It didn't take us long to think of a word to describe the 2016 election results. In fact, it took approximately 2 seconds.  EPIC.  Two weeks ago the media and their allies in the GOP establishment's #NeverTrump movement had already made their decision. And they had their polls back up their proclamation.  Hillary Clinton was going to win and that was that.  According to the media and their ilk in Washington, there was nothing anyone could do to change the outcome. There was no amount of enthusiasm, no amount of energy, no amount of effort that could defeat their choice.  Hillary Clinton would be the next President. She would go on to pass TPP, tax the hell out of America, spend us into oblivion, get us into war around the world, further corrupt our government and remain unscathed by her abundant scandals.  So much for that .  Turns out America has had enough. America is making a stand and that stand doesn't include corrupt elitists like Clinton, Pelosi and whoever they had planned to take over the Senate. It doesn't include Loretta Lynch, Director Comey and a radical leftist Supreme Court. It doesn't include George Soros, criminal aliens and potentially dangerous Muslim Refugees.  Nor does it include the old and tired bunch of self-proclaimed #NeverTrump conservatives who, for decades have told voters to support big government Republicans like Paul Ryan, John McCain and Mitt Romney.  They're all out and a new game is in town.  Donald Trump will be the next President of the United States of America .  It's real. It happened. It's a done deal.  It gets better, though, in that Trump will go into his Presidency with a strong majority in both the House and Senate. Yeah, the same House and Senate the media said would tilt towards Democrats in this election.  Our hats are off to the electorate for restoring faith in the system, the people and the sanity of our nation.  Congratulations to Donald Trump and his team. A hard fought battle won, a victory well deserved.  Now buckle up, folks. The media and their friends in Washington are going to lose their minds. It's going to be a wild ride. AL


WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS Russia unveils 'Satan 2' missile Nuclear weapon could wipe out France or Texas, report says Published: 7 hours ago  (CNN) A Russian missile design company has unveiled the first image of a new weapon in Russia's arsenal: the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, nicknamed "Satan 2."  The RS-28 Sarmat rocket "is capable of wiping out parts of the earth the size of Texas or France," Russian state news outlet Sputnik reported in May.  The image was published by the Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau on its website.  Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borsiov said the Sarmat warhead was capable of destroying targets flying across both North and South Poles, Russian state news agency TASS reported Tuesday.


"Vicuña," the new play that opened Sunday at Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, Calif., portrays a Donald Trump-like candidate in an "Emperor's New Clothes" tale. The satire about a real estate tycoon and reality TV star turned presidential candidate could be perceived as a hatchet job. However, it offers an entertaining topical comedy on the surface, with glimpses into the climate of fear and xenophobia that has spread across America. The improbable, uncontrollable Republican candidate here, Kurt Seaman (a name that results in sophomoric jokes that take away from the effort), bears an obvious resemblance to Trump. The mogul "wants to add the White House to his list of properties," as one character notes. The Trumpisms include the well- respected daughter (called Srilanka here), ex-wives with names that evoke Trump's, negative attitudes toward immigrants and even an uncomfortable feeling in his party that he will hurt them on Election Day. "Vicuña" clearly evolved with the election since the Jon Robin Baitz play (his fourth world premiere for the Center Theatre Group) was drafted earlier this year. It takes place as preparations are under way for the third debate between Seaman (played by Harry Groener) and his unseen female opponent, who clearly did better in the first two debates. Directed by Robert Egan, most of the play's action takes place in a posh tailor's atelier, where the character Anselm Kassar (played by Brian George), an Iranian Jewish immigrant, designs garments for presidents and world leaders that create the illusion of power and confidence. The character is based on an actual Washington, D.C., tailor named Georges de Paris, a Greek immigrant who crafted suits for presidents for decades. Seaman decides that for his last debate he needs a magical, powerful suit made out of the finest vicuña (hence the name) for him by the great presidential tailor. "Clothing conveys credibility," is the premise. He believes the polls are lying: "People are afraid to admit they are on my side." However, just in case, this emperor wants new clothes. The tailor decides, ignoring his personal feelings, to make a suit for a candidate that he finds repellent and make him more. He cannot resist the reflected glory of his powerful suits on the wannabe or truly powerful. Seaman is at first delighted to meet the tailor's apprentice, Amir Masoud (played by Ramiz Monsef), who is the son of immigrants. He tells him "Apprenticeship is good. It's my thing." But the candidate's world view collides profoundly with this young Muslim man's concepts of justice and America. The candidate actually comments that if people cannot make it in their own country and flee, "what kind of people are we letting in?" Amir serves as the play's conscience and challenges the candidate (and his daughter). He points out, "A suit can't stand in for actual goodness and vision." Amir's character (like others in the play) is uneven and his actions do not always convey his feelings (like taking advantage of his prep school and Harvard University scholarships before flaunting his Marxist leanings.) Srilanka (played by Samantha Sloyan) is tired defending her dad against his inappropriate comments. Initially, she tells Amir, "His message is lost when he is not 'disciplined.'" The dutiful daughter even boasts that "when he's elected he will be far more human than he's being painted." However, once he speaks positively about woman at her alma mater and then does a disparaging sexist interview, she can no longer ignore his inappropriate comments. The Republican party leadership cannot ignore his "pitchfork campaign" and questionable opinions either. They offer Seaman billions to throw the debate and not become president. The real estate tycoon is now engaged in negotiations "to buy and sell the presidency." The final scene is the debate, with the candidate and his exquisite vicuña suit. The final act of the real election is yet to be played. But this play's final act is veers into darker territory and an "emperor has no clothes" type moment. The Vicuña cast is excellent. Groener avoids the obvious parody, but conveys the appropriate pomposity. Sloyan does a great job displaying early confidence crumbling to vulnerability of Srilanka's campaign life. However, the key character is Monsef's Amir, and the actor is up to the task of carrying the audience on his journey challenging the candidate's beliefs and actions. "Vicuña" portrays Trump in an "Emperor's New Clothes" type tale, opening one week before the election. Baitz' new play may not have a long shelf life now. However, it raises some serious issues that are not going away on Nov. 9. Maybe the play will be dusted off years from now and presented as a dramedy based on actual people. But, in the meantime, the reality is a little too real as election day looms. Written and Edited by Dyanne Weiss Sources: Performance Oct. 30 Center Theatre Group : Vicuña Los Angeles Times: Q&A The timely new play 'Vicuña' is, and isn't, about Donald Trump Photos of Groener (top) and Monsef and Sloyan by Craig Schwartz. courtesy of Center Theatre Group. baitz , Center Theatre Group , Kirk Douglas , vicuña


United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the U.N. Security Council on Friday that he is alarmed by the risk of military escalation on the Korean Peninsula. "The absence of communication channels with the DPRK (North Korea) is dangerous," he told the 15-member council. "We need to avoid miscalculation and misunderstanding. We need to act now to prevent conflict and achieve sustainable peace."


German prosecutors said on Wednesday they were investigating letters telling voters that their political preferences had already been worked out from their internet postings and there was no need to go to the polls on Sunday. Some of the fake letters carried the logo of federal election authorities, meaning the sender could be guilty of forgery, said the state prosecutor s office in Wiesbaden. The messages were crude and it would be surprising if people fell for it , a spokesman for the federal election director said. Still, it s frustrating. There was no indication of who was behind the letters, and they appeared to be based on a recent joke in a German magazine. But German government officials and security experts have been on the look out for evidence of meddling ahead of the Sept. 24 national vote, following allegations of Russian interference in polls in the United States and France. German computer magazine c t carried a satirical article this month in which a fictional voter is told that their vote will be automatically cast for a certain party given their behavior on the internet and credit card charges. The actual letters sent to German voters suggested the voters would cast their ballots for the Party of Bible-abiding Christians or the Basic Wage Coalition, RND newspapers reported. Prosecutors said the investigation started after a complaint from the German federal election director, whose office is in Wiesbaden. The letters looked real, which is why we are investigating possible forgery of documents, a spokesman for the prosecutor s office said.


