The U.S. Senate voted nearly unanimously on Thursday for legislation to impose new sanctions on Russia and force President Donald Trump to get Congress' approval before easing any existing sanctions on Russia. In a move that could complicate U.S. President Donald Trump's desire for warmer relations with Moscow, the Senate backed the measure by 98-2. Republican Senator Rand Paul and Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, were the only two "no" votes. The measure is intended to punish Russia for meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and support for Syria's government in the six-year-long civil war. If passed in the House of Representatives and signed into law by Trump, it would put into law sanctions previously established via former President Barack Obama's executive orders, including some on Russian energy projects. The legislation also allows new sanctions on Russian mining, metals, shipping and railways and targets Russians guilty of conducting cyber attacks or supplying weapons to Syria's government. "The legislation sends a very, very strong signal to Russia, the nefarious activities they've been involved in," Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said as lawmakers debated the measure. If the measure became law, it could complicate relations with some countries in Europe. Germany and Austria said the new punitive measures could expose European companies involved in projects in Russia to fines. The legislation sets up a review process that would require Trump to get Congress' approval before taking any action to ease, suspend or lift any sanctions on Russia. Trump was especially effusive about Russian president Vladimir Putin during the 2016 U.S. election campaign, though his openness to closer ties to Moscow has tempered somewhat, with his administration on the defensive over investigations into Russian meddling in the election. Putin dismissed the proposed sanctions, saying they reflected an internal political struggle in the United States, and that Washington's policy of imposing sanctions on Moscow had always been to try to contain Russia. The bill also includes new sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missile program and other activities not related to the international nuclear agreement reached with the United States and other world powers. To become law, the legislation must pass the House of Representatives and be signed by Trump. House aides said they expected the chamber would begin to debate the measure in coming weeks. However, they could not predict if it would come up for a final vote before lawmakers leave Washington at the end of July for their summer recess. Senior aides told Reuters they expected some sanctions package would eventually pass, but they expected the measure would be changed in the House. The Trump administration has pushed back against the bill, and his fellow Republicans hold a commanding 238- to 193-seat majority in the chamber. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson questioned the legislation on Wednesday, urging Congress to ensure that any sanctions package "allows the president to have the flexibility to adjust sanctions to meet the needs of what is always an evolving diplomatic situation." Previously, U.S. energy sanctions had only targeted Russia's future high-tech energy projects, such as drilling for oil in the Arctic, fracking and offshore drilling. They blocked U.S. companies such as Exxon Mobil, where Tillerson was chairman, from investing in such projects. The new bill would slap sanctions on companies in other countries looking to invest in those projects in the absence of U.S. companies, a practice known as backfilling. Also included for the first time are discretionary measures the Trump administration could impose on investments by companies in Western countries on Russia energy export pipelines to Europe. The Senate also voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to add provisions to the bill allowing the U.S. space agency NASA to continue using Russian-made rocket engines and the 100 senators voted unanimously for an amendment reaffirming the U.S. commitment to the NATO alliance.


Politico reports Sunday: "The push to block, rewrite and delay scores of rules may be the [Trump] administration's biggest untold success. "[That declaration comes just one month after Politico mocked President Donald Trump's efforts to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to reverse his predecessor's rules: none of it, Politco declared, "evoke[d] the populism that Trump rode to the presidency. " "Trump's ardent supporters and detractors alike tend to exaggerate the impact of the 13 rules he's rescinding, out of more than 20, 000 approved under President Obama," Politico's Michael Grunwald wrote on April 10, adding: "For the most part … Republicans won't score many political points with their CRA victories. " He also argued that the deadline for repealing regulations on the CRA had tolled (though others would argue it extended all the way back to the beginning of Obama's presidency, covering any regulation that was not reported to Congress). At the time, Breitbart News called Trump's use of the CRA a "legislative milestone," arguing that Trump's "use of the CRA to repeal regulations has put future administrations on notice that there is a limit to government's regulatory reach, and that given the opportunity by the voters, conservatives will enforce those limits. " Now, Politico's Andrew Restuccia and Nancy Cook seem to agree — and they fill in the rest of the picture, noting that Trump's executive orders and executive actions amount to "a series of actions that could reshape American life for decades — efforts to rewrite or wipe out regulations affecting everything from student loans and restaurant menus to internet privacy, workplace injuries and climate change. " They add: Trump is … setting bureaucratic wheels in motion that could eventually ax or revise hundreds of regulations as agencies reorient themselves toward unwinding red tape and granting speedier approvals to projects … If successful, these efforts could represent the most rollback of federal regulations since Ronald Reagan's presidency, especially if Trump's proposed budget cuts make it hard for a future Democratic president to reaccelerate the apparatus. Trump's assault on regulations represent a fulfillment of a core campaign promise, and the execution of what adviser Steve Bannon called in February the "deconstruction of the administrative state. " Read the full Politico article here. 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.


Referral from a friend, relative, or certified U.S. Gourd Steward. I hope seeing the big pumpkin helps me find the answer to that question. 3. We're going to show you the small pumpkin to see how you feel before we set you up with the big pumpkin. Please choose the answer that best describes your reaction to the small pumpkin. I feel comfortable. I feel overwhelmed. I have a feeling that if I see a pumpkin any bigger than that, something truly wonderful will happen. This is not at all what I thought a pumpkin was.  Sorry again for the red tape. If we had it our way, we would just show you the picture right now. 4. We'll need a little medical information as well. Has anyone in your family died after seeing the big pumpkin? Yes, I've lost one or more relatives because they saw the big pumpkin. No, no one in my family has died because they saw the big pumpkin. My cousin died, but that was years after he saw the big pumpkin. I have one or more family members who became paralyzed in some part or all of their body after seeing the big pumpkin, but they're alive and I obtained their blessing before coming here. 5. Does this pumpkin look orange on your computer screen? If not, please re-calibrate your display settings for optimal viewing of the Big Pumpkin. My display settings have been optimized for viewing the big pumpkin. What I am looking at is definitely orange but in no way a pumpkin. 6. Please choose one of these dogs with a pumpkin. This is simply for our own record-keeping, your choice will in no way affect our decision to show you the big pumpkin.  Ah, excellent choice. 7. Alright, almost done! Here's a quick liability waiver. Don't worry, we make everyone do this. It's to cover both your ass and our ass, but you're going to be completely fine. I accept full responsibility for any harm done to my physical person and/or computer as a result of viewing the big pumpkin. 8. Lastly, please select an emergency contact before viewing the big pumpkin. Reverend John Gerrity Badboy former reverend Dag Havermeier who got ex-communicated for giving confession while sitting on his motorcycle Let's See The Big Pumpkin Results for Just A Few Minor Formalities Before We Can Show You The Big Pumpkin Okay, we're all finished! Everything looks to be in order here. Thank you for your patience, now please enjoy the big pumpkin. Share Your Results


Australia s former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce will return to parliament after he won an essential by-election for his seat, just over a month after he was kicked out over a dual citizenship crisis that cost the conservative coalition government its majority. Joyce, who was widely expected to win, said he was utterly humbled by his sizeable victory in the rural New South Wales seat of New England, in which he looks likely to increase his primary vote by an additional 10 points. ABC election analyst Antony Green reported that Joyce is on track to achieve a primary vote of about 64 percent, a significant increase on his 52.3 percent primary at the last federal election in 2016. The win gives the government and its embattled prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, some much-needed breathing space, as it restores its slim one-seat majority. The government is already claiming the victory as a vote of confidence of its performance, despite a series of polls showing its growing unpopularity. This has been a stunning victory, Turnbull told supporters as he joined Joyce at a pub in the town of Tamworth to celebrate the win. Exit polls were predicting the largest swing to the government in the history of by-elections in Australia , Turnbull said, adding it was a sign of confidence in his government. Joyce added that he was completely and utterly humbled , after winning from a record field of 17 candidates. I say to the people of New England, that I never take anything for granted, and for every person who voted for us and voted for us for the first time, he said, the ABC reported. Joyce was one of the Citizenship Seven whose eligibility to sit in parliament was thrown into doubt when it was found they were dual citizens, a status that is barred for federal politicians under Australia s constitution to prevent split allegiances. The High Court ruled on Oct. 27 that Joyce, along with four of the seven other lawmakers, was ineligible to remain in parliament, forcing a by-election. Joyce was found to be a dual citizen of New Zealand, a status he has since rescinded. A by-election occurs outside of the usual three-year election cycle, usually when a representative decides to leave parliament early or dies. The deputy leader position, traditionally held by a member of the junior coalition partner, the National Party, has remained vacant since the High Court ruling. The result comes at a difficult time for Turnbull, who earlier this week was forced into an embarrassing reversal of his long-standing position against a Royal Commission into the country s scandal-hit banking and financial sector amid mounting political pressure. The last day of campaigning for the by-election was marred by a call from New South Wales Nationals state leader and deputy premier John Barilaro for Turnbull to step down as a Christmas gift to the nation. The comments were quickly rebuffed by Liberal Party lawmakers and Joyce, who said they were very unhelpful and insulting. It was the latest of a long line of internal turmoil to hit the coalition throughout the year, which has contributed to its poor performance in polls throughout the year.


