their recently-exposed outrageous and blatant robbery of their customers but it must not end with “trophy” prosecutions. It is especially important for the stability of our markets and returning some resemblance of trust to them that all persons or organizations that have engaged in various forms of market manipulation which is illegal, I remind you, be held to account. Whether it be “spoofing”, placing orders you cannot clear (because you don’t have the margin to do so) or simply placing orders you never intend to execute (which is illegal and has been since the 1930s ) these crimes must be prosecuted as far back as the Statute of Limitations permits and aggressive prosecution on a forward basis must continue. Most of the rest of what President Trump has promised to do in his Contract with Voters does need Congressional approval. Yes, he can cancel executive orders that were outrageously improper — and he should. But when it comes to tax and trade policy for the most part those issues do require Congressional approval, and here’s the rub for any Republicans who think they can play “ Never Trump ” post this election: With both Houses of Congress there is only party to blame for any sort of obstructionism. If the Republicans wish to lose both houses of Congress in a couple of years all they have to do is keep larding up the debt and refuse to take the issues that must be addressed by both Congress and the Executive on, and it’ll happen. Originally posted at Market Ticker .

How a Money-Losing Snap Could Be Worth So Much - The New York Times

James B. Stewart

By now, even most of us over 35 — old age, by Snapchat standards — are aware of the photo sharing and messaging app sweeping teenage and millennial America. Even if you have no interest in sending nude photos of yourself that or in video lenses that enable you to vomit a rainbow, turn your head into a taco or make your eyes into glittering hearts, you may be wondering how such groundbreaking technology could be worth $34 billion. That was the value of Snapchat’s parent company, Snap Inc. after its first day of trading on Thursday. Its closing price of $24. 48 was 44 percent above the $17 offering price set late Wednesday. It’s the biggest initial public offering since Alibaba’s in 2014. At that price, Snap makes its much bigger rival Facebook — not to mention such internet stalwarts as Google, Amazon and even Netflix — look like “value” stocks. Snap “looks tremendously overvalued to me,” said Brian Hamilton, a of Sageworks, a financial analysis and valuation firm. Michael Nathanson, senior research analyst at MoffettNathanson, described Snap as a “field of dreams. ” Even with rosy growth forecasts, “at $22 billion, we’re looking at a stock trading at five to eight times estimated revenues in 2020,” he said before the valuation rose even higher. “The only companies in that domain are Facebook and Alibaba, and they have massive scale. And both of them are profitable. ” There’s no point in comparing Snap’s profits to any of those companies, since Snap doesn’t have any. The company lost $514. 6 million in 2016 and $372. 9 million the year before, according to the prospectus it filed in February. It has lost money every year since it began commercial operation in 2011 and has warned it may never earn a profit. The only comparable social media company that continues to lose money is Twitter, and no one at Snap wants anyone to compare it to Twitter. Twitter has struggled to add users and generate advertising revenue, even though it claims a user base of 319 million. It went public in 2013 at $26 a share. This week it was trading below $16 a share. So let’s be generous and ignore profit. How about revenue? Snap said it generated $404 million in sales in 2016. A valuation of $34 billion is about 84 times revenue. That’s six times as high as Facebook’s ratio, which is 14. It’s 14 times as high as Google’s parent, Alphabet, which trades at just over six times revenue. Amazon trades at a mere three times. Even Netflix trades at seven times. Compared with Snap, however, those are mature companies, whose growth rates have slowed somewhat as they’ve aged. As Mr. Nathanson and his fellow research analyst Perry Gold put it in a recent note to clients: “There is something brilliant about going public after only a few years of generating any revenue at all. The sky’s the limit and history is not a guide. ” To justify a valuation of even $25 billion, “you have to make some very lofty assumptions,” Mr. Hamilton said. “They would need to grow for the next 10 years at more than 50 percent every year with a profit margin of 25 percent, which is extremely high given that they are now losing money rapidly. ” He noted that very few companies had achieved such growth rates in the history of American business. But let’s ignore revenue, too. This is social media, after all, where “daily active users” and “engagement” are the coins of the realm. By the end of 2016, Snapchat had 158 million daily active users. By comparison, Instagram, probably the closest comparison and a formidable competitor to Snapchat, had about 30 million users when Facebook bought it in 2012 for what was then considered an price of $1 billion. (Facebook had earlier tried to buy Snapchat for $3 billion, which its founders rejected — wisely, it now appears.) And $1 billion now looks like a bargain compared to what investors are paying for Snap. At $34 billion, each of Snap’s daily active users is worth $215, six and a half times per user what Facebook paid for Instagram. As of January, Instagram reported 300 million daily active users. At $215 each, the Instagram app alone would be valued today at $64. 5 billion. These are static numbers, and what Snap is selling investors is growth. According to Snap’s prospectus, Snapchat user growth was 48 percent in 2016, about the same as the year before. If it can pull that off again next year, it would reach an impressive 234 million users, though still short of Instagram. The Snapchat story “is all about growth,” Mr. Nathanson said. “It’s not about economics. ” But Snapchat’s growth slowed sharply in last year’s fourth quarter — just about the time Instagram started its own version of Stories, a popular Snapchat feature where users post a sequence of photos or videos. It added just five million new users after adding an average of 15 million in the first three quarters. By comparison, 150 million Instagram users are now using its Stories feature. That’s already nearly as many as Snapchat’s entire user base. How much more can Snapchat grow? Unless it can break out of its youthful demographic, it may already be reaching an upper limit. The Kaiser Foundation estimates that adults age 19 to 34 made up 22 percent of the United States population in 2015. That’s a little over 70 million. Snapchat already has nearly that many users in the United States. Maybe Snap can squeeze more revenue per user, even if its user base doesn’t grow all that much. It’s currently generating an average of $5. 83 a year per user in the United States compared with Facebook’s North American average of $12. 81, the MoffettNathanson analysis notes, suggesting plenty of room to grow. But even doubling revenue doesn’t get Snap close to a Facebook valuation. There are, of course, superhigh revenue and assumptions that put Snap in the ballpark of successful and more established social media companies in valuation. Still, very few analysts have publicly said they believe Snap is undervalued at these levels (and I looked for some). The most bullish report I came across estimated that Snap could be worth as much as $30 billion. But that’s based on an extremely aggressive revenue estimate of $3. 8 billion in 2018. Mr. Gold said some investors were buying into the I. P. O. but not to hold Snap for the long term. “People are saying they’ll wait for a valuation that’s truly astronomical, and then take the other side of the bet,” he said. “They feel Snap will be richly valued out of the gate but possibly run into trouble over the next few quarters. ” Despite many of its somewhat juvenile features, at a more profound level Snapchat is changing the way young people communicate, substituting images for language. “Snapchat has built a better mousetrap,” Mr. Nathanson said. “It’s engaging, and it’s fun, especially for young people. ” That’s a story that obviously appealed to investors starving for the next hot social media company. Whether they’ll want to cash in quickly or hold their shares for the long term remains to be seen. “This looks and smells like Twitter to me,” Mr. Hamilton said. “I’m concerned that investors will have to wait a very long time, if ever, before they see any meaningful appreciation. ” About the best Mr. Nathanson and Mr. Gold could come up with: Snap’s valuation isn’t “patently crazy. ”

Donald Trump, Courting Evangelicals, Faults Hillary Clinton’s Policies and Character - The New York Times