Days after several of his colleagues were awakened in their hotel rooms by the police and arrested on corruption charges last year, Sepp Blatter, the longtime president of FIFA, made an important decision. He decided he deserved a raise. With soccer in crisis and an unprecedented scandal beginning to boil, Mr. Blatter — who had just won to a record fifth term — signed a new employment contract that increased his salary to $3 million a year and guaranteed him a $12 million bonus if he completed his mandate. That arrangement, completed just as FIFA was plunging into organizational chaos, was one of many instances in which three of FIFA's top officials arranged over five years to pay themselves more than $80 million, according to an internal investigation of world soccer's governing body by the American law firm Quinn Emanuel. It was the latest in a series of accusations about a culture of corruption pervading FIFA. For years, top soccer officials have been accused of using bribes and payoffs to profit from their roles overseeing the billions of dollars FIFA and other governing bodies generate through tournaments like the World Cup. But in the past year, dozens of soccer officials — though not the three accused Friday — have been charged with fraud, racketeering and money laundering in a broad corruption investigation led by the United States Justice Department. On Friday, lawyers from Quinn Emanuel, which was hired by FIFA in the wake of last year's arrests, published a synopsis of some of the findings of their own investigation. In it, they identified three former FIFA officials — Mr. Blatter and his former deputies Jérôme Valcke and Markus Kattner — as having mounted a "coordinated effort" to enrich themselves through a series of raises, bonuses and other payments. The three were also accused of modifying the termination clauses in their employment contracts to ensure that they would receive payouts even if they were fired for cause. "They had the authority they needed," Quinn Emanuel investigators wrote of Mr. Blatter, Mr. Valcke and Mr. Kattner, "and they simply told payroll and HR, the department generally in charge for employment contracts at FIFA and which reported to Mr. Kattner, how much should be paid out and to whom. " In a statement responding to the accusations, Mr. Blatter's lawyer, Richard Cullen, said Friday, "We look forward to showing FIFA that Mr. Blatter's compensation payments were proper, fair and in line with the heads of major professional sports leagues around the world. " Mr. Valcke and Mr. Kattner did not immediately respond to FIFA's statement. None of the three men currently work for FIFA. Mr. Blatter was barred from soccer by FIFA in December and replaced by a new president, Gianni Infantino, in an election in February. FIFA suspended Mr. Valcke, Mr. Blatter's longtime deputy, last fall and fired him in January amid accusations of corruption. Mr. Valcke was replaced temporarily as secretary general by FIFA's finance director, Mr. Kattner. That effectively placed Mr. Kattner in control of FIFA's finances in the months leading to this year's presidential election, but he, too, was fired, in May, after FIFA said it had discovered he had breached his fiduciary duty to the organization. The accusations by FIFA and its lawyers seemed intended to paint a picture of a leadership group operating outside FIFA financial controls: ■ In 2010, Mr. Blatter, Mr. Valcke and Mr. Kattner were awarded $23 million in retroactive bonuses for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa that FIFA said were not called for under their employment agreements. ■ In 2011, with Mr. Blatter in a contested election for the FIFA presidency, Mr. Valcke and Mr. Kattner were given contract extensions that included guarantees that they would receive full payment of their salaries if they lost their jobs, a likely outcome under a new president. ■ That same year, Mr. Blatter received a bonus of 12 million Swiss francs (about $12 million) for overseeing the 2014 World Cup. ■ In May 2015, only days after the arrests of several of their colleagues in Zurich, Mr. Blatter, who signed a contract in 2008 that paid him 2 million Swiss francs (about $2 million) a year, executed a new contract that increased his salary to about $3 million and included the prospect of another performance bonus of $12 million if he completed his term. A day after that, Mr. Kattner's contract was extended four years — through December 2023 — and modified to include a clause that he be paid in full even if he was fired. In its statement, FIFA dryly labeled the timing of that contract extension "noteworthy. " The details of Quinn Emanuel's investigation deflected attention — at least momentarily — away from two other FIFA stories this week: the news that the Swiss attorney general's office had conducted a new raid on FIFA headquarters in Zurich on Friday as part of a continuing investigation into possible corruption, and recent issues regarding transparency that have plagued Mr. Infantino. Earlier this week, a German newspaper reported that Mr. Infantino had worked behind the scenes to marginalize FIFA's independent auditor in a leadership power struggle. That situation came to light when the auditor, Domenico Scala, abruptly resigned at FIFA's recent Congress in Mexico, saying that Mr. Infantino and others had orchestrated a change in FIFA's bylaws that shifted the power to hire and fire the independent ethics officials with FIFA's new governing council — a body led by Mr. Infantino. FIFA has defended Mr. Infantino by saying the shift was done to protect the organization against the possibility it might be unable to separate itself from individuals who come under investigation, but the assertion seemed to run counter to Mr. Infantino's professed support for reform and his stated goal of greater separation of powers at FIFA. Then this week came the German report, which said that Mr. Infantino had instructed FIFA staff members to delete recordings of an executive session in which removing Mr. Scala had been discussed. Mr. Scala, as part of his role leading the audit and compliance committee, also was responsible for setting Mr. Infantino's salary — a process that reportedly had gone poorly, with Mr. Infantino describing Mr. Scala's initial proposal of a $2 million salary as "insulting. " All of this comes as FIFA tries to emerge from the worst corruption scandal in its history, a period which began just over a year ago when more than a dozen soccer and sports marketing officials with ties to soccer's global governing body were arrested in predawn raids before a FIFA meeting in Zurich. Several have pleaded guilty to corruption charges in the United States, including more FIFA executives arrested in a second Zurich raid in December. Many of those executives held top posts in the FIFA led by Mr. Blatter, Mr. Valcke and Mr. Kattner, so it was not surprising that more detailed allegations against the three men might emerge. In its news release on Friday, FIFA and its lawyers accused Mr. Blatter, Mr. Valcke and Mr. Kattner of working together to bulk up their compensation in agreements as far back as 2007. The evidence, the lawyers said, revealed breaches of fiduciary duty and also raised questions about FIFA's internal financial controls, especially the role of its compensation subcommittee. It was unclear whether all the salary and bonuses were paid and if FIFA would seek to recover any of it. FIFA said that all of the contracts would face further investigation, and that it had shared its findings with the Swiss attorney general's office and would do the same with the Justice Department.


Eighteen U.S. states sued President Donald Trump's administration on Friday to stop him from scrapping a key component of Obamacare, subsidies to insurers that help millions of low-income people pay medical expenses, even as Trump invited Democratic leaders to negotiate a deal. One day after his administration announced plans to end the payments next week, Trump said he would dismantle Obamacare "step by step." His latest action raised concerns about chaos in insurance markets. The subsidies cost $7 billion this year and were estimated at $10 billion for 2018, according to congressional analysts. "As far as the subsidies are concerned, I don't want to make the insurance companies rich," Trump told reporters at the White House. "They're making a fortune by getting that kind of money." Trump's action took aim at a critical element of the 2010 law, his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama's signature domestic policy achievement. Frustrated by the failure of his fellow Republicans who control both houses of Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare, Trump has taken several steps to chip away at it. Democrats accused Trump of sabotaging the law. Democratic attorneys general from the 18 states as well as Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit in federal court in California later on Friday. The states include: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington state. The states will ask the court to force Trump to make the next payment. Legal experts said the states were likely to face an uphill battle in court. "His effort to gut these subsidies with no warning or even a plan to contain the fallout is breathtakingly reckless," New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said. "This is an effort simply to blow up the system." The new lawsuit would be separate from a case pending before an appeals court in the District of Columbia in which 16 Democratic state attorneys general are defending the legality of the payments. If the subsidies vanish, low-income Americans who obtain insurance through Obamacare online marketplaces where insurers can sell policies would face higher insurance premiums and out-of-pocket medical costs. It would particularly hurt lower-middle-class families whose incomes are still too high to qualify for certain government assistance. About 10 million people are enrolled in Obamacare through its online marketplaces, and most receive subsidies. Trump's action came just weeks before the period starting on Nov. 1 when individuals have to begin enrolling for 2018 insurance coverage through the law's marketplaces. The administration will not make the next payment to insurers, scheduled for Wednesday, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer expressed optimism about chances for a deal with Republicans to continue the subsidy payments. "We're going to have a very good opportunity to get this done in a bipartisan way" during negotiations in December on broad federal spending legislation, "if we can't get it done sooner," Schumer told reporters. Trump offered an invitation for Democratic leaders to come to the White House, while also lashing out at them. "We'll negotiate some deal that's good for everybody. But they're always a bloc vote against everything. They're like obstructionists," Trump told reporters. The Senate failed in both July and September to pass legislation backed by Trump to repeal Obamacare due to opposition by a handful of Republican senators. One of them, Susan Collins, a moderate Republican from Maine who had been contemplating running for governor next year, on Friday said she planned to remain in the Senate and would use her voice in reforming the healthcare system. Hospitals, doctors, health insurers, state insurance commissioners and patient advocates decried Trump's move, saying consumers will ultimately pay the price. They called on Congress to appropriate the funds needed to keep up the subsidy payments. Shares of U.S. hospital companies and health insurers closed down on Friday after the subsidies announcement. Centene Corp (CNC.N) closed down 3.3 percent and Molina Healthcare (MOH.N) closed down 3.4 percent. Among hospital shares, Tenet Healthcare (THC.N) finished 5.1 percent lower and Community Health Systems (CYH.N) declined 4.0 percent. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that erasing the subsidies would increase the federal deficit by $194 billion over the next decade because the government still would be obligated under other parts of Obamacare to help lower-income people pay for insurance premiums. Trump, who as a candidate last year promised to roll back the law formally called the Affordable Care Act, received applause for his latest action during an appearance on Friday before a group of conservative voters. "It's step by step by step, and that was a very big step yesterday," Trump said. "And one by one, it's going to come down, and we're going to have great healthcare in our country." Earlier on Twitter he called Obamacare "a broken mess" that is "imploding," and referred to the "pet insurance companies" of Democrats. Republicans for seven years had vowed to get rid of Obamacare, but deep intra-party divisions have scuttled their efforts to get legislation through the Senate, where they hold a slim majority. Since taking office in January, Trump threatened many times to cut the subsidies. Health insurers that planned to stay in the Obamacare market prepared for the move in many states by submitting two sets of premium rates to regulators: with and without the subsidies. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners said the change would drive up premium costs for consumers by at least 12 to 15 percent in 2018 and cut more than $1 billion in payments to insurers for 2017. The White House announced the cut-off just hours after Trump signed an order intended to allow insurers to sell lower-cost, bare-bones policies with limited benefits and consumer protections. Republicans have called Obamacare an unnecessary government intrusion into the American healthcare system. Democrats have said the law needs some fixes but noted that it had brought insurance to 20 million people.


Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated businessman Donald Trump on his victory in the U.S. presidential election in a telegram on Wednesday, the Kremlin said. "Putin expressed hope for joint work to restore Russian-American relations from their state of crisis, and also to address pressing international issues and search for effective responses to challenges concerning global security," the Kremlin said in a statement. Putin also said he was sure a constructive dialogue between Moscow and Washington would serve the interests of both countries, the Kremlin said.


Just one in seven people from Catalonia believe the current standoff between Barcelona and Madrid will end in independence for the region while more than two thirds think the process has been bad for the economy, a survey showed on Monday. Spain s central government took control of the region after local leaders staged a poll on secession, slated as illegal by the Constitutional Court, and then passed a unilateral declaration of independence through the parliament. In response, Spain s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy fired the government, stripped the region of its autonomous status and called a regional election for Dec. 21. On Sunday, the first part of the GAD3 survey showed that pro-independence parties would win the election but may not gain the parliamentary majority needed to continue with secession. Fifteen percent said they believed the process would end in an independent state, according to part two of survey of 1,233 people conducted between Oct. 30 and Nov. 3 and published in La Vanguard newspaper on Monday. Optimism that a negotiated solution would be found was low, with just over a fifth thinking the crisis would lead to talks between regional authorities and Madrid. The push for independence has dragged Spain in to its worst political crisis since its return to democracy four decades ago and has deeply divided the country, fuelling anti-Spanish feelings in Catalonia and nationalist tendencies elsewhere. The uncertainty has prompted more than 2,000 companies to relocate their legal headquarters out of the region since Oct. 1, while the Bank of Spain said if the conflict persists it could lead to slower growth and job creation. According to the poll, 67 percent said they believed the process had hurt the economy and almost 40 percent said the company exodus would have a negative affect on growth in the short term.


A leading bank regulator on Friday reversed course and revoked Wells Fargo's right to shield the pay of former executives after a scandal. The regulator, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, also said Wells Fargo must now seek advance approval before naming new bank leadership. Wells Fargo in September agreed to pay $185 million to settle charges that bank employees opened as many as two million accounts banking and credit card without customers' knowledge. The agency, the main regulator for federal banks, exempted Wells Fargo from some controls on "golden parachutes" in that settlement. The move Friday evening voids those earlier allowances, the agency said. The bank was notified on Friday that the agency had revoked "relief from specific requirements and limitations regarding rules, policies, and procedures for corporate activities," the comptroller's office said in a statement on Friday. An official of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said the move put Wells Fargo under toughened standards for oversight which the agency had exempted in the original settlement. John G. Stumpf, Wells Fargo's former chief executive, and Carrie Tolstedt, former head of retail banking, have relinquished about $60 million in stock after the scandal, according to a Reuters review of securities filings. But the pair also stood to take home more than $350 million in compensation, according to filings.


Millennials 'Search for Truth' on Election but Distrust Media, Intelligence Firm Reports Posted on Oct 28, 2016 A crowd of millennial voters at a South Bronx rally for Sen. Bernie Sanders in March. ( Michael Vadone / CC 2.0 )  Don't believe the hype about millennial voters. This bloc of the Unites States population, ages 18 to 35 and whose numbers are estimated to be about 69.2 million, may have a reputation for not engaging with the political system —but that is not the case for this election, The Intelligence Group reports, based on a recent study.  "Leading up to the presidential election, millennials are taking advantage of their hacking mindset to create their own persuasion journey to get to the truth," The Intelligence Group, a part of global marketing agency Deep Focus, which performs research for corporations and government organizations, states in a report that quotes numerous millennial voters.  This subset of the electorate will play an important role at the ballot box, and its members are doing their homework.  "The media is a joke," said Joseph, 31, a moderate in the study. "I research things much more. I Google the topic, and then I sift through a bunch of media spin to try and see if it's true or not."  The group's research, conducted through "a blended approach of social listening and qualitative insights generated via real-time social conversations," found millennials fact-checking the presidential candidates' assertions and engaging with their peers on social media sites and forums such as Reddit, Twitter and Facebook to "make an informed opinion and hold candidates accountable."  During the first presidential debate, for example, The Intelligence Group reported that Americans posted 138,000 tweets to fact-check the candidates in real time. This eagerness to critically assess the candidates stems from a distrust of both media and the candidates themselves.  "I don't believe there is such a thing as a truly objective source," said Kelly, 25, a liberal. "It's up to the individual to factor in the relative objectivity of a source when making their opinion."  The millennial vote is an increasingly significant one. This year, data show that millennials already match the baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) as the largest voting-age group in America, according to the Pew Research Center. Census Bureau data show that roughly 1 in 6 voters in the past two presidential elections were younger than 30.  The presidential campaigns have taken note of these numbers, "firing on all cylinders" to target millennials, according to Kristin Lynch, communications coordinator for the Clinton campaign in Denver. Clinton's team referred to social media and, specifically, Facebook Live, as crucial to reaching young voters.  "[Trump] is really facing an uphill battle when people are only hearing what the media is saying," Rachel Keane, the Trump campaign's Colorado millennial outreach co-chairwoman, told USA Today.  In the 2012 election, President Obama won over millennials by a landslide against rival Mitt Romney, garnering 60 percent of the youth vote.  "If millennials vote en masse, they have a chance to determine the election's outcome ," writes Courtney Crowder of the Des Moines Register.  The next big question is whether they will be motivated enough to actually vote.


Leona Coakley-Spring has only been running her consignment shop, Rags to Riches, for a few months. Coakley-Spring opened her dream business and settled into the ritzy Seattle, Washington suburb, only to be made to feel unwelcome.The trouble comes as Coakley-Spring made a horrifying discovery: a Ku Klux Klan robe amongst the dresses dropped off by a customer. She considers the robe to be a threatening message, saying to local station Fox 13: You can t be a black business owner in downtown Redmond, you can t be her. I didn t know what to do or what to say. It was just so horrifying. Coakley-Spring s son, Shane Coakley, documented the incident with photographs, which he then turned over to the authorities. A sketch of the man believed to have left the racist robe, alongside photos of the robe itself, are being released to the public. The cops are increasing their presence around the store, and consider what happened here a hate crime. Coakley-Spring has obviously been deeply affected by this: I can t change the way I look. But it makes me feel like I m not good enough. And that s a bad feeling to have, that you re not good enough. Hopefully, this wonderful woman realizes that it s these racists who have the problem, not her. She even considered closing down over this, but so far, is hanging on: We close the store, and they would win And I don t want to give them any satisfaction. Remember that, Ms. Coakley-Spring, every time you want to throw in the towel. We re rooting for you.Watch a video news report below, via Fox 13:


Donald Trump may call anything related to his administration s collusion with Russia as FAKE NEWS, but you know who disagrees? Russia.Russian politician Vyacheslav Nikonov appeared on Sunday Evening with Vladimir Solovyov where he shocked everyone by coming out and saying that, yes, Russia did steal the election. The U.S. overshot. Their intelligence services all slept through Russia electing the U.S. President, Nikonov said, clearly shocking the host who seemed to have no idea how to respond (especially since the wrong response could have gotten him assassinated). What kind of intelligence service is that? As we speak, Mueller s investigation of Donald Trump is heating up as The Donald s campaign is forced to turn over documents. Many Republicans speculate that he s going for the kill. This is all very bad news for Trump, who has managed to bamboozle his Faithful into believing that the Russia investigation is a liberal lie designed to smear him one in which the FAKE NEWS media is complicit.Watch Rachel Maddow report on the remarks below:?BREAKING VIDEO? MADDOW reporting ? Russia ADMITTED on live TV last night that they ELECTED DONALD TRUMP AS PRESIDENT? share and RT! pic.twitter.com/rzTo1DMMeZ Royce Christyn (@ChristynRoyce) September 12, 2017