If there s one thing about Donald Trump that pretty much everyone knows by now, it s that he s never wrong. Well, at least according to Donald Trump. He ll never admit a mistake, he ll double down on controversial statements, and heaven forbid he s asked a question he doesn t want to answer, or even worse, challenged on an answer on live television. The latter is exactly what Megyn Kelly did in the first GOP debate, and oh boy, has that thrown Trump into full tantrum mode, especially finding out she ll be moderating the next GOP debate to be held on Fox News. He literally told CNN s Wolf Blitzer: I mean, I don t like her. She doesn t treat me fairly. So, in turn, Trump is threatening to boycott the next debate because he thinks Kelly is a meanie.Trump even took his sophomoric toddler behavior to Twitter and Instagram and polled his followers:Should I do the #GOPdebate? https://t.co/cjTywwIl85 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2016 Should I do the #GOPdebate?A video posted by Donald J. Trump (@realdonaldtrump) on Jan 26, 2016 at 10:04am PSTAll of this led Fox News to issue a reply that was absolutely accurate. Probably one of the few times they ve said something that is completely true. A network spokesperson said: Sooner or later Donald Trump, even if he s president, is going to have to learn that he doesn t get to pick the journalists we re very surprised he s willing to show that much fear about being questioned by Megyn Kelly. They basically called Trump out for being terrified of Megyn Kelly. If he s terrified during a debate because he s asked questions he doesn t completely fancy, how is he going to deal with leaders around the globe who would inevitably call him out all the time for the decisions he would make as Commander-in-Chief?Fox also told Mediaite is a statement that was pure gold: We learned from a secret back channel that the Ayatollah and Putin both intend to treat Donald Trump unfairly when they meet with him if he becomes president a nefarious source tells us that Trump has his own secret plan to replace the Cabinet with his Twitter followers to see if he should even go to those meetings. Fox News had the perfect response to Trump s hissy fit over Megyn Kelly moderating the next debate. If you desire to be leader of the free world, you re going to have to realize people aren t going to kowtow to your every whim, and bullying really isn t an option with diplomatic relations. Trump needs to grow the f*ck up.Featured image: Gage Skidmore (flickr)


President-elect Donald Trump said on Sunday he is considering retired General James Mattis for U.S. defense secretary, a day after meeting with him in New Jersey. Trump said in Twitter that Mattis, a retired U.S. Marine Corps general who previously headed U.S. Central Command, "was very impressive yesterday. A true General's General!"


He wants more money? He should find a different occupation that pays more. Hey Florida, vote this guy out! Members deserve to be paid, staff deserves to be paid and the cost of living here is causing serious problems for people who are not wealthy to serve in this institution, the Florida Democrat said at a Rules Committee meeting, referring to the average member s $174,000 annual salary. We aren t being paid properly, Dem.Rep.Alcee Hastings


According to a new study, eight percent of our DNA is ALIEN. In fact, it is made up of NON-HUMAN, viral fragments. The new study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .  The recent study revealed that there is literally non-human DNA residing in modern humans' genome. This study comes after a froup of researchers from Tufts and University of Michigan Medical School examined 2,500 people. Experts discovered that our DNA is less human and that nineteen pieces of Ancient Viral DNA exist within our own genome. Most strikingly, experts discovered the full genetic mockup for an entire virus within 2 percent of the people they examined. According to sciencedaily.com , whether or not the virus can be replicated or reproduced, isn't yet known. But other studies of ancient virus DNA have shown it can affect the humans who carry it. ScienceDaily reports that the study offers new insight on human endogenous retroviruses. HERV's are actually antique diseases which possess eerily similar characteristics to human immunodeficiency virus, the precursor to AIDS. Experts believe that this 'Viral DNA0 has been passed down through thousands of generations of human beings. The study's authors are still unsure whether the ancient strains of DNA could cause infections. "This one looks like it is capable of making infectious virus, which would be very exciting if true, as it would allow us to study a viral epidemic that took place long ago," says senior author and virologist John Coffin, Ph.D. of the Tufts University School of Medicine. "This research provides important information necessary for understanding how retroviruses and humans have evolved together in relatively recent times." "Many studies have tried to link these endogenous viral elements to cancer and other diseases, but a major difficulty has been that we haven't actually found all of them yet," says co-first author Zachary H. Williams, a Ph.D. student at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University in Boston. "A lot of the most interesting elements are only found in a small percentage of people, which means you have to screen a large number of people to find them." "This is a thrilling discovery," says co-first author Julia Wildschutte, Ph.D., who began the work as a Ph.D. student in Coffin's lab at Tufts. "It will open up many doors to research. What's more, we have confirmed in this paper that we can use genomic data from multiple individuals compared to the reference human genome to detect new HERVs. But this has also shown us that some people carry insertions that we can't map back to the reference." Reference: http://www.pnas.org/content/113/16/E2326.full.pdf Source: EWAO


Japan s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday said an almost two-month pause in North Korean missile tests was no indication that it had halted its weapons development, insisting it was too early for any talks with the regime. I believe that it continues to develop its weapons, Abe told a news conference in Manila after a series of meetings with other Asian leaders at a gathering of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asia Forum. There is no point for talks for the sake of talks, he said. Abe s insistence that tough sanctions, including restrictions on oil sales, are necessary to soften up the North Korean regime over the coming winter could put him at loggerheads with other countries such as South Korea that might agree to open talks if approached by the North. After firing missiles at a pace of about two or three a month since April, North Korean missile launches paused in September, after it fired a rocket that passed over Japan s northern Hokkaido island. Abe said he would work closely with other countries in the region including China and Russia to persuade North Korea to halt missile development and give up its nuclear weapon ambitions. Abe, in a meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping at an Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vietnam on Saturday, hailed a fresh start to the relationship between Asia s two biggest economies and military powers, including cooperation on North Korea. Abe on Tuesday said that he wanted to deepen cultural and economic ties with China. The Japanese leader, who also called for an Indo-Pacific region that is open and free to all returns to Japan on Wednesday.


President Trump took aim at reporters on Thursday for more than an hour at an impromptu White House news conference. "The press has become so dishonest," he said, and not talking about it would be "doing a tremendous disservice to the American people. " He added that the "level of dishonesty is out of control. " In accusing the news media, though, Mr. Trump uttered several falsehoods of his own. Here is a list of some of the most important. Mr. Trump won 306 Electoral College votes (and ended up with 304 officially) well above the threshold needed to secure the presidency but well behind several of his most recent predecessors. President Barack Obama won 332 Electoral College votes in 2012 and 365 four years earlier. President Bill Clinton received 370 Electoral College votes in 1992 and 379 in 1996. And President George Bush won 426 Electoral College votes in 1988. When a reporter pressed Mr. Trump on the claim, he laid the blame elsewhere. "I was given that information," he said. Mr. Trump said the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which upheld a temporary restraining order on his targeted travel ban, was "in chaos. " There is no evidence of that. The decision by the Ninth Circuit's panel in the travel ban case was unanimous. Mr. Trump also claimed that the court was "a circuit that has been overturned at a record number. " He was apparently referring to the Ninth Circuit's reversal rate, which the president cited correctly: "I find that hard to believe, that is just a number I heard, that they are overturned 80 percent of the time. " PolitiFact found that of the cases the Supreme Court took up from the Ninth Circuit, about 79 percent were reversed from 2010 to 2015. But that was not the highest rate among the nation's 13 appeals courts. The Sixth Circuit (87 percent) and 11th Circuit (85 percent) each had a greater percentage of reviewed decisions reversed. For all appellate court cases in that period, the Supreme Court reversed decisions about 70 percent of the time. By most definitions, the economy is not a mess, nor is it in recession. The unemployment rate in January was 4. 8 percent, compared with 7. 8 percent in January 2009, when Mr. Obama took office. Last month, the economy added 227, 000 jobs, even though the unemployment rate is already low. The number of people filing new claims for jobless benefits continues to hit lows not seen in decades. Other measures suggest the same thing, as our colleagues at The Upshot report: The economy seems to be taking off. Mr. Trump correctly cited the daily presidential tracking poll by Rasmussen. But the poll is an outlier, giving Mr. Trump an approval rating several points higher than others in the field. Real Clear Politics' average of approval ratings finds that 44. 6 percent of Americans approve of the job Mr. Trump is doing, compared with 50. 3 percent who disapprove. Gallup's daily job approval tracker puts Mr. Trump's approval rating at 40 percent, the lowest since he has taken office, and disapproval at 54 percent. percent of respondents to a Pew Research Center poll released on Tuesday approve of Mr. Trump's performance, while 56 percent disapproved. The claim is not a new one for Mr. Trump, and has been fodder for fact checkers since September. Behind it is the purchase by Russia's nuclear power agency of a controlling interest in a company that has assets in the United States, including mills, mines and land used for producing uranium. Mr. Trump's claim is incorrect on at least two points. First, the company's American assets were equal to 20 percent of the country's uranium production capacity — not its produced uranium, as Mr. Trump suggested. Second, Mrs. Clinton was not in a position to approve of or reject the deal herself as secretary of state. Though the State Department did sign off on it, so did eight other federal agencies. It is unclear whether Mrs. Clinton was briefed about or weighed in on the State Department's decision. Mr. Trump's instinct to hedge on the news media's approval rating was right. The news media does not enjoy a great reputation among Americans, according to a variety of polls in recent years, but Congress fares worse. Gallup's annual poll of Americans' confidence in their institutions, the most authoritative on the matter, found that as of June 2016, just 21 percent of Americans had a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in television news and only 20 percent in newspapers. Congress, by comparison, inspired confidence in just 9 percent. There is evidence that Congress's approval rating is on the rise in Gallup's polling, but there is not more recent data comparing the institutions. Mr. Trump went on to say that aside from a federal district judge's decision to temporarily halt the ban, its rollout had been "perfect. " By most measures, that is far from true. The order's announcement and speedy implementation created chaos across the country and around the world. Travelers already in transit were stranded, protests erupted in the United States, and green card holders were initially blocked from the country before being allowed back in. Several additional judges challenged various aspects of the measure. Even senior Republicans who agreed with the order's goals said it had been "poorly implemented" and had sown confusion by being "overly broad. "