Ashley Parker

Donald J. Trump tried out several lines of attack against Hillary Clinton, at one point calling her “unfit to be president,” as he delivered an otherwise noticeably restrained speech to an audience of evangelical activists here Friday. Appearing before the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority conference, Mr. Trump promised to “uphold the sanctity and dignity of life” and to “restore respect for people of faith. ” But he also used the opportunity to press his case against Mrs. Clinton, portraying her as arrogant, attacking her economic policies and willingness to admit Syrian refugees into the country and questioning her judgment as secretary of state. “She’ll appoint radical judges who will legislate from the bench, overriding Congress, and I’ll tell you, the will of the people will mean nothing — nothing,” Mr. Trump said. “She will undermine the wages of working people with uncontrolled immigration, creating poverty and income insecurity. Hillary Clinton’s Wall Street agenda will crush working families. She’ll put bureaucrats, not parents, in charge of our lives, and our children’s education. ” Referring to Mrs. Clinton’s call for Mr. Obama to take in 65, 000 Syrian refugees, Mr. Trump also challenged her to instead “replace her support for increased refugee admissions” with “a new jobs program for our inner cities. ” “We have to temporarily stop this whole thing with what’s going on with refugees where we don’t know where they come from,” he said, adding: “We have to take a timeout. We have to use the money to take care of our poorest Americans and work with them so they can come out of this horrible situation that they’re in. ” Mrs. Clinton has been calling Mr. Trump temperamentally unsuited for the White House, and he tried to turn the tables. Mrs. Clinton “refuses to even say the words radical Islam — refuses to say it,” Mr. Trump said. “This alone makes her unfit to be president. ” He has vowed to deliver a major speech Monday attacking both Mrs. Clinton and her husband as personally corrupt, and on Friday Mr. Trump asserted that the email scandal that has overshadowed Mrs. Clinton’s campaign for months had its origins in such venality. “Hillary Clinton has jeopardized — totally jeopardized — national security by putting her emails on a private server, all to hide her corrupt dealings,” he said. The claim appeared to refer to concerns that the private server Mrs. Clinton used as secretary of state may have been more vulnerable to being hacked by foreign adversaries than the State Department’s email system. (Although the emails were supposed to contain only unclassified information, the department has retroactively withheld some of their contents as classified when reviewing them for release in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.) But Mr. Trump offered no backup for his claim that the private server was used to hide “corrupt dealings. ” Noting that President Obama had officially endorsed Mrs. Clinton on Thursday, Mr. Trump added, “First time ever, by the way, a president of the United States endorsed somebody under criminal investigation. ” But that assertion also goes beyond the known facts. The FBI is investigating Mrs. Clinton’s use of a private server, but agents have not yet interviewed her and it is not clear if she herself is a target of a criminal inquiry. A few young protesters interrupted Mr. Trump’s remarks, shouting “Dump Trump” and other slogans. After they were muscled out by security guards, Mr. Trump called them “professional agitators” who were “sent in by the other party — believe me. ” Mr. Trump’s speech Friday came as he is battling to regain his footing after weeks of missteps, none more damaging than his questioning whether a federal judge could preside fairly over a case against Trump University because the judge is of Mexican heritage. With party leaders expressing outrage and voicing doubts that he can unify Republicans and defeat Mrs. Clinton in November, Mr. Trump noticeably curbed his impulsiveness Tuesday night, promising in a prepared speech not to let his supporters down. Still, in a Bloomberg Politics podcast published Friday morning, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell raised the possibility of rescinding his endorsement if Mr. Trump did not “change directions. ” Alluding to what he called Mr. Trump’s “obvious shortcomings,” Mr. McConnell said, “It’s pretty obvious he doesn’t know a lot about the issues. ” Before the Faith and Freedom Coalition Friday afternoon, Mr. Trump again stuck mainly to a script, reading from teleprompter screens. But he still in his characteristically clipped syntax. “We want to uphold the sanctity and dignity of life, marriage and family as the building block of happiness and success,” he said. “And by the way, I know many, many very successful people. The happiest people are the people that have had great religious feel and that — incredible marriage, children. It’s more important than the money, folks. Believe me. ” Mr. Trump — who has been married three times — does not hew to traditional conservative orthodoxy. He previously supported abortion rights, and he said earlier this year that Planned Parenthood has done “some very good work” for millions of women. And in response to North Carolina’s controversial new bathroom law, Mr. Trump said that transgender people should be able to use whatever bathroom where they feel most comfortable. But he nonetheless won the early endorsement of leaders like Jerry Falwell Jr. president of Liberty University, and successfully wooed evangelical voters during the primary, exit polls showed. Hogan Gidley, a former aide to Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, said that while evangelicals “would love to have a true evangelical in the White House,” they understood that Republicans required a broader coalition to win in November. “Republicans cannot win without getting evangelicals, and they can’t win only getting evangelicals,” Mr. Gidley said. “They have to expand the voter universe and so far, Trump has done an amazing job with that. ”

Barbra Streisand: ’I Don’t Know How We’re Going to Take Four Years’ of ’Disgraceful’ Trump - Breitbart

Pam Key

Monday on MSNBC’s “Hardball,” in responding to the ongoing story that started at Sunday’s Golden Globes awards ceremony with remarks by actress Meryl Streep criticizing Donald Trump and continued with tweets from Trump calling Streep “overrated” and a “flunky” for former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, actress and singer Barbra Streisand weighed in by wondering how we could take “four years of this. ” Streisand said, “I thought she said what she said beautifully. And It’s easy enough to see the video online of Trump mocking — you just showed it — I completely agree with Meryl. It was heartbreaking moment and so beneath the dignity of the presidency, let alone any respectful person. What we need more is kindness and common decency. And what he did, how he reacted and how he needs — he has the need to talk back and insult anybody who doesn’t agree with him, and that’s pretty disgraceful. ” She continued, “What’s the signal to little children who watch television and see this behavior of the soon to be president of the United States? Little girls were heartbroken when Hillary Clinton didn’t get to to be president. So I think it’s what they see. Children will listen, I sang that in a song once, and you know they will see and they will learn. And you know I’m in the middle of having my teeth cleaned. You caught me at a disadvantage. ” She added, “That is why you cant trust anything he says because if you get on his wrong side, he will blast you negatively … He had a New Year’s Eve party, but he wasn’t generous to give that to his followers as a president. He had to charge for it and put that money into this club. Don’t you think that’s a little strange?” She concluded, “I was very proud of her. She’s a wonderful actress and that he had to denigrate her talent because she spoke out. Why is he not sitting through briefings rather then tweeting this nonsense and rating wars with Arnold Schwarzenegger? I don’t know how we’re going to take four years of this. ” Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN

Clinton's Web Of Deception

Michael Cutler

The unraveling of Hillary's corrupt sphere of influence. November 4, 2016 Michael Cutler The 2016 elections are in the final stretch and were shaken to the core by the latest revelations from FBI Director James Comey on Friday, October 28, 2016 as reported by NBC News on October 30 th , “ FBI Obtains Warrant for Newly Discovered Emails in Clinton Probe — as Reid Accuses Comey of Hatch Act Violation .” Once again the Clinton scandal is creating turmoil in a presidential election that has gone way beyond “unconventional.” Indeed, Tom Clancy could not have scripted this year's presidential election and intrigues. While Comey's recent remarks regarding the Clinton investigation have been extremely vague, the issue to focus on is how Hillary's use of a private computer server, private e-mail account and non-secure digital devices to store, send and receive classified materials may have drawn others into her tangled web of deception. The current focus of the Clinton quagmire is on whether or not the laptop computer shared by Weiner and his estranged wife contains sensitive information. If that laptop had been hacked both Weiner and Abedin could have been vulnerable to blackmail. This was an issue raised by Congressman Louie Gohmert, Texan Republican and former judge in a Fox News Business interview on October 31, 2016 in a segment that was posted under the title, “ Rep. Gohmert: Clinton is a potential victim of blackmail .” Additional individuals may also have been drawn into this web of deception through these e-mails as well. A chain is as strong as its weakest link. The weak links begin with Hillary Clinton and Huma Abedin and may now include Anthony Weiner and perhaps others. Meanwhile, there is no way to yet determine how many other weak links are “out there” petrified that WikiLeaks or perhaps, a hacker may yet disclose their improper dealings with the Clintons or their foundation. Could not these additional individuals be subject to blackmail as well? Let's take a moment to understand how all of this began. Just months earlier Hillary Clinton had been let off the hook by an FBI Director who, in his official statement on July 5, 2016 , included this excerpt: To be clear, this is not to suggest that in similar circumstances, a person who engaged in this activity would face no consequences. To the contrary, those individuals are often subject to security or administrative sanctions. But that is not what we are deciding now. By Comey's own words, anyone else might have had their security clearance lifted permanently. This raises the issue about such an individual demonstrating fitness for duty as president and raises the question as to why Comey did not see fit to take comparable action with Ms Clinton. Comey's ultimate decision to not present the case to a Grand Jury was frustrating to those who have had security clearances and fully understand just how profound an impact these transgressions might have on national security. However, perhaps Comey's hard to comprehend decision can be traced to a meeting between Bill Clinton and Attorney General Loretta Lynch less than one week before the FBI Director conducted that press conference. On June 29, 2015 ABC News-15 reported, “ US Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Bill Clinton meet privately in Phoenix before Benghazi report .” That article served as a predication for my article, “ Loretta Lynch's Private Meeting With Bill Clinton Prior to Release of Benghazi Report : Why would the Attorney General, who sets the tone for law enforcement, do this?” As Attorney General, Lynch is FBI Director Comey's boss. At the time of this meeting the Justice Department was not only investigating Hillary's illegal use of a private e-mail server, non-secure personal digital devices but was also, conducting an investigation into the Clinton Foundation. In fact, on October 30, 2016 Breitbart reported, “ Clinton Foundation FBI Investigation Confirmed By Former Assistant FBI Director .” Therefore Bill Clinton, was likely the target of an ongoing criminal investigation yet he had a totally inappropriate private meeting with the Attorney General to supposedly discuss golfing and grandchildren. However, just days after that meeting, news organizations reported that Hillary was contemplating keeping Lynch on as Attorney General if she won the election. On July 4, 2016 Newsmax reported, “ NY Times: Clinton Weighs Keeping Lynch as Attorney General if She Wins .” Hillary's statement that she might keep Lynch on as Attorney General could have provided the incentive for Lynch to “Go along to get along.” Indeed, Lynch did precisely that during her confirmation hearing as I described in my commentary, “ Loretta Lynch: Same as the Old Boss : The Attorney General nominee's disturbing views on U.S. immigration law.” My article included an excerpt from a Yahoo/AP news report, "Attorney General nominee defends Obama immigration changes." Here is the exchange in which Lynch discussed the administration's immigration's policies: Lynch said she had no involvement in drafting the measures but called them "a reasonable way to marshal limited resources to deal with the problem" of illegal immigration. She said the Homeland Security Department was focusing on removals of "the most dangerous of the undocumented immigrants among us." Pressed by Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, a leading immigration hard-liner, she said citizenship was not a right for people in the country illegally but rather a privilege that must be earned. However, when Sessions asked whether individuals in the country legally or those who are here unlawfully have more of a right to a job, Lynch replied, "The right and the obligation to work is one that's shared by everyone in this country regardless of how they came here." Sessions quickly issued a news release to highlight that response. Under later questioning by Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, Lynch clarified it, stating there is no right to work for an immigrant who has no lawful status. This was disturbing and telling, clearly Ms Lynch's views on immigration and likely, therefore on other issues are malleable and subject to revision if modifying her position is consistent with her personal goals. As Attorney General Lynch directs the operations of the entire Justice Department and all those who work for that department. Ms. Lynch must understand true democracy can only exist when justice is blind and totally objective. However, Lynch and the others who have fallen under Hillary Clinton's corrupt sphere of influence are trapped in Hillary's web of deception, having fallen victim to the Hillary Virus. Throughout Clinton's many decades in American politics, this highly contagious and virulent malady has proven to be virtually ineradicable. It is not likely to change no matter the outcome of the next election.

CNN’s Don Lemon on Chicago Torture Video: ’I Don’t Think It Was Evil’ - Breitbart

Katie McHugh

CNN host Don Lemon said Wednesday evening the broadcasted torture of a bound and gagged victim in Chicago was not “evil,” adding that the suspects had “bad home training. ”[News broke nationally Wednesday after a Facebook Live video showed the victim beaten, slashed, held at knifepoint, and more in a Chicago apartment while assailants are heard saying “fuck white people” and “fuck Trump. ” Chicago police held a press conference the same day to announce an investigation is underway and four adults are in police custody. The suspects held the “traumatized” victim for as many as 48 hours, police said. “The fact that this was a vulnerable person that was probably duped into going along with them. It appears it is someone who is mentally disabled, I think makes it even more sickening,” said guest Matt Lewis. “But at the end of the day, you just try to wrap your head around evil. That’s what this is, it’s evil. It’s brutality. It’s man’s inhumanity to man. ” “I don’t think it’s evil,” Lemon replied. “I don’t think it’s evil. I think these are young people and I think they have bad home training. I say, who is raising these young people? I have no idea who’s raising these young people. Because no one I know on Earth who is 17 years old or 70 years old would ever think of treating another person like that. It is inhumane. And you wonder, at 18 years old, where is your parent? Where’s your guardian?” During the same discussion, Democrat strategist and former press secretary for Bernie Sanders Symone Sanders said the attack was “not a hate crime” if the suspects were motivated by “hate of Donald Trump. ” : Mediaite

