It's a tradition for politicians to deny any interest in the vice presidency. But this year, with the possibility of Donald J. Trump as the Republican nominee, they really mean it. "Never," said Chris Schrimpf, a spokesman for Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, who is still running against Mr. Trump. "No chance. " "Hahahahahahahahaha," wrote Sally Bradshaw, a senior adviser to Jeb Bush, when asked if he would consider it. "Scott Walker has a visceral negative reaction to Trump's character," said Ed Goeas, a longtime adviser to the Wisconsin governor. Or, as Senator Lindsey Graham put it, "That's like buying a ticket on the Titanic. " A remarkable range of leading Republicans, including Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina and Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, have been emphatic publicly or with their advisers and allies that they do not want to be considered as Mr. Trump's running mate. The recoiling amounts to a rare rebuke for a : Politicians usually signal that they are not interested politely through back channels, or submit to the selection process, if only to burnish their national profiles. But Mr. Trump has a singular track record of picking fights with obvious potential running mates like Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, who has indicated a lack of interest in the vice presidency generally and has yet to reconcile with Mr. Trump publicly. Ms. Haley and another potential pick, Gov. Susana Martinez of New Mexico, have sharply criticized Mr. Trump at recent party gatherings and do not want to be associated with his tone, according to advisers and close associates who have spoken with these Republicans. Several Republican consultants said their clients were concerned that Mr. Trump's unusually high unfavorable ratings with all voters and his unpopularity among women and Hispanics could doom him as a general election candidate and damage their own future political prospects if they were on his ticket. Still, elected officials do have a way of coming around to the vice presidency, and Mr. Trump said in an interview on Saturday that he was in the early stages of mending fences and building deeper relationships with leading Republicans. And in a sign of growing acceptance that Mr. Trump is their likely nominee, several Republicans made it clear that they would join him on the ticket because they think he can win, or because they regard the call to serve as their duty. Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, as well as Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama and the retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, said in interviews that they would consider joining the ticket if Mr. Trump offered. Two governors, Chris Christie of New Jersey and Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, have also told allies that they were open to being Mr. Trump's running mate. "If a potential president says I need you, it would be very hard for a patriotic citizen to say no," Mr. Gingrich said. "People can criticize a nominee, but ultimately there are very few examples of people turning down the vice presidency. " Mr. Trump, who could well become the presumptive Republican nominee on Tuesday by winning the Indiana primary, is just starting to mull prospects and has no favorite in mind, he said in the interview. Mr. Trump said he wanted someone with "a strong political background, who was well respected on the Hill, who can help me with legislation, and who could be a great president. " He declined to discuss potential picks in any detail, but he briefly praised three governors as possible contenders — Mr. Kasich, Mr. Christie and Rick Scott of Florida — and said he would also consider candidates who were women, black or Hispanic. (A spokeswoman for Mr. Scott said he was focused on being governor.) Asked if he was surprised about the array of Republicans who are uncomfortable being his running mate, Mr. Trump said: "I don't care. Whether people support or endorse me or not, it makes zero influence on the voters. Historically, people don't vote based on who is vice president. I want someone who can help me govern. " A cross section of leading Republicans agree that his most sensible choice would be an experienced female governor or senator, given that he would most likely face Hillary Clinton in November and need support from a majority of white women to offset her strong support among blacks and Hispanics. Yet Mrs. Clinton is currently ahead of Mr. Trump with white women by percentages, according to a recent CBS poll. The pool of Republican women in major offices is relatively small, and Mr. Trump has already alienated some of them. Governor Haley denounced him for not quickly disavowing support from the former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, and Governor Martinez has criticized his remarks about Hispanics. Both governors endorsed Senator Rubio for president a Martinez spokesman said she "isn't interested in serving as vice president," while a Haley spokesman declined to comment. "There are some Republicans who would've said yes to running with Romney or McCain or Bush but would say no to Trump," said Curt Anderson, a Republican strategist, referring to the party's last three presidential nominees. "The issue is, no one knows what we're dealing with here. Is it possible that Trump faces a historic landslide loss? Sure. Is it possible he beats the hell out of Clinton? Sure. No one knows — no one has predicted Trump right for a long time. " Even Governor Fallin of Oklahoma, who has not ruled out running with Mr. Trump, has expressed uncertainty about what he would be like as a leader, according to close associates who have spoken to her. Ms. Fallin, in a brief statement, would not discuss Mr. Trump, but said the nation's challenges were too great for "business as usual" political solutions. "Any discussion of other service I might be asked to offer to my country is flattering but premature," she said. David Winston, a veteran Republican pollster, said Mr. Trump's first challenge in finding a running mate was lowering his unfavorability ratings of 60 percent or more, because prominent politicians would not want to join his ticket if he cannot turn those figures around. Mr. Winston dismissed the notion — put forward by some Trump advisers — that the candidate could improve his ratings by picking a woman, a Hispanic, or other figure with demographic appeal. "He simply won't be able to convince any candidate to run with him if he can't get those unfavorable numbers down," Mr. Winston said. Mr. Trump's best hope may be Republican enmity for Mrs. Clinton, some Republicans strategists said. They predicted that Mr. Trump would ultimately have more options than his skeptics might assume because Republicans will ultimately unify in June and July with a deep and shared determination to beat her, and the traditional thrill of being considered for vice president could then kick in. "I think he may have more choices than many people would suspect, because a lot of people will be flattered to be asked," said Russ Schriefer, a Republican adviser to the Romney campaign in 2012 and to Mr. Christie during his 2016 presidential bid. Mr. Schriefer emphasized that he had not talked to Mr. Christie about the vice presidency, but other Christie confidants said that he supported Mr. Trump strongly and would be willing to consider the No. 2 spot. A Christie spokesman, asked about the governor's willingness, pointed to Mr. Christie's response about the vice presidency at a recent news conference, where he said he would evaluate the offer "for any position in government. " As a political novice, Mr. Trump will be widely judged on whom he chooses — and how and why he chooses the person — because voters and other Republican leaders will look to his pick to evaluate his priorities for the kind of advisers he would want as president. "This is a big deal because it's the first major decision he'll be making as the nominee, and it's important that the American public see his process and how he goes through making such a big decision," said Scott W. Reed, the U. S. Chamber of Commerce's senior strategist. Other than elected officials, Mr. Trump also said he was open to people with deep national security experience — which some Republicans think should be his top criterion. "What Donald Trump needs is the most experienced, most qualified foreign policy mind in Washington, and somebody that would immediately bring calm to the choppy political waters that always seem to be around him," said Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman from Florida who now hosts "Morning Joe" on MSNBC. He suggested Robert M. Gates, the former defense secretary, but was more circumspect when asked if he was willing to be Mr. Trump's running mate himself. "I definitely have a lot of strong opinions about who it should be. (Not me! !)," wrote Mr. Scarborough, who served on the House Armed Services Committee and who has a good relationship with Mr. Trump. Other Republicans were more open about joining Mr. Trump on the ticket. Senator Sessions, who is advising Mr. Trump on foreign policy, said he would send his personal tax information to the Trump campaign if it wanted to vet him. Mr. Carson, who was a Republican presidential candidate and battled with Mr. Trump before dropping out and endorsing him, said he would prefer to remain an outside adviser to Mr. Trump, but added that he was willing to join the ticket if he would "bring something that other people wouldn't bring. " For others, the singular experience of being vice president in a Trump administration is still hard to imagine. Buttonholed on Capitol Hill last week, two prominent Republican senators, Tim Scott of South Carolina and Susan Collins of Maine, almost giggled when asked if they would be Mr. Trump's running mate. "I'm not waiting by my phone," Ms. Collins said. Mr. Scott, whose appeal as a black Republican could be an advantage for Mr. Trump, repeatedly sidestepped whether he would be willing to run with Mr. Trump. Finally, asked if he would not rule himself out, he replied, "I'm not ruling myself in. "


U.S. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said on Tuesday that amendments were necessary to a Puerto Rico debt bill that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said would be voted on by next week. Reid, speaking to reporters, said changes were needed to the federal board overseeing the restructuring of Puerto Rico's $70 billion debt under the bill, but he did not say whether Democrats would be successful in making any changes. The House of Representatives passed a Puerto Rico debt relief bill on June 9, following months of internal debate. Supporters hope the Senate passes that bill, without any amendment, before July 1, when Puerto Rico faces a deadline for making a $1.9 billion debt payment. The Caribbean island, which is a U.S. territory, is suffering a poverty rate of about 45 percent and has been hobbled by worsening debt problems. Some schools and medical facilities are closing and thousands of residents are relocating to the U.S. mainland, further shrinking Puerto Rico's tax base. While Reid said he had "some serious concerns" with the current bill, which was negotiated by the Obama administration and lawmakers in the House, he did not say whether he expected any amendments to succeed in the Senate. A Senate debate over amendments could simply help put Democrats on record registering their concerns with the legislation. "At the very minimum, we need some amendments to make sure that people understand what is not in that bill," Reid said. Democrats in both chambers have voiced concerns over some potential minimum-wage reductions for young workers that Republicans included in the House bill. They also have said the federal oversight board, to be appointed by Washington, might not have Puerto Rico's best interests in mind. Supporters of the bill have argued it is the best measure that can pass the Republican-controlled Congress and that Puerto Rico could slip into chaos without action.