The Wisconsin Election Commission posts recount data on a spreadsheet every day. The latest spreadsheet totals as of 1:30 p.m. CST on December 3 show that the recount isn t changing much, although a smattering of errors have been found throughout the state. The candidates each lost and gained a smattering of votes in towns, cities, and villages that are reporting, so any losses were basically cancelled out.The Election Commission doesn t tally the returns, but, rather, just posts a raw spreadsheet of numbers. Heavy went through the spreadsheet and tallied the lost and gained votes for Trump and Clinton for each county so far, and then subtracted the two totals for a net gain or loss for day 2.Here s what the returns show so far:Day 2 totals Clinton gained 89 votes but lost 86 for a net gain of 3 votes. Trump gained 98 votes but lost 92 for a net gain of 6 votes.OVERALLClinton gained 3 votes Trump gained 6 votes Net Trump gain of 3 votes on Day 2Trump won Wisconsin by more than 22,000 votes.That means that Trump inched ahead by a grand total of 3 votes in a recount expected to cost more than $3.5 million. Green Party nominee Jill Stein raised more than $6 million to fund recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. The latter two recounts are now bogged down in legal issues and challenges. On December 3, Stein dropped her request for a Pennsylvania recount, saying she couldn t afford the $1 million required, even though she raised $7 million overall for recounts. Clinton would have needed all three states Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan to flip in order to take the White House back from Trump, an exceedingly tall order.In Wisconsin, Trump supporters sued to stop the recount, alleging it was not being conducted uniformly (some counties use paper ballots and others use machines). A judge said the recount could continue at least until a December 9 hearing. The Wisconsin recount is the first in the 2016 presidential election. Heavy


Turkey made a directly appeal to the president of the northern Iraqi Kurdish region on Friday, calling on him to cancel an independence referendum planned for Sept. 25, warning that Ankara viewed the vote as illegal and unacceptable. In a statement, Turkey s National Security Council called on Massoud Barzani to stop the referendum, saying it retained the rights defined in bilateral and international agreements if the vote were held. It did not elaborate on the nature of those rights. The statement followed a meeting of the council, which was chaired by President Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan is also due to hold a cabinet meeting later on Friday.


German Justice Minister Heiko Maas tweeted on Wednesday that the world would be a bit crazier after Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election. "The world won't end but it will get crazier," tweeted the minister, a Social Democrat (SPD) in conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel's right-left coalition.


White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee-Sanders was the perfect choice to take on the media today following the release of a bombshell video by Project Veritas showing an undercover reporter capturing CNN s Supervising Producer admitting that most of the news they put out about the Trump-Russia collusion is bullish*t! Early this morning, James O Keefe released the Project Veritas video where reporters went undercover at CNN to investigate the #VeryFakeNews network. O Keefe said their intent in making the video was to determine the motivation behind CNN s Trump-Russia collusion obsession. Since the inauguration, CNN has mentioned Russian story nearly 16,000 times.During her press conference today, Sarah Huckabee-Sanders encouraged the room full of reporters to watch the Project Veritas video that exposes CNN as fake news for ratings. She even took it a step further and noted that while she couldn t confirm the accuracy of the tape, that every American should watch the video. Sanders appeared to be disgusted as she remarked that if the tape is accurate, then it is a disgrace to all of media to all of journalism. And furthermore, If the media can t be trusted to report the news, then that is a danger to all of America. BOOOM Sarah Huckabee Sanders advises ALL to watch Veritas Video where CNN producer admits they realize Trump/Russia is a hoax but dont care! pic.twitter.com/tng5DUmKq3 STOCK MONSTER (@StockMonsterUSA) June 27, 2017Although panicked fake network hosts like MSNBC s Joy Reid were praising reporter Brian Karem for attempting to stand up to Huckabee-Sanders, in reality, he was no match for the sharp-witted Huckabee-Sanders who claimed that media has gone into a dark place. One of the Democrat Party s top cheerleaders Joy Reid is no exception. Here s her tweet:Now following @BrianKarem who was every political reporter today. https://t.co/yJC2IXDKi4 Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) June 27, 2017The video below shows Karem s attempt to defend his fellow journalist s use of unnamed sources and fake news for ratings. Karem argued that Huckabee-Sanders was inflaming the CNN undercover video story, saying: Everybody in this room is only trying to do their job. Sarah Huckabee-Sanders blasted Karem as she shot back: I disagree completely. First of all, I think if anything has been inflamed, it s the dishonesty that often takes place by the news media. And I think it s outrageous for you to accuse me of inflaming a story when I was simply trying to respond to his question. :Here s the exchange between Brian Karem and Sarah Huckabee-Sanders:MUST WATCH: White House reporter @BrianKarem pushing back against Sarah Huckabee Sanders and saying what many people have been thinking. pic.twitter.com/hW49e0tdWY Yashar Ali (@yashar) June 27, 2017


It s worth noting that the victims of this horrible terrorist bombing are responsible for their own court parking fees, food and any potential travel and lodging expenses they incur as a result of this trial. Muslim terrorists first it s the Obama way The family of the convicted marathon bomber is in America, on your tax dollars, and survivors are outraged after learning the news.As of Thursday, family members of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev have been staying at the Hampton Inn in Revere under very tight security, just one of the things tax dollars are paying for. FOX25 s Sharman Sacchetti investigated how much this trip is costing you.Sources say these family members are being called as witnesses and not only that, at least three agencies are working around the clock to protect and transport them. This is all part of the defense team s strategy to save Tsarnaev. While it s unclear when their flight started, we know the last part of it came through Amsterdam and landed at Logan Airport and cost nearly $2,500 per person.The cost to put them up at the Hampton Inn at the government rate: almost $200 per night, per person. And a source says at least three agencies, the FBI, US Marshal s and Revere Police are involved in constant protection. I think you re probably talking about $100,000 plus in that neighborhood in terms of security and out of pocket costs associated with travel, former US attorney Michael Sullivan said.And that s just for this trip.Lawyer fees or even what all witnesses during the trial cost is still unclear. One defense witness, Mark Spencer of Arsenal Consulting, charged $375 per hour and billing taxpayers for $150,000.Governor Charlie Baker said, It s a federal trial, it s a federal case, the feds ultimately need to make the decisions about this. Baker was non-committal about how resources are being used, even state ones.Sullivan told Sacchetti that while he understands taxpayer outrage, the whole point is to make sure it s done right. The court wants to make sure that at the end of the day, the defendant gets a fair trial and would not want to add any potential issues on appeal in the penalty phase, prosecutors finished making their case yesterday, he said.JUDGE JEANINE HAS A POWERFUL MESSAGE for Jihadi Mom:Marathon survivor Marc Fucarile reached out to us Friday night, reacting to this news, saying that he s outraged that Tsarnaev s family s expenses are being paid for when myself and some of the other survivors and our families have to pay for our own parking at court, lunch, and we were told that if the trial was moved out of state, we d have to pay for our own travel and lodging, there. The statement went on to say: Why should our country pay for them when that family committed a violent act against our country? Not to mention, all of the free government services this family previously enjoyed on the backs of the taxpayers including government assistance and a free ride to UMass Dartmouth. In contrast, I was denied housing assistance I sought after the bombings, even though I needed a handicapped accessible apartment, and my wife lost her job as a result of the events. He ended by saying he feels badly for the taxpayers that have to pay for this after they were so generous to all the survivors and the One Fund. The defense team is up next. And the penalty phase picks up again Monday.