Washington (CNN) Democrats in Washington have begun discussing how to encourage Sen. Bernie Sanders to end his campaign without alienating his legions of supporters, as party leaders grow eager to unite the party behind Hillary Clinton and provide a more robust defense for her candidacy. In private conversations on Capitol Hill, senior Democrats are weighing how to persuade Sanders to step aside without appearing as if they are trying to strong-arm him out of the race. In a phone call last month, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid made the case to Sanders why it would make sense for him to leave the race after New Jersey and California vote on June 7, according to sources familiar with the conversation. The widespread view, according to interviews with senators, House members and senior party officials, is that Sanders needs to see the writing on the wall himself: That he has no mathematical possibility to win the race and would be better-served to see his agenda enacted if he urged his backers to support Clinton. "We will walk out of our convention with a nominee," Rep. Xavier Becerra, a California Democrat and active Clinton surrogate, told CNN. "We should be able to walk into the convention in a consolidating mode." Some top Democrats privately say Clinton should consider the ultimate way to bring the progressive firebrand's supporters into the fold: Choose Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren as her vice presidential pick. Senators and aides say they've felt reassured after recent discussions with Sanders and his advisers that he won't be a destructive force once voting concludes in mid-June. But Sanders has publicly vowed to take his fight to Philadelphia, something that could deprive the party of a critical month of healing and has spawned fears of unrest at the July nominating convention. If he doesn't drop out, the options on how to persuade him to quit boil down to this: Propose potential process reforms, including gutting the role of superdelegates in choosing the next nominee, give him a prime speaking slot at the Democratic Convention and even dump the head of the Democratic National Committee, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a controversial figure among Sanders' supporters. So far, Sanders has not suggested publicly that his fight could be over after California, a state he has barnstormed in recent days as he tries to pull off an upset against Clinton. "Our campaign has been dismissed and written off more times than I can count," Sanders said Wednesday in Palo Alto, California. "We're going to leave California with enormous momentum going into the convention. And I believe we've got a real shot to come out of that convention with the Democratic nomination for president of the United States." Behind the scenes, discussions between the Warren and Clinton camps have been markedly increasing, especially as the freshman senator has begun to a play a more prominent role attacking Donald Trump, according to a source close to Warren. And that has only spawned increased chatter that Clinton could pick Warren, who has not endorsed either candidate and is the only female Senate Democrat not to back Clinton. Reid has spoken out publicly against Clinton choosing a senator as a running mate whose state has a Republican governor -- like Massachusetts -- fearing the vacancy would allow a Republican to be appointed and pad the GOP's majority. But sources familiar with the situation tell CNN that Reid is open to the possibility of Warren as Clinton's running mate, in no small part because it would help unite the party after a long primary season. "She can take away (Bernie's) power by showing there's no division within the party," said one Democratic source who is advocating Warren's selection. It's uncertain when Warren would endorse Clinton, but the senator's allies believe she doesn't want to appear as if she's pushing Sanders to quit before he's ready to leave the race. Yet she also takes her role as a party uniter "seriously," according to the Warren source. Much of how the party reacts after Tuesday's primaries will be dictated by Sanders' own actions, officials say. If he stays in the race, softens his rhetoric against Clinton and begins the process of healing the party, there will be less consternation. But if he blasts what he considers a rigged system, berates Clinton for her corporate donations and paid speeches to big banks on Wall Street and calls for a revolution at the convention, Democrats are bound to push back. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, a Clinton backer, said his "preference" would be for Sanders to "take a hard look" after Tuesday and conclude he has no viable path to the nomination. He said he had no problem with Sanders continuing his campaign until July because he's confident that the party would be able to unite against Trump. "One thing I'm slightly worried about is the tone and tenor of the convention," Murphy added. "We're going to need a very positive unified convention. He's going to have send very clear signals to his delegates that he wants them to be vocal and loud in support of Hillary in our convention." Even if Sanders were to win California, where polls show the race with Clinton in a dead-heat, the math looks grim for him to win the 2,383 delegates to become the nominee. He would need 67% of the remaining pledged delegates to take the lead over Clinton in pledged delegates alone after the District of Columbia votes on June 14. Clinton's lead in superdelegates, however, means she is the only candidate who can secure enough delegates to win the nomination before the convention. Reid, in an interview with the Associated Press Wednesday, made his strongest comments yet about Sanders' bleak chances, saying the "math is the math" and that "sometimes you just have to give up." "I think he better do a little mathing," Reid said. The comments are significant because Reid -- who backs Clinton -- has avoided criticizing Sanders through the course of the campaign. Reid is perhaps Sanders' closest friend in the Senate; the two had an emotional call when Reid informed Sanders he was backing Clinton in February. And Sanders' wife, Jane, hugged Reid and thanked him for staying neutral before the Nevada caucuses as well. But Reid and Democrats know they need the support of Sanders to help bring his dedicated backers behind Clinton. After the Nevada convention last month spawned angry protests from Sanders' supporters, many argue that the senator has to play a major role to unite the party -- or risk electing Trump. Reid has made the case repeatedly to Sanders, and others have publicly as well. "My sense is if he believes as passionately about the issues he's been talking about on the campaign trail," Becerra said, "then, after June 7, there's a passionate need for him to be advocating for someone in the White House who will make much of what he is talking about a reality." Murphy also was optimistic that Sanders would exit gracefully. "He's going to be an incredibly impactful spokesman for Hillary," Murphy said. "Once the president and Elizabeth Warren and Bernie get behind Hillary, that's going to be impactful. I'm not wringing my hands on whether it happens next week or next month."


East Libyan forces said they had launched air strikes on Islamic State fighters after the militants made incursions south and east of their former coastal stronghold of Sirte. The jihadist group has grown bolder in recent weeks, setting up temporary checkpoints, attacking local forces, and taking over a village mosque to lead prayers during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, Libyan officials say. The increased activity has raised concern that Islamic State could regroup around Sirte, from where it was driven out in December by local forces and a U.S. air campaign. Most militants were killed in the nearly seven-month battle, but an unknown number fled into the desert to the south and west. Sirte lies at the center of Libya s Mediterranean coastline, on the dividing line between regions controlled by rival Libyan factions. Forces loyal to eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar said they had carried out air strikes on Sunday against militants in the area of Ain Taqrift, between Sirte and the town of Zillah, 306 km (190 miles) to the south east. The area is close to oil fields previously damaged by Islamic State attacks. Both Haftar s Libyan National Army (LNA) and forces from the port city of Misrata, which led the campaign in Sirte last year, say they are mounting frequent patrols to monitor Islamic State movements in areas under their control. The LNA and Misratan brigades have been on opposite sides of a conflict that developed after the NATO-backed uprising that toppled Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Islamic State exploited the turmoil to establish a foothold in Libya, taking complete control of Sirte in 2015 and using it as a base for hundreds of foreign fighters. Both the main loose alliances in Libya have accused each other of allowing Islamic State space to operate in order to advance their own military ends. Misratan forces, which aligned themselves with the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli, have complained of receiving little support as they try to prevent the jihadists regrouping. Islamic State militants have stepped up their presence in several settlements east of Sirte, said Ibrahim Mlaitan, head of security for Sirte municipality. That included entering a local mosque to preach a sermon last Friday, he said. They set up checkpoints that last just for 10 minutes and then leave. They have been moving around freely in and out of these towns, and in the desert too, Mlaitan said. Eastern military officials denied reports that Islamic State had taken control of one of the villages, Um Qandeel, but a military source acknowledged that the militants had set up checkpoints there during fleeting night visits. The terrorist organization Daesh (Islamic State) from time to time tries to enter the coastal areas from the desert regions and they carry out kidnappings of civilians, and we are conducting surveillance on them, said LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari.


If you ve been watching the Republican National Convention you ve been witnessing quite the bizarre circus that doesn t seem quite real, as it all seems like a bit of a nightmare.Speaker after speaker has been vilifying Hillary Clinton and talking up Donald Trump as an acceptable choice for President of the United States. A job he is clearly, not by any means, qualified to do.On the second day of the convention came roll call, and state after state shouted out how many of their delegates went to each candidate. With Trump being the clear winner it left those who love him very happy, and those who don t want him anywhere near the White House shaking their heads, or worse.One GOP delegate literally stared straight into the camera as his state called out the number of delegates going to Trump, lifted up his hand, and slapped it against his face in a facepalm of epic proportions.Watch it all unfold here:Republican delegate facepalms as his state announces its votes for Trump #RNCinCLE https://t.co/0quzZReAgP https://t.co/KLoHOfqwK4 CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) July 20, 2016It was the ultimate, well-understood facepalm felt around the world, and probably the way most sane people feel everywhere.If this guy is smart and, well, a decent human being, he ll make sure Trump isn t elected just as the rest of the world hopes is the outcome.


Lucy Richards, a Tampa woman who believes lunatics like Alex Jones who say the Sandy Hook tragedy is a hoax, was arrested this week for threatening to kill a parent of one of the children who died in 2012. This is just the latest in the potentially long list of what we can expect to come from fake news conspiracies being spread by right-wing nutjobs.Richards started making threats back in January, saying things like you gonna die, death is coming to you real soon, according to court documents released on Wednesday. She also wrote, Look behind you. It s death, to the parent, who was identified as Len Pozner in a statement he released after Richards arrest. Pozner s son Noah was the youngest victim of the Sandy Hook massacre.Pozner, who now resides in Florida and spends his time disproving these so-called truthers, said in his statement:We are comforted to know that the system is working to protect the victims of violent crime from re-victimization by potentially violent Hoaxers.Sadly, Lucy Richards is not the only one from this group of Sandy Hook hoaxers that has harassed or threatened Mr. Pozner. He s been dealing with this for years.According to The New York Times:The conspiracy theorists have criticized Mr. Pozner and his counterinvestigations of their work. Mr. Pozner has filed complaints with law enforcement, private companies, and the attorney general s office. He even wrote a 165-page book raising questions about a champion of the hoax theory according to a September article in New York Magazine. People don t understand what trolls are, Pozner said, If you don t feed them, they don t just go away. When Mr. Pozner asked a Florida Atlantic University professor, James F. Tracy, to stop posting photos of Noah, the professor sent him a certified letter asking for proof the boy existed.The professor, who was tenured, was soon fired and he blames Pozner.Professor Tracy didn t actually commit any crimes, no matter how disgusting his actions were, but Lucy Richards on the other hand Richards committed 4 counts of felony threat transmission and if convicted will spend up to 20 years in prison. Let s hope the judge makes her serve the full 20.