As an American of Polish descent, I am proud to see Poland taking a stand against an invasion of Muslims who seek to forever change the culture and destroy the rich history European nations have enjoyed for centuries. While other European nations sit back and wring their hands over the rape, sodomy and molestation of their citizens, Poland is taking a strong stand by letting the Muslim migrants know, they are not welcome to invade their country.One of Poland s most popular weekly magazines has splashed a graphic depiction of the rape of Europe s women by migrants on its front cover. The image may be one of the most politically incorrect illustrations of the migrant crisis to date.While Poland is generally much more relaxed about expressing itself than the self censoring tendencies of western and northern Europe, the cover of the latest wSieci (The Network) conservative magazine has already prompted reaction just 24 hours after release, being beamed around the continent by social media.Featuring a personification of Europa being pawed at by dark hands what the German media would perhaps euphemistically term southern or Mediterranean the headline decries the Islamic Rape of Europe .Making perfectly clear the intention of the edition, the edition features articles titled Does Europe Want to Commit Suicide? and The Hell of Europe . The news-stand blurb declares: In the new issue of the weekly Network, a report about what the media and Brussels elite are hiding from the citizens of the European Union .Opening the cover article, Aleksandra Rybinska writes: The people of old Europe after the events of New Year s Eve in Cologne painfully realised the problems arising from the massive influx of immigrants. The first signs that things were going wrong, however, were there a lot earlier. They were still ignored or were minimised in significance in the name of tolerance and political correctness .Outlining the fundamental differences between eastern Islam and western Christianity culture, architecture, music, gastronomy, dress the editorial explains these two worlds have been at war over the last 14 centuries and the world is now witnessing a colossal clash of two civilisations in the countries of old Europe . This clash is brought by Muslims who come to Europe and carry conflict with the Western world as part of the collective consciousness , as the journalist marks the inevitability of conflict between native Europeans and their new guests.The collapse of the West in the face of this Islamic rape was not inevitable though, as Rybinska quoted British historian Arnold Toynbee: Civilisations die from suicide, not by murder .


Senate Democrats To FBI: Put Up Or Shut Up About Emails (TWEETS) By Darrell Lucus on October 30, 2016 Subscribe  If there was any doubt that FBI Director James Comey's announcement that the FBI was reviewing potential evidence in the Hillary Clinton email affair backfired spectacularly, it was erased on Saturday night. Four top Senate Democrats gave Comey an ultimatum –give us a full accounting of what you know about this, and do so by Monday.  Senators Dianne Feinstein, Patrick Leahy, Tom Carper, and Ben Cardin fired off a "what the hell is going on here?" letter to Comey and his nominal boss, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, demanding answers about Comey's "vaguely worded" letter on Friday afternoon. They are the ranking members of the Senate committees that were most involved in the email server investigation–Intelligence (Feinstein), Judiciary (Leahy), Homeland Security (Carper), and Foreign Relations (Cardin).  Read the full letter here, courtesy Cardin's Twitter feed.  — Senator Ben Cardin (@SenatorCardin) October 30, 2016  In a colossal understatement, they pointed out that the letter didn't answer any questions, but in fact left a lot of them unanswered. For one thing, Comey's letter didn't clarify whether the FBI even had the emails in its custody, let alone had a chance to review them. Comey also didn't say whether Hillary sent the emails, or if they even had anything to do with the investigation. Additionally, it represented a radical departure from FBI and Justice Department policy against doing anything that could potentially influence an election.  The Senators also noted that Comey had told his own troops that he didn't know just how significant those emails were, and that there was a possibility that his letter would be "misunderstood." In light of the fact that this letter has already been misunderstood, Feinstein, Carper, Leahy, and Cardin want Comey and Lynch–in truth, Comey–to give the Senate "detailed information" about the FBI's actions no later than the close of business on Monday. To not do so, they add, "would be irresponsible and a disservice to the American people."  There were already a number of reasons why Comey should be very afraid. For one thing, at the time, the FBI had not even obtained a warrant for the emails it discovered on the laptop of longtime Hillary aide Huma Abedin while investigating her estranged husband, Anthony Weiner, for inappropriate texts with a teenager. So Comey felt the need to alert the House and Senate about these emails, when his people hadn't even asked a court to review them.  We also know that Comey's rumored excuse–that the emails were likely to be leaked unless he told Congress about them first–doesn't wash. Judge Jeanine Pirro , no fan of Hillary, thinks Comey could have easily solved that problem by privately notifying the committee chairmen and putting them on notice that he would know who was behind any leaks.  But on Sunday afternoon, The Washington Post reported that the FBI hadn't gotten a warrant for those emails despite knowing for at least a month that those messages were potentially relevant to the email server case. It finally obtained a warrant on Sunday night. How is Comey going to explain that to the Senate, especially since he knew how explosive this could have been?  It's no wonder that Comey's own troops are steaming mad at him, according to Newsweek and Vanity Fair's Kurt Eichenwald. Here's what Eichenwald has learned, by way of review. Word from inside @FBI . FURIOUS at Comey, think he's mishandled public revelations from get go. "Outrageous incompetence" one agent told me.  — Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) October 29, 2016 …his original decision to lay out info on clinton case, then opine on what it meant outside of criminal findings, infuriated these folks..  — Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) October 29, 2016 Re: anger within @FBI at Comey. I am getting this at the Special Agent, ASAC and SAC level. Those are the troops. (Most of em GOPrs)….  — Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) October 29, 2016 …for Comey to have so angered ppl at the field office level is really, really bad.  — Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) October 29, 2016 If Comey's improper comment on ongoing investigation changes polls, @FBI reputation as apolitical will never recover cause of his screwup.  — Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) October 29, 2016  While Feinstein, Leahy, Carper, and Cardin played good cop, their boss, Minority Leader Harry Reid, played bad cop, accusing Comey of breaking the Hatch Act . I wouldn't quite go that far. But when the best-case scenario is that Comey was grossly incompetent, that isn't good.  Comey's actions may not have risen to the level of criminal conduct. However, it is clear beyond any doubt that he cannot lead. Eichenwald has talked to a number of DOJ officials from both parties who feel the same way. Every current/former Dept. of Justice official I speak 2, GOP or Dem, says Comey must resign/be fired 4 election interference. All outraged.  — Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) October 30, 2016  Unless Comey has a very good explanation for this–and frankly, I doubt there is one–we need to hear only two things from him after he briefs the Senate. He needs to apologize to the American people, and he needs to resign.  ( featured image courtesy FBI Flickr feed, part of public domain) About Darrell Lucus  Darrell is a 30-something graduate of the University of North Carolina who considers himself a journalist of the old school. An attempt to turn him into a member of the religious right in college only succeeded in turning him into the religious right's worst nightmare--a charismatic Christian who is an unapologetic liberal. His desire to stand up for those who have been scared into silence only increased when he survived an abusive three-year marriage. You may know him on Daily Kos as Christian Dem in NC . Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook . Click here to buy Darrell a Mello Yello. Connect


MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Gov. Robert Bentley resigned Monday, his power and popularity diminished by a sex scandal that staggered the state, brought him to the brink of impeachment and prompted a series of criminal investigations. Ellen Brooks, a special prosecutor, said Mr. Bentley quit in connection with a plea agreement on two misdemeanor charges: failing to file a major contribution report and knowingly converting campaign contributions to personal use. He pleaded guilty Monday afternoon. It was a stunning downfall for the governor, a Republican who acknowledged in March 2016 that he had made sexually charged remarks to his senior political adviser, Rebekah Caldwell Mason. "I have decided it is time for me to step down as Alabama's governor," Mr. Bentley said at the State Capitol. He did not mention the charges to which he pleaded guilty, or the deal with prosecutors that mandated his resignation. His exit from government and guilty pleas followed mounting calls for his resignation, especially after a report that was made public on Friday said he had fostered "an atmosphere of intimidation" and compelled state employees to help him cover up his relationship with Ms. Mason. Impeachment hearings — the first in Alabama in more than a century — began Monday morning, when the State House was consumed by rumors that the governor would soon quit. Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey succeeded Mr. Bentley. A former state treasurer, she is the second woman to hold the office. She is a graduate of Auburn University and was a high school teacher and a bank officer before working for the Legislature. "The Ivey administration will be open, it will be transparent and it will be honest," Ms. Ivey said. Mr. Bentley, 74, repeatedly denied having a physical relationship with Ms. Mason and long insisted that he had not broken any laws, but he was a subject of multiple investigations, including reviews by the F. B. I. and the Alabama attorney general's office. On Wednesday, the Alabama Ethics Commission said it had probable cause to find that Mr. Bentley had committed felonies, and it asked a district attorney to consider prosecuting him. Two days later, a lawyer hired by the Alabama House of Representatives released a report portraying Mr. Bentley as deceitful and desperate before his relationship with Ms. Mason made him a punch line. The report said Mr. Bentley had offered little cooperation to legislative investigators, and it alleged that the governor's critics had been subjected to coercion, including harassing messages and the threat of prosecution. The report described how Mr. Bentley tried to use a member of his security detail to break up with Ms. Mason on his behalf and how he demanded that Ms. Mason be allowed to travel in official vehicles after she left the state's payroll. It also explored Mr. Bentley's efforts to keep audio recordings of suggestive conversations with Ms. Mason from the public. In one such conversation, which rippled across the internet last year, the governor described embracing Ms. Mason and placing his hands on her breasts. By the weekend, legislative leaders had demanded that the governor quit, echoing a faction of members in his own party who spent months vocally opposing him. On Sunday night, the steering committee of the Alabama Republican Party made a similar call. And by sunset Monday, Mr. Bentley was out of power. In court documents, the Alabama attorney general's office said Mr. Bentley had failed to disclose a $50, 000 personal loan to his campaign account. The office also said Mr. Bentley had allowed nearly $9, 000 of campaign money to be used for Ms. Mason's lawyers. Mr. Bentley was sentenced to a suspended jail term, fined $7, 000, placed on probation and ordered to complete community service. In an email on Monday, Ms. Mason declined to comment. Yet until Mr. Bentley's court appearance, it was unclear that he would actually abandon the job to which he was easily in 2014. Hours before the special counsel's report became public on Friday, Mr. Bentley repeated his familiar pledge not to resign, and he pleaded for an end to the debate that stemmed from his personal conduct. "The people of this state have never asked to be told of or shown the intimate and embarrassing details of my personal life and my personal struggles," the governor said outside the Capitol. "Those who are taking pleasure in humiliating and in shaming me, shaming my family, shaming my friends, well, I really don't understand why they want to do that. " Within days, Mr. Bentley resigned. The decision punctuated a sordid drama that exploded last year, prompting renewed scrutiny of his 2015 divorce from Dianne Bentley, his wife of 50 years. Mr. Bentley's complaints and apologies over more than a year did little to quell public outrage in Alabama, where he had cultivated a reputation as an ethically sound public official. Now, he is the first Alabama governor to quit since 1837, when Clement Comer Clay left Montgomery to become a United States senator. (In 1993, Guy Hunt was automatically removed from office after being convicted of an ethics charge he was later pardoned.) Mr. Bentley's resignation is the third major transfer of power in Alabama government since June, when the House speaker, Michael G. Hubbard, was convicted of ethics charges and forced from office. Later in the year, Chief Justice Roy S. Moore was suspended for the balance of his term for violating judicial ethics standards. Mr. Bentley, a dermatologist, was a legislative backbencher until he stunned Alabama with his successful campaign for governor in 2010. In the early months of his tenure, he was widely praised for his response to a tornado outbreak that devastated much of the state. His policy legacy, at least among many Republicans, will be mixed. He opposed marriage and, within months of taking office, approved what was then one of the country's most aggressive immigration laws. But he also called for higher taxes and, in 2015, surprised many people when he unilaterally ordered four Confederate flags lowered on the grounds of the State Capitol. He also refused to endorse Donald J. Trump in the 2016 presidential campaign. But Mr. Bentley's personal conduct placed some of the greatest stress on his ties to members of his own party, and those conflicts worsened as he clung to power. "It's sad watching anyone fall," State Representative Corey Harbison, a Republican, said Monday. "I hate that it all happened, but I'm thankful that the governor stepped aside. We can begin to put this behind us. "


Mexico's finance ministry will evaluate whether to make fiscal changes in response to the U.S. tax reform, according to a document seen by Reuters on Friday. In the document, the ministry said Mexico would not make changes that left it with a higher public sector deficit. "Nevertheless, there will be an assessment of whether modifications should be made to Mexico's fiscal framework," the document said.


The Central Intelligence Agency thought for months that it had mistakenly shredded a massive U.S. Senate report on its use of waterboarding and other "enhanced interrogation techniques" before suddenly discovering that its copy had not been lost after all, an agency official said on Tuesday. "It's embarrassing and I have apologized," Christopher Sharpley, the acting CIA Inspector General, told the Senate Intelligence Committee during his confirmation hearing as President Donald Trump's nominee for the position. Championed by Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein when she chaired the Senate panel, the "torture report," as it is known, is the result of a six-year investigation into so-called enhanced interrogation techniques used by the CIA after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, during the administration of Republican President George W. Bush. The report has been the subject of disputes between the agency and committee Democrats, as well as Democrats and Republicans, over issues including whether it should be declassified and whether investigators broke the law as they assembled it. Feinstein wants the 6,700-page document declassified. But Republican Senator Richard Burr, her successor as committee chairman, has resisted its release and asked for the return of copies distributed to government agencies under Democratic President Barack Obama. Sharpley said the CIA received the report in December 2014 on a computer disk, which was then uploaded into a classified system. Shortly thereafter, he said, the agency was told to delete it because of ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation. An email was sent saying the disk should not be destroyed, but Sharpley said he was told months later it could not be found and that an employee said it had been shredded. But he said the disk was discovered later, after the FOIA litigation concluded that the report was a "congressional" document not subject to FOIA requests. Sharpley said around that time, Burr asked him to return the disk and he did so. The committee's Democrats appeared frustrated by Sharpley's account. "The point of distributing it to the departments was in the hope that they would read it - not look at it as some poison document - and learn from it," Feinstein said, noting that to her knowledge, not a single fact in the report has been refuted. Sharpley said he had not read the report, only an unclassified executive summary. Democratic Senator Ron Wyden announced after the hearing that he would not support Sharpley's nomination because he had handed the report over to Burr, although there was no legal requirement to do so. Sharpley also would not commit to protecting any future reports, such as one related to the committee's probe of potential links between Trump's campaign and Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. election. "I think your highest duty here is to follow the law. The notion that the chairman asked for it and that's all that governed your judgment isn't acceptable to me," Wyden said during the hearing. Obama ended the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" via executive order in January 2009. Led by Feinstein and Republican Senator John McCain, Congress has since passed legislation outlawing their use. Burr said he planned a vote on Sharpley's nomination next week and looked forward to supporting him.


An Argentine TV station is lampooning U.S. presidential hopeful Donald Trump's comments about illegal immigration from Latin America to promote next month's regional Copa America soccer tournament in the United States. "Our country is in serious trouble!" Trump says to ominous music in the commercial made by TyC Sports channel, which will broadcast the June 3-26 centenary tournament in the soccer-obsessed South American country. "We are having people coming in through the border that are not people that we want," the candidate adds, against images of Lionel Messi and other top Argentine players descending from a plane and fans massed in national blue-and-white colors. The comments used in the advertisement are taken from Trump's speeches. His campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the 71-second spot. The billionaire real estate mogul has caused indignation south of the U.S. border with his views on immigration and promise to build a "great wall" along the Mexican border. "They're coming from South America," Trump says in another clip from his speeches used by TyC, against a backdrop of Argentine stars from Sergio Aguero to Gonzalo Higuain pounding in goals against stumbling defenders. "These are total killers," Trump says as the spot shows a close-up of Messi looking mean on the field. "These are not the nice, sweet little people that you think. We have no protection." Argentina, which has not won the Copa America since 1993, is among the teams favored to win the tournament, as are Brazil and Chile. "They're unchecked, and then they're being sent all over the United States," Trump intones while the names of tournament host cities like Seattle and Houston flash on the screen. At the end, the TyC ad shows a line of text, also in blue and white, that teasingly aligns itself with Trump: "It's true. The best thing you can do is not let them in." This is the first year the tournament, referred to in English as the 2016 Centennial Copa America, will be hosted outside of South America. It also marks the 100th anniversary of the world's oldest international soccer competition. Former reality television star Trump won a commanding victory in Indiana's Republican primary on Tuesday, forcing his main rival, Ted Cruz, to drop out of the race. The presidential election will be held in November. The spot can be seen here


Any decision not to hold a U.S. Senate hearing on President Barack Obama's eventual Supreme Court nominee would be unprecedented, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Tuesday. "This would be a historic and unprecedented acceleration of politicizing a branch of government," Earnest told reporters as top Senate Republicans vowed not to hold a hearing for any Obama choice to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia.


President Barack Obama said on Monday that the United States and Southeast Asian nations can advance a shared vision of rules and norms for resolving maritime disputes peacefully. Obama made the reference to the South China Sea, where China and several Southeast Asian states have conflicting and overlapping claims, at the beginning of a summit with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).