Donald Trump has revived the birther conspiracy theory, but this time he has targeted a fellow Republican: Ted Cruz.Cruz has begun creeping up in some state polls, particularly in evangelical-heavy Iowa, so as he has done in the past Trump went on the attack.Donald Trump said in an interview that rival Ted Cruz s Canadian birthplace was a very precarious issue that could make the Texas senator vulnerable if he became the Republican presidential nominee. Republicans are going to have to ask themselves the question: Do we want a candidate who could be tied up in court for two years? That d be a big problem, Trump said when asked about the topic. It d be a very precarious one for Republicans because he d be running and the courts may take a long time to make decision. You don t want to be running and have that kind of thing over your head. Trump added, I d hate to see something like that get in his way. But a lot of people are talking about it and I know that even some states are looking at it very strongly, the fact that he was born in Canada and he has had a double passport. Trump is easily the most visible proponent of the birther conspiracy theory. Before the 2012 election, Trump made numerous national television appearances demanding that President Obama release his birth certificate. Trump even claimed that he had enlisted right-wing Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio to send a cold case posse to Hawaii to investigate Obama s past.The reality TV star even made a bizarre video requesting Obama s college records in order for the Hawaiian-born president to prove his citizenship.Senator Cruz s mother was a U.S. citizen when she gave birth to him in Calgary, Canada, which easily fulfills the requirement for someone to be a natural-born citizen of the United States. While Cruz s ideas may be repellent to the majority of citizens, he is easily eligible to be President of the United States.After years of trying to de-legitimize President Obama through two terms, it is odd to see the tactic turned against the right s own candidates. Like so much of their rhetoric, it resembles Frankenstein building his monster then watching it turn on him instead of his enemies.


Colombia s armed forces have been authorized to launch air raids against crime gangs and FARC members who have refused to adhere to a peace accord with the former guerilla group and instead chose to continue drug trafficking and other criminal activity, the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. As many as 1,000 members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have not abided by the terms of last year s peace agreement with the government, preferring instead to remain armed, fight the government and profit from illegal drugs and mining. The conflict killed more than 220,000 people and displaced millions since it began in 1964. The executive order allows troops to conduct bomb attacks against FARC dissidents and crime gangs from airplanes and helicopters, and shields the military from criminal prosecution, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. Raids can only be carried out if civilians are not close by. Air raids were the most effective weapon in the government s fight against the FARC, pushing fighters deep into inhospitable jungle and killing high-level rebel commanders. That strategy also has been used against the National Liberation Army (ELN), now the biggest active guerrilla group in Colombia, which is in peace talks with the government. The two sides began a bilateral ceasefire in October. More than 11,300 members of the FARC, including fighters, urban militia and prisoners are in the process of being incorporated into society after the group handed in its weapons to the United Nations and formed a political party.


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Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard used his position in the people s chamber to screw the people over. Now he s going to prison for it.On Friday, a jury convicted Hubbard on 12 counts of ethics violations two years after he was first indicted. He had continued to serve as the Speaker of the House in the Alabama state legislature during those two years but his political career is over.According to AL.com, Hubbard was convicted of 12 out of 23 charges which include:Voting on legislation with a conflict of interest that would benefit American Pharmacy Cooperative Inc., a consulting client.Receiving money from a principal, American Pharmacy Cooperative Inc., through a consulting contract.Receiving money from a principal, Edgenuity, through a consulting contract.Using office for personal gain through a consulting contract with Capitol Cups, a business owned by Robert Abrams.Lobbying the state Department of Commerce for consulting client Robert Abrams.Lobbying the governor s office for consulting client Robert Abrams.Using state personnel to benefit consulting client Robert Abrams.Soliciting and receiving money from a principal, former Business Council of Alabama Chairman Will Brooke, a $150,000 investment in Craftmaster Printers.Soliciting and receiving money from a principal, James Holbrook/Sterne Agee, a $150,000 investment in Craftmaster Printers.Soliciting and receiving money from a principal, Great Southern Wood President Jimmy Rane, a $150,000 investment in Craftmaster Printers.Soliciting and receiving money from a principal, Hoar Construction President Robert Burton, a $150,000 investment in Craftmaster Printers.Soliciting and receiving a thing of value from a principal, former BCA Chairman Will Brooke, help obtaining clients for Auburn Network and financial advice for Craftmaster Printers.Hubbard faces up to 20 years in prison for each count and, needless to say, he is going to appeal the verdict.But Attorney General Luther Strange is confident the case was put together so well that getting the decision overturned will be an uphill battle. This is a good day for the rule of law in our state, Strange said in a statement. This kind of result would never have been achieved had our office not put together the finest public corruption unit in the country. I m very proud of their work. This should send a clear message that in Alabama we hold public officials accountable for their actions. Here s video of prosecutors discussing the verdict via YouTube.Hubbard isn t the only serving Republican official in Alabama dealing with a major scandal. Governor Robert Bentley has been dealing with his own personal scandal for engaging in an extramarital affair with a female staffer and lying about it. An impeachment resolution has been filed and hearings begin this month. The Alabama Republican Parry sure has been rocked by scandal this year. First the House Speaker, now the Governor.Featured Image: Screenshot


Chinese Immigrants Demand Protection from Paris Muggers David Chazan, Telegraph, August 21, 2016  Thousands of angry Chinese immigrants demonstrated in a Paris suburb yesterday (Sun) to demand police protection from muggers who they say prey on them because they are seen as easy targets.  The death of a 49-year-old Chinese tailor after being badly beaten in a robbery earlier this month has lent new urgency to the long running complaint that Asian immigrants are systematically attacked and robbed in the French capital.  "The Chinese community is dying in silence," read a slogan on a T-shirt splashed with red to symbolise bloodstains worn by one demonstrator, Maike Song.  He said he joined the protest in Aubervilliers to pay homage to Chaoling Zhang, the father of two who died on August 14 after being punched to ground in the north-eastern suburb that is home to some 4,000 Chinese immigrants.  No arrests have been made over the attack.  About 100 Chinese residents of Aubervilliers have been attacked and robbed since November, according to the Franco-Chinese Friendship Association.  "It is because of prejudices that Chinese people are weak, docile and wealthy," said Fang, a young female student. "I've been attacked three times in three years and my friends are suffering the same thing. Some have moved away from this area because of it. I don't go out with a handbag any more."  Community workers say many muggings are committed by members of other minorities living in the area, generally of Arab or African origin.  Paris officials corroborated the figures but declined to identify the robbers by ethnic origin.  Many Chinese immigrants own restaurants or shops and tend to be relatively well-off, but are often reluctant to go to the police. "Some victims have been illegal immigrants," said Dominique Darden, a social worker.  The Chinese community of Paris has held other protests in recent years over the attacks.  "They happen almost every day because of poverty but it's unbearable," said a spokesman, Olivier Wang. "No one should have to put up with this."


Russian President Vladimir Putin supervised his intelligence agencies' hacking of the U.S. presidential election and turned it from a general attempt to discredit American democracy to an effort to help Donald Trump, three U.S. officials said on Thursday. U.S. intelligence agencies' conclusion that Russia tried to influence the election by hacking people and institutions, including Democratic Party bodies, has angered President-elect Trump, who says he won the Nov. 8 vote fairly. Russian officials have denied accusations of interference in the U.S. election. Separately, a senior White House official said on Thursday that Putin was likely to have been aware of the cyber attacks but he fell short of accusing the Russian president. "I don't think things happen in the Russian government of this consequence without Vladimir Putin knowing about it," Ben Rhodes, the White House's deputy national security adviser, told MSNBC. "When you're talking about a significant cyber intrusion like this, we're talking about the highest levels of government." The U.S. officials - who have knowledge of intelligence information on the matter - said on the condition of anonymity that the hacking of U.S. political groups and figures had a more general focus at first. "This began merely as an effort to show that American democracy is no more credible than Putin's version is," one of the officials said. "It gradually evolved from that to publicizing (Hillary) Clinton's shortcomings and ignoring the products of hacking Republican institutions, which the Russians also did," the official said. By the fall, the official said, it became an effort to help Trump's campaign because "Putin believed he would be much friendlier to Russia, especially on the matter of economic sanctions" than Democratic rival Clinton. Democratic President Barack Obama said in an interview with National Public Radio that the United States will take action against Russia. "I think there is no doubt that when any foreign government tries to impact the integrity of our elections ... we need to take action and we will," he said according to excerpts of the Thursday interview released by NPR. "At a time and a place of our own choosing. Some of it may be ... explicit and publicized; some of it may not be. ... Mr. Putin is well aware of my feelings about this, because I spoke to him directly about it," Obama said. NBC reported earlier that U.S. intelligence officials have "a high level of confidence" Putin was personally involved in the Russian cyber campaign against the United States. Hacked emails of Democratic operatives and Clinton aides were leaked during the presidential campaign, and at times dominated the news agenda. The U.S. officials said Russia also hacked Republicans but did little to nothing with the information they found. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told state TV channel Rossiya-24 that he was "dumbstruck" by the NBC report of Putin's alleged involvement. "I think this is just silly, and the futility of the attempt to convince somebody of this is absolutely obvious," he said. Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has brushed off reports of Russian hacking of U.S. political institutions. "If Russia, or some other entity, was hacking, why did the White House wait so long to act? Why did they only complain after Hillary lost?" Trump wrote in a post on Twitter on Thursday. In fact, the U.S. government did formally accuse Russia of a campaign of cyber attacks against U.S. political organizations in October - one month ahead of the election. Obama last week ordered a review by the U.S. intelligence agencies about foreign interference in the 2016 election. Asked on Thursday about the hacks, Secretary of State John Kerry described how Obama had been considering the evidence ahead of the October announcement. "The president made the decision based on the input that was carefully, carefully vetted by the intelligence community ... that he did have an obligation to go out to the country and give a warning. And he did so," Kerry said at a news briefing. The three U.S. officials who spoke to Reuters said the fact that Putin oversaw a hacking operation was not surprising and is standard operating procedure in Russia. "If anything, given his background as a KGB officer, Putin has a much tighter grip on all Russian intelligence operations, civilian and military, foreign and domestic, than any democratic leader does," one official said. The reports of Russian hacking have raised concerns among both political parties in Congress, with top Republicans breaking with Trump to call for closer scrutiny. Some Republican lawmakers have also questioned Trump's pick for Secretary of State, Exxon Mobil Corp Chief Executive Rex Tillerson, who has close business ties to the Russian government.