Donald Trump Vows to Bolster Nation’s Military Capacities - The New York Times

Ashley Parker and Matthew Rosenberg

PHILADELPHIA — Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for a vast expansion of the military, including 90, 000 new soldiers for the Army and nearly 75 new ships for the Navy, requiring up to $90 billion a year in additional spending. But Mr. Trump did not match those numbers with details about how the country would raise the money, other than a promise to take steps like reducing wasteful spending, which military budget analysts said would be insufficient. Mr. Trump, in a speech at the Union League of Philadelphia, also vowed to order the military to devise a new plan to defeat the Islamic State “immediately upon taking office. ” The plan would come within 30 days from “my generals,” he added, without mentioning that those generals are the same ones who came up with the current strategy, which they believe is working. The speech was the latest effort by Mr. Trump’s campaign to demonstrate to voters that he can lay out detailed policy prescriptions to problems confronting the nation. It also seemed to be directed at the conservative foreign policy establishment, coming a day after Mr. Trump released a letter from about 90 retired military officials endorsing his campaign. He lamented the shrinking of the military and warned that enemies were preparing to capitalize on perceptions of American weakness around the world. “Our adversaries are chomping at the bit,” Mr. Trump said. “We want to deter, avoid and prevent conflict through our unquestioned military strength. ” With the speech, Mr. Trump also moved to refocus his campaign on critiques of Hillary Clinton, his Democratic rival. Espousing a foreign policy “tempered by realism,” Mr. Trump portrayed Mrs. Clinton, the former secretary of state, as unsuited to lead the nation’s armed forces. “Unlike my opponent, my foreign policy will emphasize diplomacy, not destruction,” Mr. Trump said. “Hillary Clinton’s legacy in Iraq, Libya, Syria has produced only turmoil and suffering and death. ” But it was the size of the military, and the amount that the United States spends on its defense, that lay at the heart of Mr. Trump’s speech. In addition to increasing the Army to 540, 000 soldiers and adding the Navy ships, Mr. Trump proposed buying dozens of new fighter aircraft for the Air Force. To pay for the expansion, Mr. Trump said he would call on Congress to reverse the cuts to military spending made as part of the budget sequester in 2013, which was the result of a compromise reached between Democrats and Republicans. The new spending, Mr. Trump said, would not cost taxpayers an additional penny. He said he would eliminate wasteful government spending, increase energy production and trim the federal work force, including the military bureaucracy. He also suggested that he would collect unpaid taxes, which he said amounted to $385 billion. Asked about the plan, Todd Harrison, a military budget expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said, “Good luck. ” “Everyone comes in saying they want to reduce wasteful spending,” Mr. Harrison said. “Folks have tried that again and again, and they have largely not been successful. ” Although Mr. Trump said little about how much his plan would cost, the new military spending would probably amount to $80 billion to $90 billion a year, experts said. The additional soldiers alone would cost around $9 billion. Mr. Trump’s call for ending the sequester on military spending is unlikely to gain traction in Washington. Republicans have long pushed for lifting these limits — a proposal Democrats will consider only with comparable relief on domestic spending. And on Tuesday night, in a sign of the likely stalemate, Senate Democrats filibustered a military appropriations bill because it would have allowed for bursting through the caps on military spending without also doing the same for domestic spending. Mr. Trump’s remarks came before he was to appear Wednesday night at a Commander in Chief Forum televised from the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York and focused on security and veterans issues. Mr. Trump was questioned after Mrs. Clinton. Earlier on Wednesday, he described Mrs. Clinton as “reckless” and “totally unfit to be our commander in chief. ” Mr. Trump was turning the tables on a frequent line of attack from Mrs. Clinton and trying to lay the blame for the bloodshed in the Middle East at her feet, a critique that most experts have said is grossly oversimplified and misleading. “Sometimes it seemed like there wasn’t a country in the Middle East that Hillary Clinton didn’t want to invade, intervene in or topple,” he said. “She’s and very unstable. ” The Clinton campaign fought back after the speech by highlighting the endorsement of more retired generals and admirals, saying Mrs. Clinton had gotten greater support “than any Democrat due to her proven record of diplomacy and steady leadership on the world stage. ” In a foreign policy speech in April, Mr. Trump offered much the same thrust as in Wednesday’s address — presenting an at times paradoxical approach of using fiery oratory to promise a military buildup and the immediate destruction of the Islamic State, while also rejecting the and interventionist instincts of George W. Bush’s administration. Mr. Trump also echoed other themes that he has used during his campaign, calling on allies to pay more for American military protection. “Early in my term, I will also be requesting that all NATO nations promptly pay their bills,” he said. “Only five NATO countries, including the United States, are currently meeting their minimum requirements to spend 2 percent of G. D. P. on defense. ” He also accused the Obama administration of agreeing to bad deals with Iran. “Our president lied to us,” Mr. Trump said of President Obama, saying the nuclear deal with Iran put the country “on a path to nuclear weapons. ” But Mr. Trump’s fiercest criticism was saved for Mrs. Clinton. He accused her of being complicit in an array of foreign policy stumbles, and of deleting her emails as secretary of state to hide her participation in a “pay for play” scandal in which Clinton Foundation donors were granted special access. Damning his rival with false praise, Mr. Trump — in one of his speech’s biggest applause lines — also said that maybe Mrs. Clinton did have some wisdom to impart. “Hillary Clinton has taught us really how vulnerable we are in cyberhacking,” he said. “It’s probably the only thing that we’ve learned from Hillary Clinton. ”

Fact Checking the House Benghazi Committee’s Findings - The New York Times

Eric Schmitt

WASHINGTON — The House Select Committee on Benghazi released its report on Tuesday detailing the attacks in Libya on Sept. 11, 2012, that resulted in the deaths of four Americans, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. The committee found no evidence of culpability or wrongdoing by Hillary Clinton, then the secretary of state. Here is a selection of summarized findings in the report, with fact checks: This criticism is not particularly new. Senior Pentagon officials have consistently said that they were constrained by the “tyranny of time and distance” — that is, that the military could not have sent troops or planes in time to have made a difference. The report and Republican critics have always countered that had the White House and Pentagon acted more swiftly, they might have mitigated the later attack on the compound’s C. I. A. annex. But it is unclear what forces might have made a difference there. _____ This sounds like dithering that might have cost American lives. But the uniform swaps reflect the chaos and confusion in sorting out what was going on in Benghazi, and whether American forces should arrive identifiable as United States military personnel or be less noticeable in civilian clothes. Even the report acknowledges the challenges facing the FAST teams: These troops did not have their own planes, which meant delays waiting for flights did not travel with their own vehicles (they would need to find some in Benghazi when they landed) and were designed to deploy before a crisis hit, not during hostilities. _____ This suggests that the Obama administration was not treating the crisis seriously. But the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr. was not a critical player in the drama. He was only one of many senior officials involved in managing the crisis, and was briefed after his dinner. There were many other senior White House, State Department and Pentagon officials, both in Washington and overseas, dealing with the crisis throughout the night. An independent inquiry in December 2012, among others, came to a similar conclusion. That report faulted State Department officials in Washington for ignoring requests from the American Embassy in Tripoli, Libya, for more guards at the Benghazi mission and for failing to make sufficient safety upgrades. As security in Libya worsened in the summer of 2012, the State Department remained committed to a security strategy to deploy a modest American security force and then increasingly rely on trained Libyan personnel to protect American diplomats. That strategy, which had been set a year earlier after the fall of Col. Muammar ’s government, failed. Warning signs were indeed flashing red for months before the attack. The Obama administration received intelligence reports that Islamic extremist groups were operating training camps in the mountains near Benghazi. By June, the city had experienced a string of assassinations, as well as attacks on the Red Cross and on a British envoy’s motorcade. Mr. Stevens emailed his superiors in Washington in August, alerting them to “a security vacuum” in the city.