America Is The Loneliest Country In The World – Is It Because We've Abandoned The Traditional Family Structure? 13th, 2013  Of all the nations on the entire planet, the United States is the most lonely place to be. We have the highest percentage of one person households on the entire globe, and the average size of our households has been steadily decreasing. Studies have shown that the number of close friends that Americans have is falling, and we have the highest divorce rate in the world by a wide margin. So why is this happening? Does this have anything to do with the fact that America is abandoning the traditional family structure? Back in the 1960s, the "sexual revolution" fundamentally changed the way that millions of Americans viewed sex and love. By throwing out all of the old boundaries, many Americans believed that they would ultimately be able to have more sex and more love. Today, this manifests itself in a "hookup culture" that is constantly being promoted as "healthy" in our popular music, in our television shows and in our movies. But instead of this "hookup culture" resulting in more sex and more love, most Americans are discovering that it leads to just the opposite. We have become a nation of desperately lonely people that have very few real ties to others.  Never in the history of our nation have Americans been so isolated from one another. Most people get up in the morning, drive to work or school, perhaps do a little shopping afterwards, and then drive home again. The rest of the evening is typically spent in front of the television or on some sort of electronic device.  In addition, most Americans spend precious little time attending social gatherings of any sort these days. Church attendance is at historic lows , and most people don't take the time or the effort to get involved in other types of social groups.  And even when Americans do go out and try to meet people, the relationships that are formed are very much "on the surface" at best. The truth is that most Americans have very few "close friends". Just take a moment and consider how many people outside your immediate family actually "love you" and would be there for you no matter what. For most Americans that number is depressingly low.  In a desperate attempt for human love and interaction, an increasing number of Americans have turned to social networking websites such as Facebook to fill that void. For the desperately lonely, some human contact is better than none. In fact, a growing number of people are so desperate for people to talk with them that they will pretend to be someone else online. Many will even use an attractive picture of someone else in an attempt to try to lure others. This has become so common that this phenomenon has even been given a name. It is known as " catfishing ", and it has grown to epidemic levels.  Other Americans deal with their loneliness by recklessly indulging in food, drugs, gambling, shopping or other addictions. We are a fundamentally unhappy nation, and this is reflected in the fact that we lead the world in antidepressant use. In fact, the total number of Americans taking antidepressants doubled between 1996 and 2005.  Could a lot of this have been avoided if we would have just fully embraced the traditional family structure as a nation?  Wouldn't most of us be doing a lot better if we lived in homes that were filled with happy, healthy families?  Just consider what the consequences of "free love" and the "hookup culture" have been for America…  *At 26 percent, America has the highest percentage of one person households on the entire planet.  *100 years ago, 4.52 were living in the average U.S. household, but now the average U.S. household only consists of 2.59 people .  *Back in 1950, 78 percent of all households in the United States contained a married couple. Today, that number has declined to 48 percent .  *The marriage rate in the United States has fallen to an all-time low. Right now it is sitting at a yearly rate of 6.8 marriages per 1000 people .  *Today, an all-time low 44.2 percent of Americans in the 25 to 34 year old age bracket are married.  *According to the Pew Research Center, only 51 percent of all Americans that are at least 18 years old are currently married. Back in 1960, 72 percent of all U.S. adults were married.  *In the United States today, more than half of all couples "move in together" before they get married.  *The divorce rate for couples that live together first is significantly higher than for those that do not.  *America has the highest divorce rate on the globe by a wide margin.  *In 1970, the average woman had her first child when she was 21.4 years old . Now the average woman has her first child when she is 25.6 years old .  *The birth rate for American women in the 20 to 24 year old age bracket has fallen to 85.3 births per 1,000 women . That is a new all-time record low.  *Approximately one out of every three children in the United States lives in a home without a father.  *For women under the age of 30 living in the United States today, more than half of all babies are being born out of wedlock.  For most Americans, marriage has come to be viewed as a temporary agreement that can be abandoned the moment that it no longer makes them happy any longer. This "me-centered" approach to love and marriage has had a whole host of negative consequences for us as a nation.  As the National Marriage Project puts it, a marriage in America now "depends for its survival on the happiness of both spouses"…  Over the last four decades, many Americans have moved away from identifying with an "institutional" model of marriage, which seeks to integrate sex, parenthood, economic cooperation, and emotional intimacy in a permanent union. This model has been overwritten by the "soul mate" model, which sees marriage as primarily a couple-centered vehicle for personal growth, emotional intimacy, and shared consumption that depends for its survival on the happiness of both spouses. Thus where marriage used to serve as the gateway to responsible adulthood, it has come to be increasingly seen as a capstone of sorts that signals couples have arrived, both financially and emotionally—or are on the cusp of arriving.  And our young people are no longer taught to value marriage. Instead, they are told to put off marriage and to go out and "have some fun". This message is constantly being reinforced by popular culture. For example, posted below is an actual pro-Obamacare ad . Yes, I know that this ad is almost too bizarre to be true, but it is actually a real ad. And as you can see, the messages that it is sending to our young people are not very subtle at all…  We have become a nation where "anything goes", and most Americans seem to like it that way.  So what do you think?  Is America the loneliest country in the world because we've abandoned the traditional family structure?  Please feel free to share your opinion by posting a comment below… What Are The Off-White Boxes That Are Going Up On Utility Poles All Over Seattle? » K  The lack of family structure is part of it. But there is something far more basic, that has died in this Country. The dog eat dog business attitude, the money is the most important thing attitude,and the I come before everyone else attitude, All these things killed this precious concept. What is it? Trust. You can not have a good marriage, or friendship without it. Ask yourself, how many people you know, would you trust with your life? For most it is a rather small number. Sadly for some the number is 0. ISA  o here. I dont trust, nor really care for, most any of you. I learned this in childhood, by watching the true nature of adults. Adult Humans are the virus of the World, of rotting flesh, that is a parasite. This can be proven empirically. Aston Martin  Adult humans except "# Godschosenones?" because saying that all humans are viruses inclusing the shoes is # antisemitic? I see where you are going.. rbolo29 .  It's because of the apathy of realizing there is no God; so the children play and do what they want. Kim  Probably why so many people attach themselves to their animals. I know people that treat their dog like their child. It's because it's all they have. ISA  Some dont treat their animals that way out of loneliness, but a dog just makes a better friend than Humans. Thats the truth. Take it or leave it. Humans are rather crappy things. Kim  Some humans, not all of them. Don't get me wrong, I love my pet as much as anybody. But some people go overboard. A Dodgy Bloke  I think a number of components go into this. A big one is the sexual revolution I have seen personally how it's a great thing for guys but a disaster for women. The tragic part is most women don't see it, the want the same sexual freedom as men, but ignore the damage done. The damage is kids with no father, and a woman who has several children by different guys. The woman wakes up forty alone, has no control over her life dependent on welfare but has ultimate responsibility for what happens under her roof. Everybody wants to be loved in one form or another. I think the culture produces high expectations in what people want or expect in a spouse. Men want somebody young good looking with no issues. Woman are looking foe the same, but some have a attraction to bad boys who they find exciting. People don't get to and know each other before they wind up in bed. They get caught up in the newness get married and wake up one morning look at their spouse and wonder 'What did I see in you." But I have hope that the coming hard times will reverse this because people will have to adapt, or not survive. rbolo29 .  It really doesn't matter; because we all die in the end and if there is no God to save us; then it's a total lost cause to even try to be moral and good. Some Dude  fix yourself and become the change you seek in others for those others are all the reflections of the changes you made from within, granting them the permission to let their own light shine.  only then will humanity rise above the din of the dark ages that still reigns with a rationale leading it only to extinction Dedalius Stanton  About to graduate from college within a short timeframe, this fearsome yet truthful article details some chilling events experienced in my academic career. Up unto this point, many of students within my campus follow a self-centered, selfish attitude, unaware that their destructive attitudes harm only but themselves. The idea of "STFU and leave me alone" concept continues to be pushed forth by faculty, peers, and the social environment. Having lived in the dorms, I've been through numerous roommates who refuse to talk to anyone, especially to me, stating that I'm too weird or someone who should just drop dead, yet later claim they have no friends and spend most of their time wasting it away, allowing their academic careers reach at a stag point. The same applies to my classes. I know about 70 students by name who will graduate this semester, but how many do I personally know and trust? Sadly, that number is zero. This is not because I don't engage in conversations, but it's rather the experiences that others around me only care only for themselves, while ignoring those that may be able to provide lasting friendships and improving the overall quality of life. rbolo29 .  It's ok; because they will graduate and find there are no jobs waiting for them; except being a manager at McDonalds. Jim Davis  Asst. Manager at best. Aston Martin  The gullible femaleist women from colelge will probably go on dating websites to find elderly rich and wealthy men who are desperate enough to date goods which were expired a long time ago.  I agree I had similar experiences. Most people had their own little groups of friends and never really mingled with others. I think the problem is too, many people don't know HOW to make friends. Everyone is so self-absorbed. MichaelfromTheEconomicCollapse  I am sorry to hear that you had such negative experiences with roommates. Finding a good roommate these days can be a real challenge. I am glad that I don't have to worry about that anymore.  Michael John Doe  71 percent of young men between the ages of 18 to 34 in America are not interested in marriage:  71% of young men in America do not want to get married  I guess feminism killed marriage. Kim  They can't afford it. They are barely scraping by on their own. Ditto  Bingo. I live just as the fine article says: I get up in the morning, drive 28 miles to work, drive 28 miles home again, do some shopping, then spend the other three or four hours of my day watching TV or surfing the web. No time or money for anything else. MichaelfromTheEconomicCollapse  You probably burn up a lot of gas money too. I certainly don't miss the days when I had very long commutes to work.  Michael ISA  Cant afford it, and who would want to be married today? Even the boomer generation is throwing in the towel. If Americans can evolve, which they cant, then its over with soon. You all are still stuck in the model of 60 years ago, if not more, and are dying on the inside.  Good riddance. Lars Lonte  I totally agree with you – just compare Women from Eastern Europa or even Asia with the average Women from the East Coast or Europe (especially (West-) Germany and Great Britain as most US like states and cultures….there is a reason, why Eastern European men usually do not want to marry women from western Germany…. King Mercury  Because American women have literally priced themselves out of the dating market! American women show that they want only guys with big, wide luxury sports Ferraris with all of the latest technology, gigantic mc mansions at least 5 times the size of the Home Alone house, three quarter million dollar or higher incomes, a growing number of them are even going for gangsters and thugs that get that kind of luxury through violent crime and illegal drugs. Jonathan  Women are uncooperative, don't care, too busy, incompetent at love and domestic life and think it's cool to emotionally, psychologically, financially, and in every way abuse men and never receive any reciprocation for their bad behavior, nor offer any reciprocation for men's gifts. The egomania in women has exploded, and the genie can no longer fit in the bottle. rwinkel  It's a no brainer. Lookup "hisanic paradox" on wikipedia. The abuse of infants in this country is an important factor in the rise of sociopathy and broken families. Infants imprint just like every other mammal on the planet, and American obstetrics is unique in its disregard for children's dignity and human rights. P.F.  America is in this state because it has turned to sin rather than YAHWEH'S HOLY LAW. Only in our LORD JESUS/YESHUA do we find fulfillment, peace, and joy. When people are filled with joy they share truth and love–when people are moaning miserably inside they become cold and detached. You can't depend on people to bring you happiness first—you have to seek JESUS/YESHUA who teaches us how to love one another the right way, and then, and only then, will people know joy. america depends on itself to create its own happiness and you're seeing the negative effects. Back in the 1950's Biblical values were held strongly in the homes. That's why you see your grandparents who were married during that time either still alive and married and buried next to each other. What you'll see in the coming years are old ladies and men wondering around alone who are not married and who will be buried in single graves while the children carry on the negative tradition of their failed ways. Way to go america, you're doing just fine. David McElroy  Sad, but true, P.F. If it weren't for hope in Jesus, there'd be no hope at all! MichaelfromTheEconomicCollapse  Michael David McElroy  As the oldest of 12 children from an Irish father who stayed married to our mother, I can testify as to the merciless bombardments of anti-family messages delivered to us. My mother was urged to abort many of my siblings. Teachers and other "counselors" urged us not to spend so much time together, as we were "clannish". I fell for the encouragement to go to college and make something of myself and "get ahead" before marriage and children. Even our church was discouraging, openly saying we took too much pew space and gave too little money. (Even though we physically labored to help build the building!) I went to college, became a journalist and, after a disasterous cohabitation I thought would lead to marriage, eventually a chaplain. But I also ended up an old bachelor who thought he would have a wife and grandkids by now. My computer is my companion! CollGen2  You are a wonderful person. Your parent's stuck together. That is the way God's original design was. Your writing touched my heart today, thank you! All things will work out for good to those who LOVE God and are called according to HIS purpose. HE created each one of us and He also beckons us. He put an end to sin by being the perfect sacrifice on that cross. He beckoned me and I did it my way…..til trouble hit! I have a husband, 3 children and 4 grandchildren. I am alone most of the time at home, answering the phone for my small business. But, most of the time, I am immersing myself in the King James Bible and fellowshipping with my Father. He is the only one who will never leave me nor forsake me. How do I know that? I was in a coma many years ago when He beckoned me. I have tried to do things the "me" way but every road was a disaster until I surrendered my life to Him! The suffering I go through here is nothing compared to the GLORY that awaits me."! Tim  There are good, faithful men out there who want a family. David McElroy  I'm with Tim, I was one of those guys who wanted to be a faithful husband and father. But I made the mistake of being smitten with a conniving woman who had no maternal domestic interests, being the "modern" sort. Jenn  I'm sorry that happened to you. Not all of us women are that way, but many of them seem to be these days. :-( Aston Martin  Modern westernized women are victims of the you-know-who….research who founded and promoted the femaleist movement and the truth shall make you afraid while you struggle to set free of the international bankers. SafetyViking  Good. Why buy the book when there's a library in town? godozo  Ugly analogy. Knowledge is meant to be shared, women…not. Even the Founding Fathers and many of the old-school Robber Barons would agree (Carnegie anyone? He funded a nation's worth of libraries.).  Try "Why buy the cow when the milk is free?". Lifelong Mates (both male and female) ARE a limited resource, and like milk is worth paying for to keep (or keep the flow coming, depending on the item). wombleranger  I don't like to be the one to say this but….if you remove spirituality and morals from a society you end up with the western world. America isn't the only western power suffering this condition come to Canada where anyone with a problem gets a Prozac prescription and it's free!!! We would be wise to remember the former Soviet Union and it's devastation of the churches and religions. Now we must ask ourselves are we staring to become a communist nation? To quote William Penn " .Those who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants"-certainly is food for thought! A lonely mind is a dangerous mind. Eileen Kuch  Very well put, wombleranger. Indeed, if you remove spirituality and morals from a society, that society starts to fragment. Just look at America today. It's barely recognizable as the God-fearing nation it used to be.  I don't know about your Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, but Barack Obama is the worst Presidents we ever had. He's hell-bent on destroying the old America and turning it into a USSA, a near image of the early 20th Century USSR, where Orthodox Christian Churches were devastated and the religion driven underground.  Those who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants – William Penn  Great quote, too. wombleranger  Thanks Eileen. It's comforting to see there are still moral people in this world, now we just need to wake-up the good souls from the deep sleep. It's an uphill battle to be sure, but as long as i breath i will never forsake my dignity, morals and most of all my God. nilro  Too many nut cases out there, Animals are a better bet. Truman Golden