Margaret Thatcher famously declared that "we must try to find ways to starve the terrorist and the hijacker of the oxygen of publicity on which they depend. " In a speech 32 years ago, Mrs. Thatcher, the British prime minister facing a threat from the Irish Republican Army, said she was not calling for censorship but proposing that "a voluntary code of conduct" for journalists might keep them from aiding "the terrorists' morale or their cause. " It was a statement of a familiar point, one made repeatedly in the decades since: that the news media plays a crucial role in amplifying the effect of terrorist violence and giving it exactly the political import the terrorists crave. So for some experts who study terrorism, President Trump's assertion this week that the news media has actually been ignoring and covering up terrorist attacks came as a surprise. "It's totally astonishing," said Martha Crenshaw, a Stanford scholar who has written on terrorism since the 1970s. "It has no basis in fact whatsoever. The criticism has always gone the other way. " Other experts said Mr. Trump's claim had less to do with the facts about terrorism coverage than with the new administration's political goals, notably defending his executive order that temporarily bans refugees and visitors from some Muslim countries. In the face of the onslaught of legal challenges and outspoken opposition to the order, they said, the president has an interest in persuading Americans that the terrorist threat from abroad is worse than the news media has revealed. Years of books and articles critiquing the "symbiosis" of terrorism and news media coverage have pointed out that terrorists usually seek to promote a political or ideological cause and use spectacular violence with the specific goal of attracting attention. News executives, while sometimes expressing mixed feelings about giving terrorists what they seek, have generally felt obligated to give such attacks ample coverage. "It's incredible to say that the media does not give enough attention to terrorism," said David C. Rapoport, a retired U. C. L. A. political science professor considered a founder of terrorism studies. He said modern global terrorism arose in the 1880s in Russia in parallel with, and partly owing to, the rise of mass daily newspapers. In the United States since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, even failed terrorist plots often have drawn saturation coverage — think of the fizzled underwear bomb on a airliner on Christmas Day 2009 or the S. U. V. to blow up that produced only smoke in Times Square on a May night in 2010. Though no target was harmed, both attempts drew mountains of coverage, much of it focused on how terrorists went undetected. But in an appearance Monday at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. Mr. Trump reviewed the horrors of more recent attacks, including those inspired or directed by the Islamic State, and pronounced the coverage inadequate. "Radical Islamic terrorists are determined to strike our homeland as they did on as they did from Boston to Orlando to San Bernardino," he said at the headquarters of Central Command, which carries out military operations in the Middle East. "All over Europe it's happening. It's gotten to a point where it's not even being reported and, in many cases, the very, very dishonest press doesn't want to report it. They have their reasons, and you understand that. " The president did not explain the reasons he believed journalists might have for not reporting Islamist terrorism. But in response to a wave of skeptical comment, the White House on Monday night released a list of 78 attacks around the world since September 2014. "Most have not received the media attention they deserved," the accompanying statement said. Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, stood by the point on Tuesday, though adjusting the language. "It's becoming too often that we're seeing these attacks not get the spectacular attention that they deserve," he said. "And I think it undermines the understanding of the threat that we face around this country. " It was a subjective judgment only a dozen of the 78 listed attacks occurred in the United States, and most resulted in few or no deaths, reducing their prominence in American news reports. The list omitted terrorist attacks by including white supremacists like Dylann S. Roof, who killed nine at a Charleston, S. C. church in 2015. But news databases show virtually all 78 attacks got some coverage, and the big attacks in Paris Brussels Boston San Bernardino, Calif. and Orlando, Fla. played out for days or weeks on cable television and news sites. Peter D. Feaver, a political scientist at Duke who studies public opinion on national security issues, said he saw no basis for the White House claims. "I don't think there's evidence of the press underreporting terrorism," he said. "The corporate incentives run the other way. " But Mr. Feaver, who served in the George W. Bush White House but publicly opposed Mr. Trump during the presidential campaign, said the president's remarks, if not literally true, nonetheless play out in a larger, partisan debate about terrorism. Democrats sometimes accused the Bush administration of exaggerating the terrorist threat. Republicans often charged President Barack Obama of minimizing the danger and embellishing his own successes against Al Qaeda. By suggesting that the news media is hiding the truth about the menace from "radical Islamic terrorists," Mr. Trump may rally his base behind the executive order and other measures still to come. Mr. Spicer suggested as much, saying the executive order and the president's remarks in Tampa have the same motive: "because he cares about making sure that we don't have attacks in this country, that we're protected. " Mr. Trump wants Americans, he said, to "understand the unwavering commitment that the president has and the actions that he will take to keep the country safe. " Preventing terrorist attacks is, of course, a goal that is pretty much universally shared. But Mr. Trump's loose relationship with facts, and his eagerness to fault journalists and judges, make some think he has a less lofty goal as well: to find scapegoats for terrorist attacks that sooner or later are certain to happen. " blame," said Ms. Crenshaw, the Stanford terrorism researcher. "Nothing's happened. But if something does happen, he can blame the judiciary and the news media. "


The supermodel and TV personality Tyra Banks has decided to sell her Battery Park City home, a duplex facing the Hudson River, complete with dressing room and hair salon, a personal gym and separate staff and guest quarters. Ms. Banks bought her Riverhouse apartment, at 2 River Terrace, in 2009 and used it as a primary residence for about four years. But she has been spending most of her time lately on the West Coast, where she has homes in Los Angeles and Northern California, and so she has been renting out the unit since May 2015, for $50, 000 a month furnished. Tyra Beauty, her new cosmetics company, is also based in Los Angeles, as are various entertainment projects. (Ms. Banks is the new of "America's Got Talent" and will be returning to the show she helped create, "America's Next Top Model. ") The Lower Manhattan apartment, which overlooks Rockefeller Park, is being offered for both rent (at $50, 000 a month) and for sale, with an asking price of $17. 5 million and monthly carrying costs of $16, 644, according to the listing broker, Adam D. Modlin of the Modlin Group. Ms. Banks, 43, who last year became a parent for the first time with her photographer boyfriend, Erik Asla, said she would prefer to sell the place rather than continue leasing it out, although she admits that she "will miss the feeling of having a home in the sky. " When she bought it, she said in an email, she intended to create a space that felt less like an apartment and more "like a home with finishes and an experience like one would have in the Hamptons or even in an estate in Los Angeles. " She seemed to have succeeded, at least when it comes to its sprawl and flourishes. The duplex, No. 22D, is actually a combination of four units at the Riverhouse — three on the 22nd floor and one on the 23rd — that were acquired for $10. 13 million. Ms. Banks said she spent almost as much on the extensive renovations and décor, which incorporate rich fabrics, textured wall coverings, exotic wood details and ornate light fixtures. The apartment also has surround sound, oak floors and ample storage throughout. "New amazing ideas just kept coming and coming to me," Ms. Banks said of the renovations, which dragged on for several months. The layout of the apartment was configured to provide maximum privacy — for staff, business associates, family and guests — with various wings that can be closed off from the rest of the unit. There are five bedrooms, five full bathrooms and three powder rooms, along with several kitchens and kitchenettes. The home is entered through a hallway on the main level that leads to a spacious living room with a connecting room. Several feet away are the family room and open chef's kitchen. The kitchen has two Miele dishwashers and other appliances, along with a butler's pantry, a copper sink and an island of zebrawood, to name a few features. Nearby is a dining alcove with banquette seating that, Ms. Banks said, was meant to resemble "a booth at a restaurant. " These main entertaining rooms face windows that offer expansive views of the river and beyond. "There's the Statue of Liberty, all the ferryboats from the New York Waterway and the Midtown skyline," Mr. Modlin said. The lower level contains the gym, mirrored dressing room, salon and laundry area. Also there are offices and a staff suite with another full kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom. The staff suite has an additional entrance. And if all that were not enough, there is another suite with a kitchenette, for guests. "She created different spaces," Mr. Modlin said, "so you can have different things going on in the home. " On the second level are another bedroom and an enormous master suite, which features a sitting area, kitchenette and shag carpeting. There are dual master bathrooms and dressing rooms, and a large marble soaking tub encased in white oak. The Riverhouse development, which received a gold certification in the LEED environmental building rating system, offers amenities like a concierge, valet parking, a yoga studio and fitness center, and a saltwater lap pool. It also has as a resident the actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who, like Ms. Banks, has created his own compound there. Ms. Banks said the two never ran into each other in the building. "He was always that elusive spirit that so many people talked about," she said. "Farewell, Leo. I'll miss my houseguests trying to spot you in our building. "