There s no way to sample this extra 20 or 25% of new voters that are Trump supporters. Sid Miller, Texas Agriculture Commissioner, went on FOX News on Wednesday to discuss the record breaking voter turnout for Donald Trump in the Lone Star State.Sid Miller: We have a record number of people registered to vote in Texas. We re having record turnouts, the first day, the second day of voting. And it s not Bernie Sanders supporters coming out to support Hillary. It s not Barack Obama supporters coming out to support Hillary. It s a new surge of Trump voters, many who have never registered to vote. Many who have not voted in eight or ten elections so they re not reported in the polls I know for a fact that the polls are off because they oversample Democrats by eight sometimes up to sixteen percent oversampling Democrats. They re oversampling women by five to eight percent. So the Republican vote is underreported. Plus there is no way to sample this extra twenty to twenty-five percent of new voters that are Trump voters. They re not Republican, they re not Democrats, they re pragmatists. They re tired of the status quo and they want change. GPYUGE RECORD BREAKING VOTES in TEXAS!!! & Its Not Bernie Fans or Obama Voters for Hillary Clinton!! ALLL Donald Trump Folks #wednesdaywisdom pic.twitter.com/Sn79fMhwXG STOCK MONSTER (@StockMonsterUSA) October 26, 2016


When Speaker Paul D. Ryan arrived at the White House on Friday to inform President Trump that the health care bill he had made his first major legislative push could not pass, Mr. Trump had one reaction: He wanted revenge. Furious at rebellious Republicans who refused to back the measure, Mr. Trump demanded that defectors cast "no" votes for all to see — even if it meant the measure's defeat, broadcast live on television. But over a lunch of chicken, brussels sprouts and potatoes in the Oval Office, Mr. Ryan pleaded with Mr. Trump to reconsider. A loss could do lasting political damage to Republicans who supported the contentious bill, Mr. Ryan argued, especially those in competitive districts who were vulnerable to primary challenges. It would do nothing to isolate or punish the Freedom Caucus, the conservative faction that had resisted the measure all along, he added. And it could alienate Republicans needed to push through other challenging initiatives in the weeks to come, including an increase in the debt ceiling, a sweeping tax cut and the president's promised $1 trillion infrastructure package. Mr. Trump remained unconvinced, but by midafternoon, armed with vote counts showing that the measure lacked a majority to pass, the president called the speaker to agree: You should pull the bill. The collapse of the measure dealt Mr. Trump — a professed master dealmaker who campaigned as an agent of change — a remarkable setback in his young presidency, threatening to sap his influence and imperil his ambitious agenda. It also highlighted the importance of a pairing that will shape the Trump era: a president inexperienced in the complexities of politics and uninterested in the nuance of policy, paired with a vulnerable speaker struggling to corral competing coalitions within the Republican Party. With repeal and replace now a hollow vow, Mr. Trump's anger at the defiant members of the Freedom Caucus was undiminished. But trying to put the best possible face on a major defeat late Friday afternoon, he confined his public criticism to Democrats. "When you get zero from the other side — they let us down because they're hurting the people," Mr. Trump said in a telephone interview shortly after he had agreed to pull the measure. Asked whether he was worried the loss would hurt Republicans, he said, "I'll let you know in a year. " The demise of the American Health Care Act played out in a tense 24 hours that White House and congressional officials said proved a political education for Mr. Trump and his top advisers on the promise and peril of governing, even with unified Republican control. This account is based on government officials who were present during the negotiations and who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "We all learned a lot," Mr. Trump told reporters on Friday afternoon. "We learned a lot about loyalty, and we learned a lot about the process. " "Certainly for me, it was a very interesting experience," he added. Mr. Trump, who initially had little involvement in crafting the health care bill, became more deeply engaged in recent weeks, promoting it at rallies outside Washington and holding meetings in the West Wing with conservative and moderate coalitions whose support was crucial to its passage. But he made little secret of his ambivalence about addressing the issue — "I would have loved to have put it first, I'll be honest," Mr. Trump said of tax reform in Nashville last week — yet he told aides he believed the measure could not pass without a push from him. By Thursday afternoon, just hours before a scheduled vote, it had become clear that his efforts — along with those of Vice President Mike Pence and other senior White House officials — had fallen short. At a meeting in Mr. Ryan's office in the Capitol with members of the recalcitrant Freedom Caucus, top White House officials laid out the changes they had made at the group's behest, including stripping it of federal standards for benefits that must be provided in health insurance policies, including maternity and wellness care. Caucus members began outlining still more changes they needed to see before they could support the bill, angering Mr. Ryan and Mr. Trump's aides. Stephen K. Bannon, the president's chief strategist, and Mick Mulvaney, his budget director, told the group that the White House was finished negotiating and that the president wanted to know its position on the bill — yes or no. Called on in turn to state their positions, several members refused. As tensions rose, Representative Mark Meadows of North Carolina said that he spoke for the group and that they were not ready to commit. That meant the votes would not be there. Mr. Ryan postponed the vote and called an evening meeting of House Republicans in the basement of the Capitol. Lawmakers munched on takeout as Mr. Mulvaney delivered the president's ultimatum on the health measure: Fall in line behind it or accept that former President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act would be the law of the land. The speaker emerged and told reporters there would be a vote in the morning, rushing away from the news cameras as he was asked if Republicans had the votes. In a telephone call Thursday evening between Mr. Trump and Mr. Ryan, the two commiserated over the demands of the caucus and strategized over the prospects for a vote on Friday. Even as the two spoke, some of Mr. Trump's advisers were privately expressing frustration with Mr. Ryan, arguing that he had badly misjudged the situation and misled the president into tackling health care before a tax overhaul. The meeting with the Freedom Caucus had prompted a realization by Mr. Trump and his inner circle about how the group operated, and that offering it policy concessions would not win its support. By Friday, Mr. Trump was out for blood, eager to call the bluff of the Freedom Caucus and savage it if the health bill went down in defeat. Mr. Bannon and Marc Short, Mr. Trump's legislative affairs director, both favored holding the vote. But Mr. Ryan, reluctant to suffer an embarrassing loss or to ask his fellow Republicans to take what could be a politically perilous vote on a measure that had little chance of passing, argued vigorously against it. White House officials still believed as much as half of the Freedom Caucus could be pressured into supporting the bill, and Mr. Bannon demanded to see a confidential list that demonstrated otherwise. The numbers were grim, and Mr. Trump called Mr. Ryan to acquiesce into calling off the vote. "I don't blame him for a thing, I really don't," Mr. Trump said of Mr. Ryan in the interview on Friday. "Look, he tried. He tried very hard. " But one close adviser said that Mr. Trump, who hates looking weak or any form of embarrassment in public, was stewing. One ally of the president, however, said that he had learned from the process. Christopher Ruddy, the chief executive of Newsmax Media and a longtime friend of Mr. Trump, said he thought it was a "blessing in disguise" that the bill had died. "This bill was a political bullet aimed at the president and congressional Republicans running for office next year," he said. "On future legislation, he won't make the same mistakes. " As Mr. Trump reflected on the health care debacle, the president who had predicted during the campaign that he would win so often that people would become "sick of winning" insisted that he was at peace with the day's results. "I'm not disappointed," he said in the interview. "If I were, I wouldn't be calling you. " He said that he was moving on to overhauling the tax system and trade, describing the experience with the health bill as not that different from some of his negotiations as a developer. But he acknowledged that he was pleased to have it all behind him. "It's enough already," he said.


Donald Trump s White House has been going through a lot of insane changes lately, and it is certainly looking like a sign of an inevitable implosion.It was just a few days ago that White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer resigned over Trump s hiring of Anthony Scaramucci as his new Communications Director. Now, another key player in Trump s administration is out thanks to the Mooch White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus. Trump announced this shocking change in staff over Twitter, remarking that retired four-star general and Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kennedy would be taking Priebus place:We might have seen this coming yesterday, Scaramucci told the New Yorker that Priebus was a f*cking paranoid schizophrenic and made several other vulgar comments about the former Republican National Committee president.While this story is still developing, these rapid changes in staff show an administration that is clearly in trouble and struggling to keep its head above water as it self-destructs. Trump s staff is being turned over at an unprecedented rate, and the amount of in-fighting between even the top staffers is like nothing we ve ever seen before. But what else can you expect when you appoint the most vile, corrupt individuals to help you run a country?If the leaks coming from the White House weren t concerning enough, the recent changes in staff serve as a telling sign that things are falling apart on a daily basis and Trump is desperate to save his failing presidency. Already, Trump s new Communication Director Anthony Scaramucci has become one of the most hated, abrasive characters in Trump s administration and is causing trouble with other staffers. We can only imagine what this administration will look like in the weeks to come and it s probably safe to say that recovery will be impossible.