Al Gore is back again to warn about the dangers of climate change in the first trailer for An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, the to his 2006 documentary An Inconvenient Truth. ["Storms get stronger and more destructive. Watch the water splash off the city," the former vice president and climate change activist warns in the trailer as newsreel footage of severe weather plays in the background. "This is global warming. " "Despair can be paralyzing," he adds, "but this, to me, is the most exciting new development. We're seeing a tremendous amount of positive change. The basis is there. But it's still not enough. " The trailer also features several brief excerpts of President Donald Trump's comments on global warming, and shows Gore delivering lectures and traveling around the world to survey damage up close. Inconvenient 2 premiered as the opening night film at the Sundance Film Festival in January, reportedly drawing a standing ovation after the screening from the audience in Park City. "This movie gives me an extra burst of hope because I think … it really effectively tells the story of how much hope is out there for transforming our energy system to become much more efficient," Gore said at the screening, according to Variety. "We are going to win this. " The trailer's release came the same day President Donald Trump signed an executive order that will roll back several key energy industry regulations signed into law by former President Barack Obama. An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power is directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, with original director Davis Guggenheim returning as executive producer. Paramount Pictures will release the film on July 28. Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum


Tune in to the Alternate Current Radio Network (ACR) for another LIVE broadcast of The Boiler Room tonight 6:00 PM PST | 8:00 PM CST | 9:00 PM EST for this special broadcast. Join us for uncensored, uninterruptible talk radio, custom-made for bar fly philosophers, misguided moralists, masochists, street corner evangelists, media-maniacs, savants, political animals and otherwise lovable rascals.Join ACR hosts Hesher and Spore along side Jay Dyer of Jays Analysis, Fvnk$oul and Randy J (ACR & 21WIRE contributors) for the hundred and forty first episode of BOILER ROOM. Turn it up, tune in and hang with the ACR Brain-Trust for this weeks boil downs, analysis and the usual gnashing of the teeth of the political animals in the social rejects club.On this episode of Boiler Room the social rejects club meets for the final shebang of 2017. We ll be discussing John McAfee s twitter account being hacked to promote a low value crypto-currency, silicon valley censorship in social media, year end wrap ups and 2018 predictions.Direct Download Episode #141 Please like and share the program and visit our donate page to get involved! Reference Links, for your consideration and research:


South Africa s ruling African National Congress (ANC) needs to put an end to scandals that are tarnishing its image, an ANC official said, after a court ruling that paved the way for President Jacob Zuma to face nearly 800 counts of corruption. Zweli Mkhize, one of the ANC s top six leaders, also called for an end to factionalism within the party at a public lecture late on Friday, saying it was playing into the hands of the opposition. Mkhize is in the running to replace Zuma as ANC leader at the party s elective conference in December, and his campaign has been gathering momentum in recent weeks. The battle between the two frontrunners for ANC leader - Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, an ex-wife of Zuma and former chairwoman of the African Union - has bitterly divided the party that has governed South Africa since the end of white minority rule in 1994. Affable and a long-serving cadre, Mkhize is touted as a compromise candidate who could soothe tensions between the party s primary factions. He is also well-liked by investors unnerved by the party s swing toward populist policies. We see fractions and divisions in the regions, at the national level. And you ve got court cases all over, Mkhize told ANC supporters packed into a hall in the Kagiso township to the west of Johannesburg. We need to say to each other enough is enough. ... The image of the African National Congress rests on the behaviour of its own leaders, Mkhize said. Earlier on Friday, South Africa s Supreme Court of Appeal upheld a High Court ruling reinstating 783 corruption charges against Zuma from before he became president. Zuma, who has denied numerous other corruption allegations since taking office, has asked prosecutors to consider representations before deciding whether to proceed against him. Mkhize avoided mentioning Zuma by name in his speech in Kagiso. He hails from Zuma s home province of Kwa-Zulu Natal and was formerly a staunch Zuma supporter. Asked whether Zuma should step down as president after a new ANC leader is elected in December, Mkhize said that would be up to the party to decide. Zuma s term as president ends in 2019, when South Africa next holds a general election, but his predecessor Thabo Mbeki was ousted before the end of his term in 2008 after losing out in a power struggle with Zuma. We believe the ANC is strong enough to survive all of this, and we want to be able to show that the ANC is serious about acting on corruption, Mkhize said.