Rare is the individual who hasn't tripped over a pet or uneven pavement, tumbled off a bike, slipped on ice or maybe wiped out skiing or skating. Some get injured, while others go unhurt — often claiming it's because they knew how to fall. According to paratroopers, stunt professionals, physical therapists and martial arts instructors, there is indeed a "right way" to fall — and it can save you a lot of grief if you know how to do it. Although often associated with older people, falls occur at any age and are the most common cause of injury seen in emergency rooms in the United States. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality estimates that falls cause more than a third of emergency room visits, around 7. 9 million a year. "As physical therapists we talk a lot about preventing falls, but what we don't talk about is what to do when you actually do fall," said Jessica Schwartz, a physical therapist in New York City who trains athletes and people with prosthetic limbs to fall without hurting themselves. "It's almost inevitable you are going to fall, so you really should know what to do. " The number one thing to remember, she said, is to protect your head. So if you find yourself falling, pivot to your side and tuck in your head. "Have you seen those slip and fall cartoons where the characters fall flat on their back or face? Don't do that," said Dr. Schwartz. "You'll hit your head like a coconut and get a concussion," and the reverse motion, or bounce, of your head after impact "will give you something like whiplash. " Moreover, falling straight forward or backward raises the risk of damaging your spine and vital organs. The other thing to avoid, she said, is "foosh," an acronym for "falling onto outstretched hands. " If you do that, all the force of impact will be concentrated there, raising the risk of breaking your wrist. You similarly don't want to come crashing down on your knee so you break your kneecap or do that maneuver where you kind of pedal with your feet to catch yourself, which can lead to broken bones in your foot and ankle. Instead, if you feel yourself falling, experts said you should bend your elbows and knees and try to take the hit on the fleshiest parts of your body, like the side of your thigh, buttocks and shoulder. "Aim for the meat, not bone," said Kevin Inouye, a stuntman and assistant professor of acting, movement and stage combat at the University of Wyoming. "Your instinct will be to reach out with hands or try to catch yourself with your knee or foot, but they are hard and not forgiving when you go down. " The key is to not fight the fall, but just to roll with it, as paratroopers do. "The idea is to orient your body to the ground so when you hit, there's a multistep process of hitting and shifting your body weight to break up that impact," said Sgt. First Class Chuck Davidson, master trainer at the Army's Advanced Airborne School at Ft. Bragg, N. C. Paratroopers' goal is to fall sideways in the direction the wind is carrying them — in no way resisting the momentum of the fall. When the balls of their feet barely reach the ground, they immediately distribute the impact in rapid sequence up through the calf to the thigh and buttocks. Then they roll over on the latissimus dorsi muscle, the large, flat muscle running laterally down the side of your back, and kick their feet over, shifting their weight so they end up supine with legs bent in front of them. The procedure is strikingly similar to how martial arts practitioners learn to take a fall when they are, say, thrown over someone's shoulder or have their legs knocked out from under them. "I would say the principles we follow are: Accept that you're falling and go with it, round your body, and don't stiffen and distribute the energy so you take the fall in the widest area possible," said Paul Schreiner, a black belt jiu jitsu instructor at Marcelo Garcia Academy in New York City. While martial arts falls often have a gymnastic aspect, with rather elegant and snappy kinds of somersaults, it's still all about spreading out the force of impact. "There may be an aesthetic component, but what it does is save the body," said Mr. Schreiner. "If you don't take the fall in any single place, you'll still walk out sore, but you'll walk out of there. " Difficult as it may sound as you're hurtling toward the ground — medical bills and disability flashing through your mind — experts said it's important to relax as you fall. You're less likely to hurt yourself if you soften up all your muscles and exhale. Rigidity is your enemy, while pliability is your friend. "As unfair as it is, that's why people who are drunk" tend to be the ones who "don't get hurt in car crashes," said Mr. Inouye. "They are loose and just flop around. " Of course, you will be better able to loosen up, pivot to your side, tuck and roll if you are in good physical condition. "If you have a room full of soccer players and computer desk workers and go around knocking people over, you can bet the soccer players are going to be less likely to get hurt because of their superior strength, agility and coordination," said Erik Moen, a physical therapist in Kenmore, Wash. But that doesn't mean you have to be an elite athlete or paratrooper to fall the "right way. " Young children are arguably the best fallers because they have yet to develop fear or embarrassment, so they just tumble and roll without tensing up and trying to catch themselves. Physical therapists can be helpful in assessing your weaknesses and prescribing exercises to improve your strength and agility (for example, jumping from side to side and on and off platforms or steps) so that you will be better able to execute a fall as well as lessen the risk that you will fall in the first place.


U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will be "pushing hard" to advance U.S. interests in his debut meeting with Group of 20 counterparts this week, including reaffirming commitments to avoid competitive currency devaluations, a senior Treasury official said on Monday.Mnuchin, who will attend a meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors from the G20 major economies on Friday and Saturday in Baden-Baden, Germany, also will press countries to help strengthen global growth, the official told reporters. "The G20 can play a helpful role in advancing U.S. interests. The secretary will be pushing hard to make that come to pass, whether it's on macroeconomic policies, exchange rate policies etcetera," the official said. The official said it was important to the Trump administration that previous G20 commitments to not target exchange rates to gain a competitive trade advantage be reaffirmed and fully implemented. But that explicit pledge, which has long been a part of past G20 communiques, was not included in an early draft of the statement to be issued at the Baden-Baden meeting. The early draft, which is subject to more revisions, simply stated "we reaffirm our previous exchange-rate commitments." The early draft also dropped language to "resist all forms of protectionism" in favor of a pledge to "maintain an open and fair international trading system." The U.S. Treasury official declined to discuss the language that would be in the final communique but said that the Trump administration was committed to "fair and open trade." "I think that means a trading system that has a level playing field for our firms and our workers globally, and we'll be encouraging policies that lead to that level playing field so that our firms and workers are not disadvantaged," the official said. Trump officials have criticized China on a host of trade-related fronts related to its $347 billion trade surplus with the United States last year. These include President Donald Trump's own charges that Beijing manipulates its yuan currency and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross' complaints about Chinese excess industrial capacity, unfair subsidies for state-owned enterprises and a lack of access for foreign firms to major sectors of China's economy. The U.S. Treasury said in October that none of the U.S.' major trading partners was manipulating its currency to gain advantage for its exports. Mnuchin has said he would not pass judgment on China's currency practices until Treasury issues its semi-annual currency report in mid-April. China has announced plans to reduce some capacity in its steel industry in recent months and has urged the United States to move cautiously in pursuing anti-dumping and anti-subsidy cases. The country's ministry of commerce has denied U.S. charges that China's aluminum industry is receiving unfair subsidies. Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro last week also said Washington needed bilateral engagement with Germany to reduce its $65 billion trade surplus with the United States. The Treasury official said that countries with a trade surplus have a role to play in helping to achieve the G20's goals of maintaining "strong, sustainable and balanced growth."


Canadian designer Line the Label shot to prominence on Monday after U.S. actress Meghan Markle wore a coat from the brand in her first public appearance after her engagement to Britain s Prince Harry. Markle appeared in the sunken garden at Kensington Palace on Monday in the late November chill, donning the C$799 ($627.11) white wrap coat with oversized collars and cinched at the waist with a knotted belt. The surge in interest in the coat caused the style to quickly sell out and crashed the Toronto-based knitwear label s website in some parts of the world, including in London. The company is taking reorders on the coat, an external spokeswoman said by email. Line has since named the coat Meghan, company President and co-founder John Muscat said in a statement, adding it was one of her favorite pieces from the fashion label. We are incredibly honored that Meghan chose to wear a Line coat to mark this very special occasion, Muscat said. We are elated for Meghan and wish her a lifetime of happiness with Prince Harry. Markle, who has a starring role in the Toronto-filmed U.S. TV show Suits, has lived in the Canadian city for several years. Markle also wore a Line coat to the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games in Toronto in September, days after the pair made their first public appearance together. Celebrities including Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Garner and Kate Hudson have also been photographed wearing the brand. Line was founded in 2000 by Muscat and designer Jennifer Wells. It was acquired a few years later by Canadian fashion house and importer PYA, which is based in a north Toronto suburb.