Hannity, Judge Jeanine, Crowley "Hillary has Sold America's National Security. WORSE than a CRIME FAMILY" Hannity, Judge Jeanine, Crowley "Hillary has Sold America's National Security. WORSE than a CRIME FAMILY" Videos By TruthFeedNews November 6, 2016  Sean Hannity quotes his own and other sources on the FBI's investigation into Clinton wrongdoing, noting that the law enforcement probe will continue regardless of who wins next Tuesday. After reading an update on the current state of the Clinton investigation he turns the floor over to Judge Jeanine Pirro who says, "It's time for a grand jury."  She says, "It's time for Loretta Lynch to allow Comey and the FBI to get this evidence before a grand jury. There is a mutiny in the FBI, that's why all of this stuff is coming out. There are four offices that continue to investigate although Justice has tried to shut this down, saying there's not enough evidence, this recording from this other person who apparently is an informant is hearsay."  Judge Jeanine adds, "This woman should have been indicted a year ago. A simpleton could figure out that she would make a deal with a particular country, the money goes into the foundation, Bill makes a speech and then they get the benefit. This is classic RICO corruption; go to jail."  Hannity asks Monica Crowley, "What is Loretta Lynch hiding here, what is she resisting when it's clearly an avalanche of evidence?" Crowley says she sees it as the revenge of the FBI rank and file "and the timing is not a coincidence." She notes that in this country, "If you do not have an independent, impartial and fair Department of Justice and FBI which are only interested in enforcing the rule of law and finding the truth then you have nothing. Obviously that is not what we have with much of the DOJ and with senior FBI leadership.  She describes the email investigation as the shiny object, while it is very important, the real mother lode of corruption is the Clinton Foundation. Crowley insists that the bigger point that the American people need to bear in mind before going to vote on Tuesday is that Clinton leveraged her public office in order to enrich herself, her husband and their foundation.  As the conversation shifts to the fact that Clinton is a target for extortion and blackmail due to her emails being hacked by five different foreign governments, Judge Jeanine declares, "She has sold America's national security for money. These people are grifters, they've been grifters since they came on the scene. And she knew that when she set up that server that it wasn't secure. She did it for money, she did it to enrich themselves, she didn't care about our security and Huma Abedin, I don't know who she and Weiner are connecting with, but these are people who do not have our interests at heart."  Crowley says Clinton should have her security clearance revoked tonight. She believes this will be the straw that finally breaks the camel's back in the Clinton parasitic relationship with the United States. Crowley knew Richard Nixon well. This is so much worse, she says, reminding the audience that nobody was killed in Watergate and "nobody made one red cent."  H/T – RickWells  For once in our lifetime, we the people have an opportunity to elect a President who was NOT chosen by Multinational Corporations, Big Banks, DC Elites, and the Globalist Lapdog Mainstream Media.  Please like and share if you are a TRUMP VOTER!


By looking at the two Democrat presidential candidates left standing, most Americans would think their platform is primarily about the destruction of capitalism and gun control. The real truth however, is that the Democrat party knows without their unyielding support for the culture of death, they would cease to exist. The sickening truth is, they either support the killing of the most vulnerable or it s curtains for them. What does that say about how far our society has fallen when leftist TV hosts celebrate China s brutal One Child policy on Twitter?Quintanilla may not have been endorsing the one-child policy, but he didn t offer any overt or even implied criticism of it either. In fact, saying it worked sounds a lot like he is suggesting it was a success.The problem, of course, is that the one-child policy, which China converted to a two-child policy this week, was a brutal, harrowing invasion of the human rights of millions of families under the guise of national policy. Since 1979, an estimated 13 million women a year underwent abortions, many of them forced to do so by government officials. Another 200 million women were sterilized under the same policy.https://twitter.com/carlquintanilla/status/659734982915657728These practices mostly went unseen and unnoticed in the era before social media and digital cameras. In 2012, the world got to see the result of this policy on one young woman when her family members posted an image of her lying next to her dead baby after she d been forced to have an abortion.The young woman, Feng Jianmei, already had one child; so after she became pregnant again, family planning officials called her house to persuade her to have an abortion. When that failed, they showed up at her home and spent hours pressuring her for consent. Jianmei slipped out of the house but was followed by a group of 15 officials to her aunt s house. After briefly escaping and hiding under the bed of a relative, Jianmei was found by the government officials and was reportedly carried out by four men.Here is the horrible story about forced abortions in China and their victims:Meanwhile, family planning officials were negotiating with Jianmei s husband. At first they demanded $15,000, but then dropped the birth planning fee to around $5,000. In any case, it was more than he could raise. Finally, Jianmei was forced to give consent by having her thumbprint placed on a form and was injected with a drug that killed her baby. Her family posted this image, which went viral, of Jianmei with her dead daughter. For criticizing the government, government officials led a march denouncing her family as traitors, and her husband was beaten.And that nightmare is not the only kind of suffering caused by the policy. Those who dared to violate the policy had to keep their secret children out of sight of government officials. As the Washington Post reported last month, the consequences of getting caught were severe: It was terrifying if you had an over-quota child, my father says now. If the government knew, you would be in trouble. People would come to your house, remove all your grains and do anything they could to you. And sometimes, they d destroy your house. My mother recalls: Even for a new house, they d get on the roof, rip it apart and bulldoze the entire house. We had to keep moving and hiding. It was really painful for us. We knew it wasn t a long-term solution. The one-child policy was a decades long campaign of forced abortion, extortion, sterilization, and terror that traumatized hundreds of millions of people. Saying it worked seems like an odd way to sum up such a policy.


Atrocities such as the horrific shooting in Charleston provoke heartrending anguish and grief in people everywhere. However, for members of the black community who have too often experienced senseless violence due to racial hatred, our sorrow is visceral and makes us question whether our country will ever be free of racial animus. The answer is no. Not because America is inherently racist or because it is not a just society. Rather, it is because racial hatred is premised on evil — an evil that takes over rational thought, thereby allowing irrational and destructive thinking to cloud one's judgment. It is this same evil that took the lives of four beautiful school girls in Birmingham, Alabama, more than 50 years ago, and it is the same evil that will always be present in the hearts and minds of some people. In light of this, what, as a country, are we to do? As I try to answer this, I imagine myself as one of Reverend Pinckney's congregants sitting on the pews of Emanuel AME Church studying the Word on that fateful night. I imagine posing the question to him. I imagine hearing him provide the following answer: "We are to do as Christ teaches us. We are to love. We are to treat others the way we would want to be treated, and we are to forgive those who trespass against us." Although many of us have been taught these lessons since childhood, it is admittedly very difficult to put them into practice during heartbreaking times such as this. However, this is not only what we are called to do but also what we must do in order to heal racial tensions that threaten the progress our country has made. Here in South Carolina, there has been much improvement in the racial climate, particularly as it relates to whites and blacks. State officials took swift and just action against former police officer Michael Slager in the death of Walter Scott, and the General Assembly recently passed new legislation requiring body cameras for all state and local law enforcement officers. However, disagreements on issues ranging from the placement of the Confederate flag on state grounds to the racial and economic disparities in educational opportunities remain. When discussing these and other race-related issues, starting from a place of love and empathy instead of accusation and distrust can help move us forward to a place of mutual understanding and advancement. As a black community, we cannot let our pain and anger harden our hearts such that we stop engaging in meaningful dialogues about race relations with others who neither look like us or think like us. The white community cannot retreat from the uncomfortable conversations about race, or harden their hearts to the painful experiences that blacks and other minorities have endured and continue to endure on a daily basis. If we are to combat the evil that darkened Mother Emanuel's door, we must learn from her and interact with one another in the same loving and welcoming spirit as she has shown for nearly 200 years. May God's love provide comfort to the victims' families and to our country during this difficult time.


Hackers are targeting state Democratic Party officials and have successfully breached and impersonated some of them, Politico reported, citing a message the Association of State Democratic Chairs sent Wednesday to its members. The email, titled "Security Alert: Please Do Not Search Wikileaks!," warned recipients to avoid the anti-secrecy site — which has posted leaked material from the Democratic National Committee - because of concerns about malware embedded in the leaks, Politico said.


Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump's campaign manager said on Friday he was relieved a battery case against him was over but disputed a reporter's claim that he never tried to get in touch after she accused him of bruising her arm. Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said on Thursday that Lewandowski, 42, would not be prosecuted on a misdemeanor battery charge involving Michelle Fields, previously a reporter for the conservative news outlet Breitbart. Police charged him on March 29 with intentionally grabbing and bruising Fields' arm at a campaign event. Lewandowski told CNN he called Fields on the night of the March 8 incident in Florida after seeing her boyfriend's Twitter account that something had occurred. He said he never heard back. "I didn't know what happened, honestly," he said. "It was a brief interaction, and it wasn't memorable to me, and I'm sorry about that." Lewandowski told CNN his phone records proved that he did in fact try to contact Fields. Fields disputed that. "No. I never heard from Corey," she said on Twitter on Friday following Lewandowski's interview.