British scientists have created an artificial intelligence program that can allegedly predict when a patient with heart problems will die. [The program, which was developed by the MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS) reportedly has an 80% accuracy rate, with researchers claiming that it could be vital in discovering how "aggressive" a patient's treatment needs to be. "The researchers' programme assessed the outlook of 250 patients based on blood test results and MRI scans of their hearts," explained the International Business Times. "It then used the data to create a virtual 3D heart of each patient which, combined with the health records of 'hundreds' of previous patients, allowed it to learn which characteristics indicated fatal heart failure within five years. " "The LMS scientists claim that the software was able to accurately predict patients who would still be alive after a year around 80% of the time," they continued. "The computer was able to analyse patients 'in seconds' promising to dramatically reduce the time it takes doctors to identify the most individuals and ensure they 'give the right treatment to the right patients, at the right time. '" LMS lead researcher Dr. Declan O'Regan claimed it could "transform" the way patients are treated. "This is the first time computers have interpreted heart scans to accurately predict how long patients will live. It could transform the way doctors treat heart patients," he proclaimed. "A doctor equipped with this new cardiac imaging approach would therefore be able to make more informed judgements about outcome than if they were relying only on current ways to investigate patient data. " "We would like to develop the technology so it can be used in many heart conditions to complement how doctors interpret the results of medical tests," added Tim Dawes, who who created the program's algorithms. "The goal is to see if better predictions can guide treatment to help people to live longer. " The researchers are now planning to test the program in London hospitals in an attempt to verify their results. Charlie Nash is a reporter for Breitbart Tech. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington or like his page at Facebook.


By Hrafnkell Haraldsson on Tue, Nov 1st, 2016 at 8:00 am "Last spring...New York had to take legal action to collect $8,578 in unpaid taxes on the Trump-owned company that owns the trademark Boeing 757"  We looked yesterday at Kurt Eichenwald's revelation that Donald Trump put off investigators for six months while busily destroying emails. That is hardly Trump's only misdeed, but how many people realize that Donald Trump, at this moment, has 75 – SEVENTY-FIVE – legal issues hanging over his head.  He's lying 20 to 35 times a day and has his followers – and with much less excuse, the mainstream media – thoroughly distracted by the Clinton email nonstory so he can divert their attention away from his own legally questionable activities.  USA TODAY reported at the end of October that "Just two weeks before Election Day, at least 75 of the 4,000-plus lawsuits involving Trump and his businesses remain open, according to an ongoing, nationwide analysis of state and federal court records by USA TODAY."  It will surprise no one, because Trump is already deadbeating on his own pollster , that "One Trump case, over non-payment of tips to caterers at Trump SoHo Hotel in New York City, is scheduled to go to trial a week before Election Day."  If one thing has become clear throughout this election it is that Trump does not pay his bills. Earlier, we had covered an incident where he had declined to finish paying a Florida contractor for work it did on one of his resorts, having decided that the contractor had been "paid enough," even though it wasn't the agreed-upon amount. Trump got nailed by the court for $300K in attorney's fees in that case.  Just a few examples from USA TODAY's investigation:  Trump faces significant open litigation tied to his businesses: angry members at his Jupiter, Fla. golf course say they were cheated out of refunds on their dues and a former employee at the same club claims she was fired after reporting sexual harassment. There's a fraud case brought by Trump University students who say the mogul's company ripped them off for tens of thousands in tuition for a sham real estate course. Trump is also defending lawsuits tied to his campaign. A disgruntled GOP political consultant sued for $4 million saying Trump defamed her. Another suit, a class action, says the campaign violated consumer protection laws by sending unsolicited text messages.  As pointed out by USA TODAY's Nick Penzenstadler and John Kelly, these lawsuits will dog Trump into the White House, should he win. He will have no immunity because he is president. And America – and the world – will be treated to the spectacle of the President of the United States having to make trip after trip to the court to settle his highly questionable personal and business affairs.  There are harassment cases, sex discrimination lawsuits, fraud, unpaid bills, racist comments, defamation, cases involving Trump University. As USA TODAY notes, "as recently as last spring…New York had to take legal action to collect $8,578 in unpaid taxes on the Trump-owned company that owns the trademark Boeing 757 that jetted the mogul to campaign rallies across the country."  And those 75 cases will likely grow.  Trump has promised, after all, to sue The New York Times and each of the women – NYMag maintains an exhaustive list – who have accused him of sexual assault.  USA Today says it spent six months researching court records. "The exclusive analysis," they say, "found an unprecedented mountain of legal battles for a presidential candidate, ranging from skirmishes with pageant contestants to multimillion dollar real estate lawsuits. The cases offer clues to the leadership style the billionaire would bring to the White House."  Donald Trump claims Clinton is tainted. He claims Clinton's emails are bigger than Watergate. The other day tweeted , "We must not let #CrookedHillary take her CRIMINAL SCHEME into the Oval Office. #DrainTheSwamp."  This comes from the man who would turn the 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue into a morality No-Go Zone.  All the facts – including the new disclosures about Trump's ties to a Russian server and his potentially illegal ploy to avoid paying taxes – make it clear that if Trump the deadbeat liar drains the swamp, he will be the first one down the drain.


On Tuesday, Republican front-runner Donald Trump shocked everyone by announcing that he was boycotting the Fox News GOP debate on Thursday, as it was being moderated by his nemesis, Megyn Kelly. And in his childish haste to get back at Fox News for giving Kelly another chance to make him look like an idiot, Trump sent the network a message of blatant disrespect: he would be throwing a competing event: a benefit for America s veterans on the very same day as the GOP debate.On Trump s event page for veterans and wounded warriors, the front-runner promised to raise money for the men and women who have been treated so horribly by our all-talk, no-action politicians . Well, it turns out that veterans have a message for Trump: We don t want your donations.On Wednesday, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America founder Paul Rieckhoff announced that his organization would not accept any contributions that came from Trump s event. He tweeted:TwitterTwo other veterans groups have also decided they want nothing to do with Trump s publicity stunt. The Wounded Warrior Project, which has recently come under fire for using its donation money for wasteful purposes, has denied having any awareness of Trump s efforts to fundraise for the organization. VoteVets.org, however, was willing to send a more direct message to the GOPer. The organization, which boasts that it is America s largest progressive veterans group, issued a statement that said Don t hide from Megyn Kelly behind us. Iraq War veteran and chairman of the organization absolutely burned The Donald: Let me put this in language Donald Trump understands. You re a loser. You re a third-rate politician, who clearly doesn t understand issues, and is so scared of Megyn Kelly exposing it, that you re looking to use veterans to protect you from facing her questions. The veterans scorn is honestly well-deserved a look into Trump s past can easily prove that this is just a stunt for Trump and there s no sincerity in his charity event. The GOP front-runner has actually been whining about homeless veterans for decades, complaining that they bring his property values down. And before he ran for president, Trump actually wanted to get rid of America s troops. So don t be fooled by Trump s benefit for vets he doesn t care about them and is just using them to gain more support.


Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is in "overall very good health," with no limitations on his work as a U.S. senator, his physician said in a letter released on Thursday. The letter from Brian Monahan, the attending physician for Congress, detailed the health of the Vermont senator, who is vying with Hillary Clinton for his party's nomination to the November 2016 presidential election. "You are in overall very good health and active in your professional work, and recreational lifestyle without limitation," said the Jan. 20 letter posted on Sanders' campaign website. Presidential candidates often release such statements to assure voters that they are fit for the presidency. The race between Clinton and Sanders, 74, has tightened in recent weeks, and polls show the two in a statistical dead heat for the Iowa caucus on Feb. 1. The letter notes that Sanders has, over the years, been treated for conditions ranging from gout to hypothyroidism to diverticulitis. He has also had surgery to repair hernias and excise a vocal cord cyst, the letter said. The senator also takes levothyroxine daily and indomethacin occasionally, it added. Levothyroxine is used to treat hypothyroidism, and indomethacin is used treat stiffness and pain from osteoarthritis, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Sanders' main Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, released a statement from her own doctor last year giving her a clean bill of health. (Reporting by Luciana Lopez; Editing by Richard Chang) SAP is the sponsor of this coverage which is independently produced by the staff of Reuters News Agency.