Which Power Conference Won’t Vie for National Title? Sorry, Pac-12 - The New York Times

Marc Tracy

There is a simple math problem at the heart of the college football season: five power conferences, four playoff spots. That is, at least one of the major football conferences, having played a full season and produced an impressive champion, will fail to land a team in the College Football Playoff for the national championship. Two years ago, the snubbed conference was the Big 12, whose Baylor and Texas Christian, ended up fifth and sixth in the selection committee’s final rankings. Last year, it was the whose champion, Stanford, though an obviously impressive squad with a Heisman Trophy in running back Christian McCaffrey, had committed the cardinal sin of losing two games when every other conference champion had lost one at most. Trying in September to predict who will play for the national championship in January is a fool’s errand. There are so many teams. There is so much roster turnover. The oldest players are barely . And the argument is never really settled, nor can it be. “This is all fun to talk about — it kind of makes college football really go, that there is opinion involved, and that’s what differentiates it from the N. F. L. ,” the CBS college football analyst Gary Danielson said. “But this also leads to frustration. ” He added, “The difficult part of this is even a committee that has the task of deciding the final four goes about it in unusual ways. ” But that’s just it: During the past two seasons, we have come to know the committee — its idiosyncratic preferences, its quirky biases. At this early date, we may not be able to forecast which team will win it all. But we can hazard informed guesses about the following question: Which of the five major conferences will fail to place a member in the final four team bracket? For now, it is in the teams’ hands. But on the last several Tuesdays of the season, the selection committee will rank its top 25, based on a host of factors, including strength of schedule and advanced metrics. It will issue its final rankings on Sunday, Dec. 4, after the conference championship games. This year, the national semifinals will take place on Dec. 31 at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta and the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz. The winners will meet Jan. 9 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. Eight teams have made the playoff during its first two years (Alabama has done so twice) and all entered as conference champions. This is one of the committee’s stated metrics, and while the Big 12’s lack of a conference championship game kept its members out in 2014, last season’s Big 12 champion, Oklahoma ( ) sneaked in ahead of Stanford ( ) of the . As with the Bowl Championship Series algorithm that preceded the playoff, the committee values winning percentage, perhaps over strength of schedule: Witness its placing last year of not only Oklahoma but Iowa ( ) which lost its conference championship game after a relatively soft schedule, over Stanford, which thrashed Southern California after a more difficult slate. One more pattern: Both of the snubbed conferences in previous years, the Big 12 and were, at the time, the only two to play conference schedules. And each year, conference rivals took turns handing others defeats the committee member Condoleezza Rice memorably called it “fratricide. ” Conference depth — producing multiple tough matchups against familiar foes, sometimes at distinctly unfriendly stadiums, and fewer doormats — is the ultimate playoff obstacle. So which conference provides the clearest path to an undefeated or conference champion? The one with an schedule and the least depth: the Atlantic Coast Conference. Despite the presence of feisty No. 19 Louisville, it is a decent bet that either Florida State or Clemson — which is coming off a national title game appearance and is led by the Heisman Trophy contender Deshaun Watson at quarterback — will cruise to (or perhaps ). It is even more likely that the winner of the annual game between the two (Oct. 29, in Tallahassee, Fla.) will eventually claim the conference title and earn a playoff spot. The Big Ten’s top playoff contenders are all in the East Division — No. 6 Ohio State, No. 7 Michigan and No. 12 Michigan State — creating a potential of defeats. The Buckeyes are among college football’s youngest teams, while the Wolverines face a punishing road schedule (at No. 17 Iowa, at Michigan State, at Ohio State). That could allow the Spartans, winners of two of the past three conference titles, to emerge in the best shape. “Whenever I do an interview, it’s always about Ohio State and Michigan,” the ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said. “It’s almost like Michigan State’s not playing. ” The Big 12 appears with No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 13 T. C. U. The Southeastern Conference is unlikely to be snubbed, though that would certainly produce amusing talk radio. The conference most likely to be left out, then, is again the . Not because its teams are not good enough. Mostly because too many of them are. “I don’t see one or two teams that just stand out,” Herbstreit said. “I think it’s going to be one of those years where you have a team coming out of there. ” Consider: No. 8 Stanford has to travel to No. 14 Washington, which has to travel to No. 24 Oregon, which has to travel to No. 20 U. S. C. And the winner of that North Division must still beat the winner of the South in the conference championship game. Danielson summed up the paradox, saying, “I would say the is the conference, but has the toughest road to the final four. ” “Which,” he added, “is a problem. ” There are other potential problems. Two conferences could be snubbed if one league lands two teams in the playoff or if Notre Dame, an independent ranked 10th, qualifies or if a Group of 5 conference champion elbows its way in. The last situation might be most likely: If No. 15 Houston beats Oklahoma on Saturday, then beats Louisville later in the season and goes unbeaten through its American Athletic Conference slate, there may be a race to see whether the Cougars get an invitation to the playoff or to the Big 12 first. Finally, with resurgent Tennessee ranked ninth, running back Leonard Fournette probably entering his final season with No. 5 Louisiana State, and Alabama ranked No. 1, fratricide in the SEC remains a possibility, too. But if the SEC finds itself without a team in the playoff, it would do well to stage its own, with its best four teams. The competition would be about as good.

WIKILEAKS: Hillary Got $12 Million for Clinton Charity As Quid Pro Quo For Morocco Meeting

Email Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arranged a $12 million donation from Moroccan King Mohammed VI to her family’s charity in 2014 in return for the Clinton Global Initiative hosting its international meeting in the North African Muslim nation, according to an email made public Thursday by Wikileaks. The Moroccan monarch’s funds went to the Clinton Foundation’s endowment and to CGI. The Jan. 18, 2015, email was included in Wikileaks’ latest batch of communications to and from Clinton’s presidential campaign chairman, John Podesta. The email from Huma Abedin, Clinton’s Deputy Chief of Staff at the State Department, was addressed to Podesta and campaign manager Robby Mook. Hillary Clinton was a director of the foundation at the time. Singapore and Hong Kong officials reportedly were also vying to convene the CGI meeting in their countries, but the North African nation ultimately hosted it in a five-star hotel in Marrakesh, Morocco, in 2015. Abedin told Podesta and Mook that Morocco was not CGI’s “first choice.” The actual meeting was paid for by OCP, the Moroccan-government-owned mining company that has been accused of serious human rights violations. Clinton vigorously supported the Moroccan King when she was Secretary of State and the U.S.-financed Export-Import Bank gave OCP a $92 million loan guarantee during her tenure as Secretary of State. The mining company also contributed between $5 million to $10 million to the Clinton Foundation, according to the charity’s web site.Abedin described the arrangement in the email as having been organized by her boss. Hillary Clinton “created this mess and she knows it,” she told Podesta and Mook.She said the Moroccan deal was entirely dreamed up by her boss. “This was HRC’s idea, our office approached the Moroccans and they 100 percent believe they are doing this at her request. The King has personally committed approx. $12 million both for the endowment and to support the meeting.” HRC stands for Hillary Rodham Clinton. Abedin said Clinton’s attendance at the CGI event was a condition of the $12 million contribution. “Just to give you some context, the condition upon which the Moroccans agreed to host the meeting was her participation. If hrc was not part if it, meeting was a non-starter,” Abedin said. Politico in 2015 reported that Clinton “was seen by Rabat as among its most ardent supporters in the Obama administration.” Rabat is the capital of Morocco. The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice charged OCP with “serious human rights violations,” including exploitation of workers by not “adequately compensating the impoverished people who live there.” Mohamed Yeslem Beisat, the Washington envoy for the Polisaro Front, as reported by AL-Monitor, a Middle East news site in 2015 that “OCP is the first beneficiary of the war and the first beneficiary of the occupation — it is the one that is cashing in on the misery of thousands of refugees and hundreds of political detainees for the past 40 years.” Polisaro claims to lead a Moroccan government-in-exile based in Tindouf, Algeria. “They’re doing this because they know Hillary has some chances of being president of the United States. And they want her to support their brutal occupation of Western Sahara,” Beisat charged. The Moroccan firm mines phosphates. Human rights critics have called OCP’s mining product “blood phosphates,” appropriating the term “blood diamonds” for gems mined in operations that kill and injure local workers OCP is not the only mining company linked to human rights violations that has donated to the Clinton Foundation. The foundation accepted a $100 million pledge from Lukas Lundin, who owns mining and oil drilling operations in North Africa and in the Congo. (RELATED: Clinton Foundation Got $100M From ‘Blood Minerals’ Firm) OCP retained the law firm of Covington & Burling, one of Washington’s lobbying giants, paying the firm $1.4 million in fees from 2012 to 2015. Stuart Eizenstat, a former White House domestic policy chief under President Carter and an influential Democratic Party insider, was the main lobbyist for the mining firm. He was also President Bill Clinton’s ambassador to the European Union, a Deputy Secretary of the Treasury and Under Secretary at the Department of Commerce. Eizenstat specialized in foreign trade issues at Commerce where he worked in the International Trade Administration. Hillary Clinton officially visited Morocco twice, in November 2009 and in February 2012, meeting with the King on both occasions. The two also met in New York in December 2013 where it was believed the two discussed Morocco’s bid to host the CGI meeting and the King’s $12 million donation. The Moroccan World News described the meeting as showing “renewed friendship between the royal family and the Clinton family, as well as Hillary Clinton’s esteem for Morocco and its people.” Abedin warned both campaign executives that if CGI decided to renege on the agreement, it would hurt Clinton’s relationship with the King. “It will break a lot of china to back out now,” she wrote. Ultimately, Clinton did not attend the meeting because it was close to the launch of her presidential campaign, but the former president and daughter Chelsea were present and during the conference were guests at one of the Moroccan King’s palaces.