Russian and North Korean officials will meet in Moscow on Friday to discuss the North Korea crisis, a move welcomed by the United States, which has been locked in am increasingly heated war of words with Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programs. Russia s Foreign Ministry said Oleg Burmistrov, Russia s ambassador-at-large, would meet Choe Son-hui, director-general of the North American department of North Korea s foreign ministry. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova declined to give details, but said her ministry would issue a statement after the meeting. The United States welcomed the planned meeting, with U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert saying: I can t see that as a bad thing. Diplomacy is our preferred approach, Nauert told a regular briefing. If Russia can be successful in getting North Korea to move in a better direction, we would certainly welcome that. Privately, however, U.S. officials have played down the likely effect of the Russian effort. Recent days have seen exchanges of heated rhetoric and threats between U.S. President Donald Trump s administration and North Korea over the latter s bid to develop nuclear-tipped missiles capable of hitting the United States. Nauert said Friday s talks would follow a visit to Moscow by the U.S. special envoy for North Korea, Joseph Yun, about two weeks ago. Attending the U.N. General Assembly in New York last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pushed a proposal by Moscow and Beijing for a dual suspension of North Korean weapons tests and the U.S.-South Korean military drills to kick-start negotiations. He suggested then that a neutral European country could mediate. Washington has said its joint military drills are essential to guard against North Korea and that Pyongyang must show it is serious about giving up its nuclear weapons before any return to talks. North Korea, for its part, says it needs to develop its weapons to defend itself against what it sees as U.S. aggression. Last week, Lavrov said North Korea and the United States should tone down their bellicose rhetoric, calling the exchange of threats between the two quite bad, unacceptable.


An attempt to capitalize on the arrival of 135 deported Mexican nationals by having the president welcome them backfired when some of the migrants said the government abandoned them and would return to the U. S. as soon as possible. [The event took place at Mexico City's airport when Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto welcomed a group of 135 Mexican nationals who had just been deported from the United States. "You are not alone, do not feel abandoned" Peña Nieto said. "The doors to this, your house, will always be open. " During his speech, Peña Nieto called Mexico a land of new opportunities as he talked about various programs, new investments, and the support that the individuals would be receiving. "Today there has been the creation of jobs not seen before and there is productive investment," EPN said. The words spoken by the Mexican president come at a time when the peso has been consistently losing value against the U. S. dollar and the price of gasoline continues to rise. During the event by EPN, government officials told the migrants about government credits of $25, 000 pesos or roughly $1, 200 USD so they could start their own business. "The Mexican consulates in the United States do not do anything for us, they are sending massive airplanes and sending a lot of people," said one of the deported migrants. "I do not think its fair. No one is there to help on that side nor on this side, we have to do something for our people. " Pedro Vasquez, another Mexican migrant who was interviewed by various news outlets at the airport, said he would be traveling back to the United States within 15 days and that a wall would not be able to stop him. The man from the Mexican State of Hidalgo had been living in Georgia making about $4, 800 a month before his arrest for driving without a license.


Montana Republican congressional candidate Greg Gianforte was cited for a misdemeanor on Wednesday after a reporter accused him of physical assault on the eve of a special election to fill the state's lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Gallatin County sheriff's office issued the citation for misdemeanor assault hours after Ben Jacobs, a political correspondent for the U.S. edition of the Guardian newspaper, said in a Twitter post and in a television interview that Gianforte "body slammed" him, breaking his eyeglasses. The incident, which caps a campaign seen as a possible bellwether for next year's mid-term congressional races, took place at an event in Bozeman, where Jacobs sought to question Gianforte about healthcare, according to an audio tape captured by Jacobs and played on cable television networks MSNBC and CNN. Fox News Channel reporter Alicia Acuna, who said she and her crew were in the room preparing to interview Gianforte, wrote that she saw Gianforte as he "grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him to the ground." Acuna, her field producer and photographer then "watched in disbelief as Gianforte began punching (Jacobs) as he moved to top of the reporter." Gianforte's campaign did not deny Jacobs' allegation but countered in its own statement that Jacobs instigated an altercation by barging into the candidate's office, shoved a recording device in his face "and began asking badgering questions." "After asking Jacobs to lower the recorder, Jacobs declined," campaign spokesman Shane Scanlon wrote. "Greg then attempted to grab the phone that was pushed in his face. Jacobs grabbed Greg's wrist and spun away from Greg, pushing them both to the ground." "It's unfortunate that this aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist created this scene at our campaign volunteer BBQ," the statement said. Acuna disputed that Jacobs was the aggressor. "At no point did any of us who witnessed this assault see Jacobs show any form of physical aggression toward Gianforte," Acuna wrote in her account on the Fox News website. Interviewed later on MSNBC, Jacobs said he retreated to a parking lot after the confrontation to call his editor and the police. He said he was speaking to MSNBC from a hospital where he was getting his elbow X-rayed. The citation was issued after authorities conducted several interviews and investigated the incident, Sheriff Brian Gootkin said in a statement. Gianforte has until June 7 to appear in a county court. He faces a $500 fine and six months in jail if convicted, according to Gootkin. "The nature of the injuries did not meet the statutory elements of felony assault," Gootkin said. In Jacobs' audio tape of the incident, Gianforte is heard shouting: "I'm sick and tired of you guys. The last guy who came here, you did the same thing." After loud scuffling noises are heard, Gianforte repeatedly yells: "Get the hell out of here." Jacobs is heard saying: "You just body-slammed me and broke my glasses." According to the tape, the confrontation began as Jacobs tried to ask Gianforte if he supported a Republican healthcare overhaul bill after the Congressional Budget Office found the measure would cost 23 million Americans their medical insurance coverage by 2026. Another reporter, Alexis Levinson of BuzzFeed News, who was just outside the office, said on Twitter she saw Jacobs' "feet fly in the air as he hit the floor" amid yelling and commotion. Gianforte later huddled behind closed doors with an aide before leaving the event by car, she said. Tech executive Gianforte is running against Democrat Rob Quist, a banjo-playing political novice who hopes to pull off a surprise victory in the Republican-leaning state. A victory for Quist could signal trouble ahead for President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans as they defend their 24-seat House majority in the 2018 mid-term elections. Quist and Gianforte are vying for the seat vacated when Trump, who carried Montana by more than 20 percentage points, named Ryan Zinke as U.S. interior secretary. Republicans have held the seat for two decades and Gianforte was still the favorite. However, both sides say the race was tightening as Quist focused on criticism of Republican efforts to repeal and replace former Democratic President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.