Meanwhile, a Muslim boy with a radical activist father and a history of discipline issues can bring a fake bomb to school on 9-11 and is an instant hero with the Left You just can t make this up.A 13-year-old Oregon boy was disciplined by his school for wearing the battlefield cross on his shirt.Alan Holmes, a student at Dexter McCarty Middle School, wore a shirt that displays the image of a rifle propped up with a helmet perched on top and boots below. It s commonly referred to as a battlefield cross for fallen soldiers and is meant as a a sign of support for the troops. The shirt read Standing for those who stood for us. The Military Times is reporting the Gresham-Barlow School District has a dress code policy that prohibits weapons. District spokeswoman Athena Vadnals wrote Weapons on a shirt are not appropriate in a school setting. It s not standing for violence, I tell you that much, Holmes said. It s standing for the memorial for the soldiers, who have died for us and our freedom, and I 100 percent support them because they re supporting us. Holmes said he was told by the vice principal to put on a different shirt or take an in-school suspension. He decided to keep the shirt on and call his mom.The story has gone viral and the family is fighting back against the school and the district.


Former NBC television host Billy Bush accused U.S. President Donald Trump of "indulging in some revisionist history" for reportedly telling allies it was not his voice making lewd remarks as the men waited to film a segment for "Access Hollywood" in 2005. "He said it. 'Grab 'em by the pussy,'" Bush wrote in an editorial published in the New York Times on Sunday. The New York Times reported last month that Trump has been privately telling aides and allies, including at least one U.S. senator, that the voice on the recording was not his. That would be a reversal from his immediate acknowledgement of responsibility after the tape surfaced weeks ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Trump said: "I said it, I was wrong, and I apologize." Reuters has not been able to verify the Times report that he has been privately telling allies a different story. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Bush's remarks. But White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders played down the Times report at a White House briefing on Nov. 27. "The President hasn't changed his position. I think if anything that the president questions, it's the media's reporting on that accuracy," Sanders said. Bush laughed on the video as Trump spoke and he lost his job as a host of NBC's flagship morning "Today" show after the tape was leaked to the media in October, upending Trump's campaign to become president.


Subscribe  In politics, the Third Way is a position that tries to reconcile right-wing Republican Party and left-wing Democratic Party politics by advocating a synthesis of right-wing economic and left-wing social policies. It was created as a re-evaluation of center-left political ideals in response to international doubt regarding the viability of interventionist (Keynesian) economic policies versus the economic libertarianism of the New Right. The Third Way is promoted by some social democratic and liberal movements.  One of the significant factors concerning the 2016 Democratic Party presidential race is that corporate Democrats are scared of Bernie Sanders' quick rise in popularity in the Democratic Party. This explains why corporate Democrats support Hillary Clinton.  In political campaigns, you have to follow the money. Third Way has been very secretive about where its think tank funding comes from. However, several investigative journalists have uncovered some of the donors and they are not surprising: The Chamber of Commerce The Business Round Table AT&T  These are just a few donors to the Third Way. There is also a laundry list of hedge funds that are donating money. The bottom line is that Third Way is backed by Wall Street titans, corporate money, congressional allies, and corporate Democrats like Hillary Clinton. It is important to note that these same corporate factions also donate to the Republican Party. The existence of Third Way should not come as a surprise. There are essentially no economic differences between a corporate Democrat and a Republican. 'Third Way' Members Are Backroom-Cigar-Smoking Wall Street Types.  Third Way and its members would like to see politicians like Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) disappear. Why do Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and the progressive wing of the Democratic Party scare the hell out of corporate Democrats?  There is the issue of labels in modern day politics. The Third Way Democrats, the Blue-Dog Democrats, the Wall Street Democrats are all centrist in their ideology. It begs the question: Who is in charge of the Democratic Party right now?  Until something drastic happens like electing a Democratic Socialist non-establishment politician like Bernie Sanders, the truth is the Democratic Party is controlled by Wall Street just like the Republican Party. There is much talk how the Republican Party is falling apart. The Tea Party has taken over, and the fringe is now the GOP mainstream.  There is a similar fight taking place in the Democratic party between people who care (like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren), who are concerned about the middle class and working people of America, and corporate centrist Democrats like Hillary Clinton whose economic policies are not much different than the Republicans.  Third Way President Jonathan Cowan , who claims he is a Democrat, is joined at the hip with Wall Street and is a poster boy for the right wing-oriented Chamber of Commerce. He and his Third Way organization have done nothing for labor unions. This guy is a Republican in a Democrat's clothing.  The 2016 Democratic presidential race will go a long way in determining if the Democrats reject this corporate agenda. The corporate Democratic Party think tank has submitted over 70 policy proposals they want corporate Democrat Hillary Clinton to take up. The new populist movement by the progressive wing of the Democratic Party is not welcomed by corporate centrist Democrats. Third Way are trying as hard as they can to force Bernie Sanders out of the race. They have tried to put a muzzle on Elizabeth Warren.  Third Way's position is that someone who is left of center (a Democratic Socialist, liberal, or progressive) will lose by a landslide in the general election. What is ironic is that every major poll right now shows that Bernie Sanders would beat Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, and Ted Cruz. Moreover, these polls show Bernie Sanders beating these flavor-of-the-week Republicans by a larger margin than the centrist corporate choice Hillary Clinton in the swing states .  Bernie Sanders' campaign has the potential to change the dynamics of the entire electorate. His campaign is getting young voters' attention and more importantly, getting them involved in the political process. Bernie has already gotten the endorsement from the American Postal Service Workers Union . Several African American politicians are backing Sanders. Independent voters are choosing Sanders over Hillary Clinton by a wide margin. The truth is Bernie Sanders' voting base is growing while the corporate centrist Democratic base is stagnant at best.  These facts have caused the Democratic Party Wall Street types to panic and to start attacking Bernie Sanders on being too far left . Plus, who better to lead the charge than pre-ordained corporate Democrat Hillary Clinton?  One of the major problems the Democratic Party has faced is that huge blocks of potential Democratic voters have become disenfranchised from the voting process because they feel there is no real difference between the two parties. They feel that elections are rigged, and their votes don't count . What Bernie Sanders' run for president has re-energized these voting blocks.  Polls have shown 60 percent of Americans feel Hillary Clinton is untrustworthy and dishonest . Many liberal progressive Democrats don't trust Hillary Clinton at all.  Granted, there are some major social issues where there is a stark contrast between the two parties. But with issues that deal with low- and middle-earning families being able to feed their children and everyday Americans having a better quality of life, it is fair to say there are no real differences between the Republican Party and the corporate Democrats.  One of the main reasons for this paradox is organizations like Third Way. Corporate Democrats like Hillary Clinton want that Wall Street money. Their belief is you cannot win if you don't have Wall Street donors and Super Pacs. Bernie Sanders' campaign is proving that this assumption is not true. Barack Obama's campaign in 2008 showed this wasn't true. There is little doubt in this writer's mind that Hillary Clinton and her corporate Democrat buddies are feeling 2008 deja vu all over again.  Featured Image By DonkeyHotey via Flickr available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license. About Johnny Hill  Johnny Hill is a freelance writer who has extensive experience in writing for sales, marketing and advertising. He has a background in radio broadcasting which is showcased in the music mixes he creates for his Facebook page, "One Nation Under the Groove." Johnny has been an avid and life long student of politics . He is the founder of the House of Public Discourse Political Organization, which he created as a platform for his progressive liberal ideology. You can follow Johnny on Twitter, @hillj60. Connect


On Monday, Donald Trump gave interviews to reporters on his plane, and naturally the subject of the presidential debates against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton came up. As expected, Trump s responses were nothing short of moronic and unbelievable, and show just how unprepared Trump is to be president.As reporters threw different questions at Trump about his strategy to beat Clinton, Trump gave responses that should have his supporters worried sick about how he s going to win. Trump told reporters that he is barely doing any debate prep in stark contrast to most presidential candidates. With a dismissive attitude, the ignorant business mogul revealed that he has not planned on mock debates, saying he d pretty much rather wing it: I ve seen people do so much prep work when they get out there, they can t speak. I ve seen that. Then when Trump was asked if he d actually follow through with the debates, Trump gave an even more surprising answer.Trump said, As of this moment, yeah a strange response for sure. And then he said that only hurricanes and natural disasters would stop him from debating the former Secretary of State. He said: I expect to do all three. I look forward to the debates. You can watch this bizarre interview below:Hilariously, Trump also said that it was his obligation to debate Clinton and that presidential debates are an important element of what we re doing. He said: I did them with the other, you know, the other cases. We had, I guess 11 debates. Obviously, I did well in the debates. Obviously, according to the polls, the online polls they did right after the debates. And I think I m doing the same thing. Trump must have forgotten that he actually skipped one of the GOP debates, and also backed out of the debate that he challenged Vermont senator Bernie Sanders to. And there are ongoing rumors that Trump is going to somehow find an excuse to back out of his debates with Clinton as well. Judging from this interview alone, we would not be surprised.Featured image is a screenshot