Credit Cards Encourage Extra Spending as the Cash Habit Fades Away - The New York Times

Nelson D. Schwartz

Nina Falcone has given up on cash. Whenever and wherever possible, even at the vending machines in her building in Chicago, the marketer uses her Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards card to collect points she says she uses for plane tickets to visit her family in California. Ms. Falcone carefully follows the advice from consumer advocates and does not carry a balance from month to month or pay humongous interest charges. But she admits there are probably some downsides to the ease of purchasing. Time magazines piled up around her apartment and gathered dust after she bought a subscription simply because it came with an offer for extra points. And she has increased the amount of time she spends shopping on the Internet because merchants offer incentives online for cardholders that are not available in stores. “I haven’t paid for a trip on Southwest in years,” says Ms. Falcone, which may be technically true, but a host of economic and social science research suggests that consumers tend to spend more using plastic than they ever would with actual cash. Incentives like miles or rewards points only amplify a temptation that banks and financial services companies have been profiting from for decades. “When you vary the payment method, people are willing to pay more,” said Duncan Simester, a professor of marketing at M. I. T. who published a landmark paper on the subject in 2001. “You’re not forking over a dollar bill, so there is less sensation of loss. ” With M. B. A. students as the subjects, Mr. Simester and a colleague, Drazen Prelec, held an auction of tickets to basketball and baseball games featuring two local teams, the Boston Celtics and the Boston Red Sox. Some participants were told they would have to pay by credit card, others were informed that only cash would be accepted. When credit cards were an option, the M. B. A. students offered to pay roughly twice as much as they were willing to hand over in cash for the same tickets. “The most surprising thing was the size of the effect,” said Mr. Simester, who titled the resulting paper ‘Always Leave Home Without It: A Further Investigation of the Effect on Willingness to Pay.’ ” He added that while it was not unusual to see spending patterns shift by 5 or 10 percent in experiments, “you don’t see too many examples where people offer double what they would have otherwise. ” But the ease of buying with plastic, or what marketers call “ spending,” is only half the story. Social scientists have also found that consumers have been conditioned by even the sight of credit card logos to want to spend more. Unlike Mr. Simester, who created an experiment from scratch, Richard Feinberg of Purdue University persuaded restaurants near campus in West Lafayette, Ind. to let him study actual patrons’ spending habits. Mr. Feinberg placed credit card logos and symbols on some tables and left others without them, as normal. The sight of images associated with credit cards prompted diners to spend more and leave bigger tips. A similar exercise in a faculty member’s office produced larger donations to the United Way, Mr. Feinberg added, while credit card images bolstered sales at a Fannie May candy store. “People spend more when these stimuli are present,” he said. “Just as Pavlov found that dogs would salivate when they heard tones that were associated with food, people have been conditioned to associate credit cards with spending. ” Although tools like Apple Pay and other mobile payment methods are too new to have generated much academic research, or allowed the kind of conditioning that half a century of credit card use has produced, Mr. Feinberg suggests a similar dynamic could be at work. “The less friction there is, the easier it becomes to spend,” he said. “Just stand at Starbucks and watch how many people there use their smartphones to buy a latte. ” Speaking of lattes, credit cards also encourage people to pay more for everyday items than they might otherwise, according to Scott Bilker, founder of debtsmart. com and the author of “Talk Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt. ” “Paying $5 for a coffee might seem like a lot if you only have $10 in your wallet,” he said. “But if your credit card has a $10, 000 limit on it, it doesn’t seem like much. ” The key, said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate. com, a personal finance website, is to try to exercise the same discipline with plastic that you would with cash, despite the urge to splurge. If you can’t help yourself, or occasionally do have to carry a balance, avoid incentive cards at all costs. “They only work for consumers who pay their balances in full,” he said, as Ms. Falcone does scrupulously each month. For the 60 percent of consumers who can’t pay off what they owe each month, a much smarter bet would be to seek out the card with the lowest possible interest rate. Of course, even the best card rates are still high — the typical consumer today has $2, 200 in credit card debt, with an average annual interest rate of nearly 16 percent, according to Bankrate. com. Does that mean consumers should cut their cards up, stick to cash the way our had to and embrace the supposedly traditional value of thrift? It’s not that simple today, nor was there really ever a golden age when Americans bought only what they could truly afford, said Lendol Calder, a professor of history at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill. “The river of red ink has run through American history from the beginning,” said Mr. Calder. “The Pilgrims took out loans from London investors and many of them died without ever having paid off their debts. As far back as you go, people were in over their heads. ” That said, Mr. Calder says he believes credit cards do offer advantages, despite the inevitable temptation to spend more. “Credit cards are useful because people want to be thrifty with time,” Mr. Calder explained. “In the 20th century, time became scarce and credit cards and credit in general helps with that. It’s one thing to save and save and buy an engagement ring for someone you love, but not if you wait and she runs off with someone else. ”

CNN Features Clock Tracking Last Time Trump ’Attacked Someone on Twitter’

Katherine Rodriguez

CNN is featuring a running clock on its politics Twitter account tracking the last time President Trump “attacked someone on Twitter. ”[The Twitter post links to a short story explaining why CNN has decided to feature a clock on the CNN Politics Twitter account that reaches 1. 67 million followers. “He hasn’t knocked, tweaked or attacked anyone on Twitter since Sunday afternoon, when he claimed, ‘Russia talk is FAKE NEWS put out by the Dems, and played up by the media, in order to mask the big election defeat and the illegal leaks! ’” the story reads. “We’ll see how long it lasts — literally,” the story ends, before featuring a running clock marking the last time Trump attacked someone on Twitter. The count is currently at 4 days and 2 hours. A recent poll showed that CNN’s brand has continued to go in a downward spiral, falling behind its cable news competitors, MSNBC and Fox News, in brand perception. Trump has consistently called CNN “fake news” for its reputation for making several mistakes when reporting on his administration.