Some are disarmingly named, like the cutesy Chinese mitten crab. Others have names more indicative of their undesirable nature, like rock snot, an algae that slimes up cool forest streams. They are some of more than 100 invasive species that conservationists must battle in New York State, which teems with a growing number of plants, birds, fish, insects, mosses, molds and fungi that actually belong somewhere else. With some of the busiest airports and ports in the United States, New York has far more invasive species of certain types than any other state, federal officials say. Carried inside airplane wheels or in the ballast water of large boats, many creatures and spores show up in New York first, making it a laboratory of sorts where scientists and others strive to devise methods to banish the outsiders or risk losing native flora and fauna to invading hordes. Underscoring the increasing menace posed by persistent pest species, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat, recently announced a $2 million grant challenging groups and institutions to come up with fresh strategies to fight living things like zebra mussels and a catastrophic fungus that causes even the most ancient oaks to wilt away. Last year, the state budget for invasive species control was nearly doubled from 2015, to $12 million. "New York State is a real epicenter for everything invasive, whether it's aquatic, forest or terrestrial, because of where we sit in terms of international and interstate commerce," said Robert Davies, director of the division lands and forests for the state's Department of Environmental Conservation. "The world is getting smaller and one of the downsides of the world getting smaller is this. " Invasive species have long been a threat unwanted visitors, once they arrive, sometimes stay forever. The Asian beetle was first discovered in New York in 1996 and has been devouring hardwood trees nationwide ever since. In the last century, chestnut blight, a fungus, wiped out nearly all of New York's American chestnuts, once the most populous tree in the state. And gypsy moths, introduced from France in the 1860s, are still here, decimating leafy trees. Despite strict rules about what can be brought into the United States and the screening of goods and packages by federal authorities at entry points, the sheer volume of traffic makes it virtually impossible to erect a foolproof barrier. "As a global hub for international trade and travel, New York is on the front lines of protecting our nation,'' Mr. Cuomo said in a statement. The state mobilized in December after the discovery that oak trees in Brooklyn and in Suffolk County on Long Island were infected with oak wilt, a deadly fungus that chokes off trees' internal water supply. There is no known cure contaminated trees must be cut down and their root systems killed to prevent the fungus from spreading. The state issued an order forbidding the transporting of oak wood out of the affected counties. In Brooklyn, the outbreak was detected in a northern red oak tree — just one so far — inside the Cemetery, the final resting place for many luminaries. Now, only a stump is left of a shade tree that was over 50 years old. It was cut down last month to prevent the wilt's spread. The stump will get a coat of herbicide that will kill the root system, which is still infected. "The potential for the devastation here is immediately impactful, but it's also the significance for the oaks throughout the city," said Joseph Charap, the director of horticulture for the cemetery, who first noticed the diseased oak. He stood among the graves on a recent morning, while in the bare canopy of an uninfected oak tree above him, teams of men tethered to the upper branches sawed off limbs. The discovery had set off a race to prune all 664 of the cemetery's oak trees while they are dormant for the winter as a barricade against the spread of disease. The branches that are trimmed are treated with a special paint to guard against the fungus entering the trees. "The potential to lose our oak collection is unthinkable," Mr. Charap said. Across the country, invasive species cause over $100 billion in damage every year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, from blighted crops to boats covered with sharp zebra mussels. New York State does not keep a total for damage caused, but the annual bill just to control one species — the sea lamprey, a parasitic fish — is $500, 000. The overall budget for invasive species control is about $5. 5 million. While the state is at the epicenter of the problem, there are hot spots, including other parts of the East Coast, California and Texas. Sitting at the intersection of so many streams of commerce, New York has had to innovate under the pressures of invasive species. In 2009 it introduced a novel law forbidding the transporting of any firewood more than 50 miles from its source to prevent the spread of disease. (The oak at Cemetery, Mr. Charap believes, was probably infected by firewood improperly brought to the city.) Inside a laboratory at Cornell University, tiny, Galerucella birmanica beetles from China are kept under quarantine as their appetite for water chestnut is tested. An invasive aquatic species most likely introduced to New York in the 1880s, the water chestnut continues to clog the state's fresh waterways. Someday, the bugs may be released as a biological means to control the plant. The state Conservation Department has also created an app that allows people to log sightings of plants and animals they suspect might not belong in their yards or any natural areas. Last year, over 300 people reported more than 12, 000 such sightings. On the ground, the battle is fought with teams of forestry experts going inoculating root systems against fungus. In the air, the Conservation Department uses State Police helicopters to conduct seasonal patrols to spot shriveled trees on mountainsides or to search for animals that do not belong here, such as the Eurasian boar. Such efforts do pay off. It's been several years since the last boar sighting for Bill Burns, 75, a farmer who grows corn and other crops on over 600 acres in Spafford, N. Y. on the eastern edge of the Finger Lakes. Mr. Burns estimates that the animals, which are native to Russia and are believed to have been introduced here by game farmers who were careless with their fences, have caused more than $100, 000 in damages to his crops over the years. "They will go right down the corn planter tracks and suck the seed right out of the ground," Mr. Burns said. He shot and killed several of them — "they taste rewarding,'' he said — but it took a concerted effort by the state and federal authorities, which sent in specially trained trappers and dogs to round up the animals, to achieve true relief. The pigs have been eradicated from the state, according to the Conservation Department. Still, from his kitchen window, Mr. Burns can look across Skaneateles Lake and see stands of dead ash trees. He believes they have been killed by swarms of emerald ash borers, a Asian beetle first confirmed to have colonized New York State in 2009, according to Cornell University. The insects are one of the state's top priorities. Mr. Burns fears it is too late. "I am irritated and disappointed in just about everybody in the world that is careless," he said.


Home | World | Experts: Britain's National Security at Stake Infiltrated by EU Experts: Britain's National Security at Stake Infiltrated by EU By Guy Fawkes 05/11/2016 11:17:32  Corruptio optimi pessima est  LONDON – England – The High Court decision to quash Brexit is proof that there are clandestine operatives within the system who only hold allegiance to Brussels and not to the United Kingdom.  Only a purge of the political, judicial, and defence sectors can save Britain from the mass infiltration of EU operatives working within the British governmental institutions.  These people have been identified during the EU referendum and must be purged from the system otherwise these treasonous operatives of the EU could cause further harm to the British constitution and Britain's national security.  We have seen the damage already committed within the judicial system when EU operative judges were allowed to preside over the Brexit ruling and attempted to thwart the vote of the electorate on the EU referendum.  The blatantly biased decision by these EU judges, one of which is Lord Carnwath, 71, who was one of four co-founders of the EU Forum of Judges for the Environment and served as the forum's secretary general from 2004-05. The body exists to "promote the enforcement of national, European and international environmental law".  L ord Reed, began his career as an advisor to the Scottish education department, served as a judge in the European Court of Human Rights, who also acted as an expert adviser to the European Union Initiative with Turkey on Democratisation and Human Rights between 2002 and 2004, and the following year he became chairman of the Franco-British Judicial Co-operation Committee.  The other EU judge is Lord Kerr, 68, who also sat as a judge in the European Court of Human Rights, ruling on a case in 2001 involving aircraft noise from Heathrow.  Additionally we have L ord Mance, 73, who began his career working for a law firm in Hamburg, before qualifying as a barrister in 1965. His time in Germany gave him a taste for international legal affairs, and he has represented the UK on the Council of Europe's Consultative Council of European Judges, which was set up in 2000 to advise the Council of Europe on the "independence, impartiality and competence" of judges. He has also served as a member of a seven-person EU panel that helps select judges and advocates-general of the European Court of Justice and General Court.  These elements within the panel were clearly not impartial in their decision purely on their heavily entrenched links with the EU.  Impartiality within law regarding key national security decisions like Brexit should be paramount to the judicial system within Britain therefore in justice terms, their decision to thwart Brexit, and the EU referendum result, voted for by 52% of the electorate, is wholly unjust and biased, bordering on corruption at the highest levels.  The question of corruption should be implemented with a full public inquiry into how these judges were selected and how they were allowed to come to their obviously biased non impartial decision. We must as a democracy look into any form of clandestine payments given to the judges prior to their decision, and if any discrepancy is found it must be put right.  Britain's national sovereignty is at stake, and treachery, corruption at the highest judicial levels must be eradicated to conserve our constitution. To purge the institutions of EU collaborators and clandestine operatives should be of paramount import in order to solidify Britain's national security and overall sovereign status. Share on :


Hillary Clinton recruited Al Gore, the former vice president in her husband's administration, to raise the specter of Gore's loss to former President George W. Bush in the contentious 2000 U.S. election to urge voters to go to the polls next month. "Take it from me," Gore told a crowd of several hundred Clinton supporters at a campaign event in a college gymnasium. "Every single vote counts. Every single vote counts." As he campaigned for Clinton at Miami Dade College ahead of the Nov. 8 election that pits her against Republican nominee Donald Trump, Gore reminded voters of the Florida recount saga 16 years ago. Bush was declared the winner in the state by a mere 537 votes after the intervention of the U.S. Supreme Court. "Your vote really, really, really counts," Gore said. "You can consider me as an exhibit A of that. For those of you who are younger than 25 you might not remember the election of 2000 and what happened here in Florida. For those of you older than 25, I heard you murmuring just now, but take it from me it was a very close election." A chant grew out of the crowd: "You won! You won!" Gore, who served as vice president under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 2001, also sought to put a spotlight on the fight against climate change, which has long been his signature issue. "When it comes to the most urgent issue facing our country and the world the choice in this election is extremely clear: Hillary Clinton will make solving the climate crisis a top national priority," Gore said. "Her opponent, based on the ideas he has presented, would take us toward a climate catastrophe." Clinton highlighted comments from her rival Donald Trump expressing skepticism about climate change. In 2012, he said on his Twitter account that the "concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese" in order to benefit its manufacturing sector. "We cannot put a climate denier in the White House, at all," she said. "We need a president who believes in science."