My son is obsessed with the Berenstain Bears. When bedtime rolls around, I no longer ask him what book he wants to read, but which Berenstain Bears book he would like. And who could blame him? Stan and Jan Berenstain's series, with its family of bears living in a big tree house down a sunny dirt road deep in Bear Country, covers the waterfront of possible toddler experiences: everything from "Trouble at School" to "Too Much Birthday" to "Messy Room" to "Go to the Doctor. " And for that reason, the books are easily deployed by scheming parents like myself to inoculate against potentially unsettling changes that might frighten a . When my wife and I were set to take a overseas trip, we read and reread "Week at Grandma's" with my son as preparation when summer rolled around, we pulled out "Go to Camp. " If my is any indication, young children are continually concerned about changes to their perceived order: Where is Mommy tonight? Why is there no school today? Where did my toy go? The Berenstain Bears are always facing up to new challenges, but their lives — in that big tree house down the sunny dirt road — never change much. This familiarity is essential to the books' appeal the stories start with a necessarily brief outburst of chaos, but order is always restored to Bear Country by the end. Parents know best, children always heed their lessons and everything is in its right place. Family values literally reign triumphant, with the books an ongoing celebration of the value of family. This warmth and good humor have captivated generations of young readers since the first volume, "The Big Honey Hunt," was published in 1962. Small changes would occasionally take place in Bear Country — a baby cub, Honey Bear, was introduced in 2000's "And Baby Makes Five" — but consistency had always been crucial to the Berenstain Bears' appeal. So I could practically hear a needle scratch when I opened up some newer editions my son had received as a gift, and I discovered that the Berenstains' concerns had turned from the mundane to the theological. The new volumes, "The Berenstain Bears: Do Not Fear, God Is Near" and "The Berenstain Bears Go to Sunday School," had a markedly different cast than my son's old favorites. Even those without explicitly religious titles are still larded with Bible thumping. In my son's new favorite volume, "The Berenstain Bears Show Some Respect," the bears get snappish with one another during a search for the ideal picnic spot, as the cubs talk back to Mama and Papa, and Papa Bear, in turn, speaks disrespectfully to his father. Gramps grows frustrated and, in an impassioned monologue, makes reference to scripture: "You know, us old folks know a thing or two. As the Bible says, 'Age should speak advanced years should teach wisdom. '" This was particularly jarring for me because I had always assumed that, given their surnames, the bears were, well, Jewish (and probably secular, considering they never really brought it up). As a parent, I took it for granted that the moral framework of contemporary children's books, when it made an appearance, would remain disengaged from any actual dogma. So, when had the Berenstain Bears found Christ? And why? The Berenstain Bears franchise currently belongs to Mike Berenstain, who has written the books for the past decade. Berenstain was a when his parents, Stan and Jan Berenstain, professional cartoonists, first learned of a new children' imprint at Random House started by Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. The two decided to pass along an idea for a book about a family of bears that runs into a series of comic mishaps while on a quest for honey. This became "The Big Honey Hunt," published in 1962. Geisel encouraged the Berenstains to avoid being pigeonholed with their bear characters. "He said, 'No, that's the worst thing to do,'" Mike recalls. "'You'd be typecast. Everybody has a bear. There's Yogi Bear, Sendak has Little Bear, there's the Chicago Bears. '" But brisk sales of "Honey Hunt" caused Geisel to change his mind, and he convinced the Berenstains to resurrect the bear family. They handed in the manuscript for the second book, "The Bike Lesson," soon after that. When it was published, much to their surprise, they found that Random House had given the bears their family name. A dynasty was born. The Berenstain Bears books that followed were intentional throwbacks, reflecting not the tumultuous America of their time — we never saw "The Berenstain Bears Turn On, Tune In and Drop Out" — but of an imagined, idyllic past. "They were creating, at that time, a kind of archaic, genteel, exaggeratedly rustic Americana world," Mike Berenstain says. This is apparent even in the Berenstains' taste for oddball euphemisms they refer to dog poop as "calling cards. " Mike Berenstain became a designer at Random House and then a children' writer and illustrator for about 10 years before being called in by his overworked parents to help out with the family business in the . Stan died in 2005, and after that, Mike was left in charge of the writing his mother continued to the stories along with Mike until she died in 2012. Mike took over as sole author and illustrator, and the books began to reflect more of his own personality, even as he served as the faithful executor of his parents' vision. This led to a disconnect between his family's stolid, universalist postwar morality and his own. Stan Berenstain had been born to a secular Jewish family in West Philadelphia, and Jan Berenstain, née Grant, was Episcopalian by birth. Mike and his brother were not raised in any particular religious faith. "They taught me morals and traditions and ethics, but not a particular spiritual identity," he says. Mike didn't find religion until he enrolled his children at Quaker schools near his suburban Philadelphia home, which led him to the Presbyterian Church and a mature religious faith of his own. In 2006, Mike Berenstain, with the agreement of his mother, approached HarperCollins with an idea for a new book series. They had noticed an unusual volume of letters and emails from devoted Christian readers, writing to share their appreciation for the timeless values of the Berenstain Bears books. A light went off: How about an entire series for religious readers? The resulting books, published as part of the Living Lights series by HarperCollins' Zondervan imprint, best known for its collection of Bibles, were intentionally cordoned off from the original Berenstain Bears series. They were primarily marketed to Christian bookstores and school associations, and promoted to outlets and Christian bloggers. Nonetheless, the Zondervan titles often occupy the same bookstore and library shelves as the other Berenstain Bears books ours came from my a teacher, who purchased them from a decidedly secular website. Not only did sales of the Living Lights series avoid cannibalizing sales of the more traditional Berenstain Bears line, as some at HarperCollins worried overall sales for the Berenstains' books have actually increased by 30 percent since the series began. Annette Bourland, Zondervan's senior vice president and publisher, told me they had found an eager audience in the " community. " As an observant Jew, I may not have particularly wanted to read to my son about attending Sunday school, but there was hardly anything to take offense at in the new Berenstain Bears adventures. Still, to be perfectly honest, its characters unwound some of the lingering sentiment I'd felt for the Berenstain Bears, who appeared to me to have abandoned their universalist appeal. Their stories were no longer about milestones and stumbling blocks in every young child's life but took a more narrowly targeted approach that left some out even as it pulled others in. Even knowing Mike Berenstain's reasoning — his faith, finding a bigger audience — it was hard not to see the Bears' conversion as another means of escape from the changing world they had always sought to escape. In the 1960s, Bear Country was a refuge from tumult basically, it was the suburbs. Now religion was the refuge, a cloak for the bears' deliberate and unfashionable fustiness. But was there any need for such a justification? Ultimately, bedtime stories serve twin purposes. To children, they're entertainment to parents, a soporific. "Show Some Respect" stayed in regular rotation in our household, my discomfort with its Christian themes outweighed by its uncanny ability to speed the progress from bath to bed to blissful (parental) immersion in "Catastrophe. " My son, though, could not have cared less that the Berenstain Bears were quoting from the Bible, any more than he would have noticed references to the Quran or "The Communist Manifesto. " He was just glad that the Bears had found a place to have their picnic — and that they always would.


Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has blown so much money on his vanity presidential campaign that he put himself $1.2 million dollars in debt. An odd accomplishment for a fiscally conservative Republican who says that our government s debt is the most evil thing ever.Walker is trying to sell off the surplus garbage campaign merchandise that nobody wanted to buy the first time around, in order to cover his debts. He sent out an e-mail begging people to buy t-shirts from him for $45. If you really want to wear a t-shirt which will announce to everyone how stupid you are, you can find similar Walker merch online for about half the price.Walker isn t even able to fulfill color or size requests due to a lack of resources. He wants you to pay 45 bucks for something you may not even want to, or be physically able to, wear properly. Don t worry, though! If you get a shirt that is 3 sizes too small or a hideous color, he also said in the e-mail that the shirts can be framed or used for crafty things like a pillow cover or bag.That exactly what I d do; Lay my head on a Scott Walker pillow as I stare at a Scott Walker framed t-shirt on my wall.Walker dropped $90,000 a day on his 70-day presidential run, which is a fact he isn t divulging to the people he s asking for cash. 70 days is pretty impressive to go from the great white right-wing hope to Scott who? In the e-mail that he sent out to the people who are now upset that they forgot to unsubscribe from his mailing list months ago, Walker made some strange statements about how careful he is with money. If there is one thing the American people learned about me during our presidential campaign, it is that I am thrifty. Source: APWalker then went on to cite how he uses coupons and loves hitting up the discount racks when shopping. Do they give coupons for failed presidential vanity campaigns intended for boosting speaking fees and book deals?There s $1,200,000 worth of irony to be found in a thrifty guy, who is against big spending, asking people to waste 45 bucks on what is essentially an I m with stupid t-shirt. He would need a little over 26,000 people who are bad enough with their money to think this is a good deal, in order to cover his debt.


Share on Twitter  It's the twelfth, or even better, thirteenth time you've carved pumpkins for Jack-O'-Lanterns and it's becoming a real drag.  Have no fear, trickshooter Kirsten Joy Weiss is here...with a way to brighten up your Halloween Day—while making it a bit smokier as well.  All you need is a .22 rifle, a few pumpkins, ammunition, and a safe space away from people (especially liberals) to do your worst to our favorite holiday gourd.  Oh, and this handy tip from our guide: You're not looking to carve a hideous grin on your pumpkin using the bullet entries, but rather you're going for the exit points to get that ghoulish appearance.  That's sure to make an impression on your trick-or-treaters. (Yeah, you bet they'll be picking "treat.")  Our expert guide also recommends making it a game. But just like with Halloween trick-or-treating, always practice safety first. Happy Halloween!


Trump advisor Roger Stone says a bunch of wacky stuff on Twitter, but he managed to go too far even for a platform that seems to ban more people for condemning hate speech than anything else.After it was announced that at least one person had been indicted by a grand jury in the Russia probe, Stone went nuts on journalists who reported the information especially CNN s Don Lemon. There r no credible fact checks that clear the Clinton s on Uranium, Stone wrote in his typical uneducated manner to Lemon. Even the people at CNN say i are a buffoon behind you back. You come across on tv as a dull witted arrogant partyboi, the dull-witted Trump ally added. You lie constantly and no one who knows you thinks you r bright. Don Lemon must be confronted, humiliated, mocked, and punished, Stone said. Dumber than dog shit. Stop lying about the Clinton s and Uranium you ignorant lying covksucker !!!! Stone continued. You fake news you dumb piece of shit. Stone also told Charles Blow, U have no cried you fast talking arrogant fake news piece of shit ! It s unclear why Stone has never bothered to learn to spell at above a second-grade level or why he thinks there should be spaces before exclamation marks, but he ll have plenty of time to think about that and possibly learn to spell because he s gone from Twitter.Whoa. Roger Stone lost his shit to such a degree, Twitter suspended his account.So, why hasn't Trump been suspended? pic.twitter.com/849LYIGztl Stonekettle (@Stonekettle) October 28, 2017Maybe Stone is just worried that he might be indicted, maybe he s just furious that the chickens are coming home to roost but at least we don t have to deal with his bullsh*t anymore.


President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and former adviser K.T. McFarland were the Trump transition officials who spoke to former U.S. national security adviser Michael Flynn about his contacts with Russian officials, CNN reported Friday. McFarland went on to serve in the Trump White House and has been nominated to be the U.S. ambassador to Singapore. CNN also reported she met with investigators for special counsel Robert Mueller, who is looking at contacts between Russians and the Trump administration.