Biden and Trump Agree to Fight Pistol Duel--Final Arrangements Pending

Thursday, 27 October 2016 Biden and Trump to Duel Seeking to duplicate, if not surpass, the famous duel between Vice President Aaron Burr and Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, Republican candidate for president, Donald Trump, and Vice President Joe Biden, agreed to fight a pistol duel. Although details of the duel have yet to be finalized, Amiko Aventurista, reports the duel will likely take place on the eve of the election. Three independent sources confirmed negotiations over broadcast rights are extremely tense. Trump demands the duel be the inaugural show of his new venture, Trump TV. "It was my idea. I was the one who said I could shot someone on Fifth Avenue and my supporters would be with me. Other than Hilary, Obama, Rubio, Cruz, Jeb Bush, and a ton of others, I can think of no one better to shot than hair plug Joe. I'm the greatest shooter ever. A real sniper." Biden insist MSNBC must be the broadcaster because its liberal and minority audience wants to see Trump with several gun shots. In a response to Trump, Biden said, "There is no way I can miss. His hair glows bright orange. All I have to do is point toward the glow". Megan Kelly of Fox says Fox must host the show because she wants to see "blood" coming everywhere out of Trump just like he said blood was coming out of her. CNN's Wolf Blitzer decline to comment. Even ESPN is making a play for the event, pointing out it regularly shows non-traditional sporting events, such as bull riding, cross bow, and bowling. Both sides agree Lin Manuel Mirada, producer of the hit Broadway show, Alexander Hamilton, should direct the event. Manuel Mirada said, "I would be honored to produce the event. I know my smash Broadway hit, Hamilton, is only a show about a duel not a real duet but I think that experience qualifies me to produce a show about a real duel. After all, the only difference is the guns are real." The National Rifle Association (NRA) has agreed to fully pay for and sponsor the event. NRA President Wayne LaPierre release the following statement, "Finally we have bi-partisan agreement. I should have thought of this first". Make Amiko Aventurista's

Arianna Huffington Is Leaving Huffington Post - The New York Times

Sydney Ember

Since it started 11 years ago, The Huffington Post has been synonymous with the personality and the interests of its Arianna Huffington. The pioneering web publication, known for its aggressive use of aggregation and an unapologetically liberal worldview, would go on to win a Pulitzer Prize and expand globally during a challenging time for all media organizations. But over the last year, The Huffington Post has found itself an increasingly small part of an increasingly large media and tech conglomerate. When Verizon, which announced it had purchased The Huffington Post’s parent company, AOL, in May 2015, bought Yahoo’s internet business last month, Ms. Huffington’s perch at the company seemed increasingly precarious. With her abrupt announcement on Thursday that she was stepping down as editor in chief of The Huffington Post and leaving the company to focus on her new venture, a health and wellness called Thrive Global, she leaves the publication in an unfamiliar position. For the first time since its founding in 2005, The Huffington Post will be without Ms. Huffington. No successor was named. In an interview, Ms. Huffington, 66, said she had originally intended to run The Huffington Post while working to start Thrive Global. But that plan soon reached its limits. “The original idea was that I could do both,” she said. “But it very quickly turned out to be an illusion. ” Along with her success, Ms. Huffington has been a polarizing figure in the media world, and her presence in the newsroom has not always been constant. But since Verizon bought AOL, her interests seemed to increasingly move beyond running The Huffington Post. After the sale, there was speculation that she would leave the company, concerns allayed when she signed a contract in June 2015. Other moves have generated misgivings in the newsroom. The publication’s decision last summer to put articles about Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaign in its entertainment section and a later decision to add an editor’s note calling Mr. Trump a “serial liar” and a “racist” to any article about him raised questions about whether Ms. Huffington was unduly influencing coverage to suit her political agenda. In April, the announcement that she was joining Uber’s board rankled employees who feared inherent conflicts of interest in coverage. (She said she would recuse herself from being involved with any coverage of the company.) The publication has also been criticized for what some see as excessive coverage of sleep and wellness, topics on which Ms. Huffington has written books. At the same time, staff attrition, evidenced by a flurry of goodbye emails over the last year, has taken a toll on morale. In that context, Ms. Huffington’s decision to leave surprised an already anxious newsroom. At a staff meeting Thursday morning in The Huffington Post’s Manhattan headquarters, Ms. Huffington stressed her confidence in the organization. “Great companies always succeed beyond their founder,” she said, according to an article by Michael Calderone, the publication’s media reporter. “Even though HuffPost bears my name, it is absolutely about all of you and about this amazing team we’ve been for over 11 years. ” Tim Armstrong, the chief executive of AOL, was not present. But in a statement, he called Ms. Huffington a “visionary who built The Huffington Post into a truly transformative news platform. ” “Today, The Huffington Post is a firmly established and celebrated news source, and AOL and Verizon are committed to continuing its growth and the groundbreaking work Arianna pioneered,” he added. When The Huffington Post was founded, there was no Twitter, and Facebook was still a relatively fledgling online platform primarily used by college students. Initially, the idea was to create an aggregation site that would be a liberal counterpart to the Drudge Report. Ms. Huffington, who had recently run for governor of California, said at the time that she had signed up more than 250 of “the most creative minds” in the country, including Walter Cronkite, Nora Ephron and Norman Mailer, to write a group blog on topics including politics and entertainment. The Huffington Post did not just take the internet seriously it ruthlessly embraced as opportunities trends that established media companies perceived as threats. The company demonstrated early and continued mastery over Google, capturing audiences through search with carefully engineered headlines and fast aggregation. The publication consistently outranked its competitors in search, often with blog posts based on its competitors’ work. But while the strategy proved successful, the site’s ability to package articles from other publications also prompted criticism, and many in the media world accused it of aggregation excesses that bordered on intellectual theft. Over the years, however, it has pushed aggressively to produce more original content. The site also published articles by who often contributed without being paid. AOL purchased the publication for $315 million in 2011 and Ms. Huffington assumed control of AOL’s editorial content. The Huffington Post won a Pulitzer Prize in 2012 for a series on wounded veterans. Ms. Huffington’s relationship with Mr. Armstrong was rocky almost from the start, several current and former employees said, and some said her outside interests kept her out of the newsroom for extended periods. When AOL sold itself to Verizon for $4. 4 billion, there was speculation that Ms. Huffington might leave. She had become an increasingly powerful force in her own right: She has published several books on health and wellness, including “Thrive” and “The Sleep Revolution,” and she has become a champion of the benefits of a good night’s sleep. Though Ms. Huffington’s departure came as a shock, it was in some ways inevitable, particularly after she announced the formation of Thrive Global in June. In the interview, Ms. Huffington said she had thought about leaving The Huffington Post for “a while,” and the closing of a funding round for Thrive Global last week ultimately drove her move. “It was my decision” to leave, she said, adding that the contract she signed last year had a clause that allowed her to start a new venture. Ms. Huffington said she would stay on at the publication until early September. “I’m going to be very much around for the rest of the month, helping in every way I can, including having Greek sweets in my office,” she said, a nod to her home country and her distinctive accent. Mr. Armstrong said in a note to staff that the company had formed an interim editorial committee that would act in Ms. Huffington’s place. The committee will also be involved in what Mr. Armstrong described as “an ongoing search” for a new editor in chief. In a separate note to employees, Jared Grusd, the chief executive of The Huffington Post, called Thursday a “day of change. ” “Today,” he wrote, “is the first day of the next chapter in HuffPost’s history. ”