China will keep up its years-long battle against smog to ensure blue skies and promote a revolution in clean energy, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday at the opening ceremony of a key Communist Party congress. Improving the notoriously toxic air across the northern regions of the world s second-largest economy has been a cornerstone of Beijing s economic and social policy in recent years. China has ordered factories to cut output in a bid to enforce bigger emission cuts in coming months and avoid a repeat of the near-record levels of choking smog that enveloped key northern areas at the start of the year. In the long term, it has also launched a series of measures to curb the use of coal, the nation s favorite fuel, and boost use of renewable power, like wind and solar. The government will also take measures to improve rural areas by restoring soil and waterways, Xi added, as China moves to modernize its vast agricultural sector.


Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Saturday the country had a problem with its judiciary, which annulled his election win of last month, and we must fix it . The Law Society of Kenya said in a strongly worded statement that Kenyatta, as the head of state who under the constitution is a symbol of national unity , should refrain from derogatory comments about the judiciary. Kenyatta, speaking a day after the Supreme Court canceled his victory and ordered new polls within 60 days, repeated his message from Friday that he would respect its ruling. But, speaking on live television at the State House in Nairobi after meeting elected officials from his Jubilee party, he added Who even elected you?...We have a problem and we must fix it. He did not elaborate. The decision to annul the election was unexpected and unprecedented in Africa where governments often hold sway over judges. The president s latest comments mark the second time since Friday s ruling that he has criticized the judiciary in public. On Friday, during an impromptu rally in Nairobi, he accused the court of ignoring the will of the people and dismissed the chief justice s colleagues as wakora , or crooks. The lawyers association condemned Kenyatta s use of the Kiswahili word, saying that the judges serving in the highest court had acted professionally, with honor and dignity . They...do not deserve the disrespectful treatment they are being shown , the statement read. The president s appearances since the ruling suggest he intends to campaign rigorously for the re-run of the Aug.8 poll. He said via Twitter on Saturday: For now let us meet at the ballot. Attention now turns back to the election board. The court ruled that it had failed, neglected or refused to conduct the presidential election in a manner consistent with the dictates of the constitution . Raila Odinga, the veteran opposition leader whose coalition brought the petition against the election board to the Supreme Court, said on Friday that some officials from the commission should face criminal prosecution. The chairman of the election board said there would be personnel changes, but it was not clear if that would be enough for the opposition. Sweeping out the whole board would complicate efforts to hold a new poll within two months. Last month s election which included the presidential poll in addition to races at other levels of government was one of the most expensive ever held in Africa. Ahead of the vote Kenya s treasury said preparation and conduct of polling would cost the equivalent of around $480 million. Analysts saw the president s latest comments on the judiciary as a worrisome development. It s extremely unfortunate that Kenyatta seems to be issuing veiled threats at the judiciary, said Murithi Mutiga, a Nairobi-based senior Africa analyst at the International Crisis Group. This was a tremendous moment for Kenyan democracy, where the court upheld the rule of law. Politicians should be careful not to incite the public against the judiciary. On Friday, Chief Justice David Maraga said the Supreme Court s verdict was backed by four of the six judges and declared Kenyatta s victory invalid, null and void . Details of the ruling will be released within 21 days. Prior to last month s election Maraga spoke out to emphasize the judiciary s independence. In a statement he read out on behalf of the Judicial Service Commission less than a week before the election, he listed instances in which politicians from the ruling party and the opposition had tried to intervene in the judiciary s work. The emerging culture of public lynching of judges and judicial officers by the political class is a vile affront to the rule of law and must be fiercely resisted, the statement read. We wish to state that ... the judiciary will not cower to these intimidating tactics. Kenya s judiciary went through sweeping changes in a bid to restore confidence in the legal system after the bloodshed following the 2007 election. Experts say the constitution adopted in 2010 enshrines protections for the judiciary against interference by the executive.


Hillary's campaign is going down faster than submarine with screen doors. Abedin and Wiener are each trying to make their own immunity deals with the FBI. CNN just ran a piece disrespecting Clinton and said her campaign was "in crisis". Can she survive? Are the Democrats finally going to get what they so richly deserve, their day of justice. America has never seen a time like this. The chaos is summarized in the following video.       P lease Donate to The Common Sense Show    PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL AND DON'T FORGET TO "LIKE" US    This is the absolute best in food storage. Dave Hodges is a satisfied customer. Don't wait until it is too late. Click Here for more information.   Click here for more information    The sane alternative to Facebook  Seen.Life-The Facebook alternative- no censorship, no spying– Sign up here


A centre-left party that has no seats in Slovenia s parliament and is led by a former comedian topped an opinion poll published by daily newspaper Delo on Monday, about six months ahead of an expected general election. The Lista Marjana Sarca (LMS) under Marjan Sarec, mayor of the city of Kamnik, drew the support of 15.7 percent with a junior governing coalition party, the Social Democrats, in second place with 12.6 percent and the leading opposition party, the centre-left Slovenian Democratic Party, with 12.2 percent. The Party of Modern Centre led by Prime Minister Miro Cerar came in sixth with 5.5 percent. Last month, the Social Democrats led the same poll with 19.8 percent while the LMS was not yet included in the survey. Sarec surprised many last month when he was narrowly beaten in a presidential run-off election, gathering about 47 percent to incumbent Borut Pahor s 53 percent. Analysts said Sarec s party, which has so far been active only at local level, could win a parliamentary vote amid general dissatisfaction with the centre-left government, above all its inability to improve the inefficient national health system. The government of the southeast European country is also under heavy pressure from various public sector unions demanding wage hikes at a time of strong economic growth, expected to be 4.4 percent this year, up from 3.1 percent in 2016. Pahor will call a general election in the coming months and it is expected to be held in the first half of June.


Implausible schemes to put Mike Pence, rather than Donald Trump, on the top of the ballot have been flying since a once-secret recording of Trump's lurid boasting about sexual assault leaked to the public on Friday evening. Pence has issued a public statement on Trump's remarks, saying he "does not condone his remarks and cannot defend them" — but accepted Trump's apology and suggested he'd stick by him through the second presidential debate on Sunday night. Anonymous sources say privately Pence is "beside himself" over the details in the leaked audio. Meanwhile, multiple prominent Republicans — from former rival for the nomination Carly Fiorina to former Bush Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and a number of members of Congress — have called for Trump to step aside and allow Pence to be the nominee. On some level, the Republican longing for Pence in the face of these new details about Trump's past makes sense. He's an experienced politician with a long track record. He has impeccable social conservative credentials. He's the governor of a state. He can pay attention in a debate long enough to land punches on Tim Kaine. And he has almost certainly never been secretly recorded talking about a woman's "tits" or "pussy" or bragging about kissing women against their will. But if Republican politicians are really horrified by Trump's remarks — and not just by the possible electoral implications — Pence made one decision that should disqualify him in their eyes, too: Mike Pence agreed to be Donald Trump's vice president. Pence lent Trump the legitimacy he needed to unite the Republican Party. He spent months apologizing for Trump, explaining what Trump really meant, and doing everything he could to put Trump in the Oval Office. Trump himself pointed to "party unity" as one of the key reasons for choosing Pence as his running mate in the first place, making no secret of the role he viewed the Indiana governor as playing in the campaign. It's not as if Pence didn't know what he was doing. By the time Trump picked him as his running mate on July 14, Trump had already: Nor was Trump's rampant sexism a secret. His public feuds with celebrities aside, the New York Times had already published a long article on times Trump was accused of crossing boundaries with women in his private life. And, of course, Trump had spent years publicly doubting that President Obama was born in the United States. This is not a complete list. But by the time Trump was picking a running mate, it was clear that he was a man with a history of bigoted, racist, sexist behavior and remarks. This is what Pence agreed to make palatable to the Republican establishment, to social conservatives, and to swing voters. Pence was going against his own principles, as these tweets from before he joined the ticket show: And Pence has stood by Trump throughout the ensuing controversies — Trump's fights with a Gold Star family and the 1997 Miss Universe among them. He's watched Trump tell black voters that they should vote for him because "What do you have to lose?" and say that the Central Park Five, proved innocent by DNA evidence, should have been executed anyway. To characterize Pence as a paragon of respect and decency who happened to wake up one morning and, through no fault of his own, be Trump's running mate ignores the role Pence played in trying to make Trump palatable to voters and the establishment in the first place. If the case against Trump's presidency is his poor judgment and his lack of respect for women, what does Pence's tacit approval of all of this say about him?


Britain's Sir Elton John will not perform at the inauguration of Donald Trump in Washington as U.S. president, the singer-songwriter's spokeswoman said on Wednesday. Anthony Scaramucci, an economic adviser to Trump's campaign, said John would be performing in a BBC radio interview during which Scaramucci also said the Republican president-elect had a pro-gay rights stance. "Elton John is going to be doing our concert on the Mall for the inauguration," Scaramucci added in the interview for "HARDtalk," broadcast on Wednesday. "Elton will not be performing at Trump's inaugural," the singer's publicist, Fran Curtis, responded. John, a prominent gay rights activist, performed at fundraisers for Democrat Hillary Clinton during the U.S. presidential election campaign. He also objected when Trump played his "Rocket Man" and "Tiny Dancer" songs without permission during rallies and campaign appearances earlier this year, saying that any use of his music "should not be seen as an endorsement of Donald Trump." A spokesman for the Trump inauguration committee did not respond to a request for comment on Scaramucci's claim.