Gordie Howe, Mr. Hockey for the Red Wings, Dies at 88 - The New York Times

Richard Goldstein

Gordie Howe, one of the greatest and most durable players in the history of hockey, who powered his Detroit Red Wings teams to four Stanley Cup championships and was 52 years old when he finally hung up his skates, died on Friday in Ohio. Howe — Mr. Hockey to the sports world — was 88. The Red Wings said he died at the home of his son Murray in the Toledo area. Howe, who received a diagnosis of dementia in 2012, had a stroke in 2014 that impaired his speech and movement. Wayne Gretzky was celebrated as the Great One for his scoring prowess. Bobby Orr was recognized as hockey’s incomparable defenseman. But Howe, who learned the game on the frozen ponds of Saskatchewan, could do it all, and he kept at it after his hair had turned silver and he had become a grandfather. “If you were ever going to make a mold for a hockey player with five strengths — offense, defense, durability, toughness and versatility — you wouldn’t look past Gordie Howe,” Scotty Bowman, the N. H. L. ’s leader in coaching victories and a Stanley Cup winner, once said. “In my estimation, he was the best ever. ” Gretzky idolized Howe as a young player, wearing his No. 9 in amateur leagues and donning red and white socks to copy Howe’s Red Wings attire. “There’s one Gordie Howe, and it’s as simple as that,” Gretzky said when he closed in on Howe’s career points record in 1989. “I’m not ever trying to replace him. ” Howe played professional hockey for 32 seasons, most of them with the Red Wings. Playing at right wing, he scored with subtle maneuvers at a time when the slap shot had yet to become a favorite offensive weapon and defensive play was strong. He handled the puck magnificently, setting up teammates with precise passes. He inflicted crushing body checks and elbows or on opponents who had incurred his ire. There was hockey’s traditional hat trick — three goals by a player in a single game — and what became known as the Howe hat trick: a goal, an assist and a fight. At 6 feet and 205 pounds, Howe was relatively big for his era and had a body for hockey, with long arms, a strong torso and outstanding balance. Playing before helmets were required, he endured numerous injuries and some 500 stitches in his face. He almost died during the 1950 playoffs when he crashed into the boards trying to check Ted Kennedy, a star forward with the Maple Leafs Howe sustained a fractured skull and had emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. Howe teamed with his fellow Hall of Famers Sid Abel at center and Ted Lindsay at left wing on a unit known as the Production Line when the Red Wings dominated the league in the early 1950s. “Pinpoint passing,” Abel once said. “They used to say that if you blindfolded us, we’d still be able to find one another. All of us knew where everyone else was at any given moment. ”’ ”By the time Howe retired for the second and final time in 1980 as the oldest player in N. H. L. history, he had set records for most seasons (26) games played (1, 767) goals (801) assists (1, 049) and points (1, 850). He won both the Hart Trophy as the N. H. L. ’s most valuable player and the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top points scorer six times.” ’Orr, who starred with the Boston Bruins, marveled at Howe’s blend of supreme talent and combativeness. “He has the reputation of being a tough player and using his elbows and so on,” Orr told USA Today in 1999. “But Gordie Howe can play any way you want him to play. You want to play tough, you play tough. You want to just play, you play. He didn’t shy away from anything. He was the total package. ” Howe was named a or N. H. L. 21 times. The four Stanley Cups he helped the Red Wings win came in 1950, ’52, ’54 and ’55, when the N. H. L. was a fiercely competitive league. After playing for Detroit from 1946 to 1971, he had seemingly retired. But after two seasons off the ice, he teamed with his sons Mark, a future Hall of Fame defenseman, and Marty, a left wing, for six seasons in the World Hockey Association and in a final year with the N. H. L. ’s Hartford Whalers. In his 25 seasons with the Red Wings, Howe was among the N. H. L. ’s top five scorers for 20 consecutive years. At 50, he led his team, the New England Whalers of the W. H. A. in scoring with 96 points. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972 during his first retirement, the normal waiting period having been waived. Hailed throughout the hockey world, Howe was especially revered in Detroit, much like the Tigers’ Ty Cobb and boxing’s Joe Louis. Montreal Canadiens right wing Maurice Richard, the only challenger to Howe’s in their era, may have had greater flair as a shotmaker, but Howe was the more complete player. Eddie Shore, the Bruins’ Hall of Fame defenseman of the 1920s and ’30s, was the original Mr. Hockey. Howe once recalled: “He saw me play a game and I hadn’t scored a goal, but defensively I came in handy a few times. He came over and he just congratulated me and said, ‘You’re playing the game the way it should be played. ’” Gordon Howe was born on March 31, 1928, in Floral, Saskatchewan his family moved to nearby Saskatoon when he was a few days old. He grew up there as the fifth of nine children, playing hockey outdoors with makeshift equipment, the prairie winds raging and temperatures far below zero. “We had to play with a tennis ball instead of a puck,” he once recalled. “The ball would get so hard we’d have to get new ones all the time. A woman next door used to warm them up in an oven for us. ” He honed his physique by doing construction work with his father. At age 14, Gordie lifted five bags of cement at a time while building sidewalks. Howe signed with the Red Wings organization at 16, spent two years in the juniors and minors, then made his N. H. L. debut at Olympia Stadium in Detroit on Oct. 16, 1946, scoring against the Toronto Maple Leafs goalie and future Hall of Famer Turk Broda. Howe never equaled what had been the goal record of 50, set by the Canadiens’ Richard in falling one goal short eight seasons later. But he broke Richard’s career goal mark of 544 in 1963. Howe retired in 1971 to take a post with the Red Wings, presumably intending to remain off the ice. But he was given little to do, and he returned to the game in 1973 when the W. H. A. was created, gaining an opportunity to play with his teenage sons under a $2 million, multiyear deal with the Houston Aeros. Howe scored 174 goals in the W. H. A. playing with his sons through four seasons with Houston and two with the New England Whalers. In the three Howes played together in the N. H. L. when the New England team, having been renamed the Hartford Whalers, joined the league after the dissolution of the W. H. A. Howe scored 15 goals and had 26 assists in his final N. H. L. season. At the age of 69, he took a turn on Oct. 3, 1997, for the International Hockey League’s Detroit Vipers to become hockey’s only professional. As skilled as he was, Howe could be a brutal player adept at retaliating for a slight when the referee was not looking. “It’s a man’s game,” he once said. “You have to be tough to survive. I learned right off that throwing the first spear was the best way. ” Stan Mikita, the Chicago Blackhawks’ Hall of Fame center, once told The Detroit Free Press what happened after he cut Howe under the eye early in his career. “A couple of minutes later at the Olympia, we were both turning in the Wings’ end. The next thing I remember I was at the Chicago bench, my head is killing me. Our backup goalie, Denis DeJordy, said he was the only one in the building who saw what happened. Gordie had skated by me, slipped his right hand up under his armpit, pulled out his fist, popped me in the jaw and put his glove back on. “A few shifts later, he ambled by and asked if I learned anything. I said, ‘Are we even?’ Gordie says, ‘I’ll think about it. ’” Howe and his wife, Colleen, were a savvy couple off the ice. Colleen, his agent in his last years in hockey, formally registered the name Mr. Hockey and developed extensive family business enterprises along with his endorsements. They promoted the Howe Foundation for charitable work. She was found to have Pick’s disease, a rare form of dementia, in 2002 and died seven years later at 76. In addition to his sons Mark, the director of pro scouting for the Red Wings Marty and Murray, a physician, Howe is survived by his daughter, Cathy Purnell a sister, Helen Cummine nine grandchildren and four . His brother Vic, who played briefly for the Rangers in the 1950s, died last year. When he neared his 75th birthday, Howe spoke of the key to his long career. “There is no doubt in my mind that it was my love for the game,” he told The Free Press. “To succeed, you’ve got to love what you’re doing. I tell kids, if you don’t love it, get out of the way for someone who does. ”