NORRISTOWN, Pa. — She was a rising Democratic star. She was the first in her party to be elected state attorney general. She was one of the most powerful women in Pennsylvania. But on Monday night, Kathleen G. Kane, the state's top prosecutor, became a convicted criminal. Update: Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane resigned Tuesday. A jury found Ms. Kane, 50, guilty of nine criminal charges, including perjury and criminal conspiracy, convicting her of leaking grand jury information, and then lying about it, in an effort to discredit a political rival. Ms. Kane was caught up in a web of scandal and counterscandal, threaded with lewd emails, political rivalries and alleged leaks. It has cost other state officials, including two State Supreme Court justices, their jobs and Ms. Kane her law license, although she has remained on the job as attorney general. Ms. Kane stared straight ahead as the word "guilty," uttered decisively by a juror in a flowered dress, echoed nine times around the courtroom. The lawyers immediately went into a private conference with the judge, leaving Ms. Kane, who campaigned on a promise to uncover political interference in Pennsylvania, alone at the defense table. And when Judge Wendy returned to the courtroom, she turned directly to Ms. Kane with a stern warning, her words slicing through the silence. "There is to be absolutely no retaliation of any kind against any witness in this case, either by your own devices, from your own mouth or your hand, or directing anybody to do anything," the judge said. She threatened Ms. Kane, who is currently free on bail, with immediate incarceration if she failed to comply. "Is that clear, Ms. Kane?" the judge asked. "Yes it is, your honor," Ms. Kane said. After the verdict, Gov. Tom Wolf immediately renewed his call for her to step down. "The Office of Attorney General and its employees, as well as the people of Pennsylvania deserve to move on," Mr. Wolf said in a statement. Gerald Shargel, a lawyer for Ms. Kane, said a decision about her job would be made in the coming days. Ms. Kane was elected in 2012. The first half of her tenure was marked with moments that she claimed as successes, like closing a loophole in gun laws. But she soon became embroiled in scandal, in a state with a rich history of them. "It turns on the perception that she abused her power. She is the chief law enforcement officer for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," said David Zellis, a former prosecutor in Bucks County who has observed the trial but is not involved. He added, "I think that it's turned the whole criminal justice system in the state upside down. " To her detractors, she had abused her power and broken the law to her supporters, she had rousted the state's ' network and become a victim herself. But in court, she was silent: Though her defense team the prosecution's witnesses, it rested without calling a single one of its own. Ms. Kane, who faced nine charges, including two felony perjury counts, criminal conspiracy and obstruction, was accused of leaking secret grand jury documents to the news media in an effort to discredit the prosecutor Frank Fina, and then lying to cover it up. "'This is war,' the defendant's words," said the lead prosecutor, Kevin Steele, in reference to an email written by Ms. Kane. "Wars have casualties. Wars leave scars. " Earlier Monday, in a nearly closing statement, wrought with text messages, newspaper front pages and grand jury testimony, Mr. Steele painted a picture of Ms. Kane trying to "go on the offensive" after a newspaper article that criticized her for shutting down an undercover investigation into possible corruption by Democratic state representatives. Prosecutors say she believed Mr. Fina was behind the story. Ms. Kane, he said, sought to leak details from a 2009 grand jury investigation into the financial affairs of J. Whyatt Mondesire, a former leader of the N. A. A. C. P. because she wanted residents to know that Mr. Fina had chosen not to prosecute. She then lied about it when a grand jury investigated, Mr. Steele said. A defense lawyer, Seth Farber, said the state had not proved its case, urging the jurors not to take Ms. Kane's words out of context. "Things that the commonwealth says do not hold up to scrutiny when you look at the actual evidence," Mr. Farber said, and cast blame instead on two prosecution witnesses: Adrian King, a former deputy to Ms. Kane, and Josh Morrow, a political strategist who was given immunity to testify. "Those are two witnesses who will say whatever they need to in order to protect themselves," Mr. Farber said, adding, "You would not even buy a used car from one of them. " Ms. Kane was elected after she campaigned with a promise to review the investigation into Jerry Sandusky, the assistant football coach for Penn State who was convicted of sexual abuse, which was led by the attorney general at the time, Tom Corbett, and Mr. Fina. She did not find evidence of political interference, but Ms. Kane did find that lewd and racist emails had been exchanged by state officials, and began to release them to the news media. She has said that some in the state's political establishment have concocted her political difficulties to retaliate for the disclosures and to prevent more emails from being leaked. Judge limited discussion of those emails at the request of prosecutors — a point to which Ms. Kane's lead attorney, Mr. Shargel, seemed to allude after he left the courtroom. "We have been denied the opportunity to mount a full defense," said Mr. Shargel. Outside the courthouse, Michelle Henry, a prosecutor in the case, said she was "offended" by Ms. Kane's crimes. "What she did while she was attorney general — the fact that she committed criminal acts when she's the top prosecutor — is a disgrace," Ms. Henry said. The judge has not yet set a sentencing hearing, but Ms. Kane could face prison time. The two felony perjury charges alone each carry up to seven years in prison.


Unidentified militants planned to sabotage an annual beer festival canceled this week by authorities in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur who cited political sensitivities for the move, police said on Thursday. On Monday, the authorities scrapped the two-day event, now in its sixth year, after an Islamist party objected on the grounds that it could lead to criminal acts, rape and free sex. Around 6,000 people had been expected to attend the Better Beer Festival , showcasing craft beers from at least 11 countries, according to posts on social media site Facebook by the organizers and domestic news reports. Protests against events considered Western and unIslamic are common in Muslim-majority Malaysia, and are usually led by the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) and conservative Islamist NGOs. There was information that exposed plans by militants who would carry out sabotage on the festival, because it is deemed as something that goes against their struggles, said Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun. To avoid any incident beyond our control, the police had to be proactive, by objecting to the organizing of the festival, he added in a brief statement, without naming any suspected groups. Since 2013, Malaysia has detained more than 300 people with suspected links to Islamic State in its crackdown on militancy. The police have arrested seven Philippine men on suspicion of involvement in the activities of the Abu Sayyaf militant group, which has pledged loyalty to Islamic State.


Donald J. Trump met in the last week in his office at Trump Tower with three Indian business partners who are building a luxury apartment complex south of Mumbai, raising new questions about how he will separate his business dealings from the work of the government once he is in the White House. A spokeswoman for Mr. Trump described the meeting as a courtesy call by the three Indian real estate executives, who flew from India to congratulate Mr. Trump on his election victory. In a picture posted on Twitter, all four men are smiling and giving a . "It was not a formal meeting of any kind," Breanna Butler, a spokeswoman for the Trump Organization, said when asked about the meeting on Saturday. One of the businessmen, Sagar Chordia, posted photographs on Facebook on Wednesday showing that he also met with Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump. Mr. Trump's children are helping to run his businesses as they play a part in the presidential transition. Ms. Butler and Hope Hicks, a spokeswoman for Mr. Trump, declined to comment when asked on Saturday if the meeting with the Trump family members included any discussion of Trump businesses in India or expanding that business. The three Indian executives — Sagar Chordia, Atul Chordia, and Kalpesh Mehta — have been quoted in Indian newspapers, including The Economic Times, as saying they have discussed expanding their partnership with the Trump Organization now that Mr. Trump is . Sagar Chordia did not respond to a request for a telephone interview. But in a series of text messages with The New York Times early Sunday, he confirmed that the meeting with Mr. Trump and members of his family had taken place, and that an article written about it in the Indian newspaper, which reported that one of his partners said they had discussed the desire to expand the deals with the Trump family, was accurate. Washington ethics lawyers said that a meeting with Indian real estate partners, regardless of what was discussed, raised conflict of interest questions for Mr. Trump, who could be perceived as using the presidency to advance his business interests. "There may be people for whom this looks O. K.," said Robert L. Walker, the former chief counsel of the Senate Ethics Committee, who advises corporations and members of Congress on government ethics issues. "But for a large part of the American public, it is not going to be O. K. His role as should dictate that someone else handles business matters. " In an account of the meeting that appeared in The Economic Times, Mr. Trump was quoted as praising the United States' relationship with India and its prime minister, Narendra Modi. The Economic Times reported that the meeting occurred on Tuesday. A spokeswoman for the Trump Organization would not confirm the day of the meeting. Internationally, many properties that bear Mr. Trump's name are the result of marketing deals — like the one in India — in which he is paid by someone for the use of his name but does not actually own the underlying property. He has such marketing agreements in South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, the Philippines and Turkey, according to a list published by his company. Atul Chordia and Sagar Chordia are figures in real estate in Pune, a city of about three million people in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. Their father, Ishwardas Chordia, was born into a family of sugar traders, but as a young man forged a close friendship with Sharad Pawar, who became an important politician in Maharashtra and now sits in the upper house of India's Parliament. Beginning in the 1990s, Chordia businesses built luxury hotels, corporate parks and residential projects in upscale neighborhoods in Pune. The third executive at the meeting, Mr. Mehta, is the managing partner of a firm named Tribeca, which is also a part of the Trump projects in India, which go by names including Trump Towers Pune and Trump Towers Mumbai. Dave Besseling, a former deputy editor at GQ India, hosted an event at Sagar Chordia's hotel during the 2016 presidential campaign and said Mr. Chordia expressed "elation" about Mr. Trump's candidacy and the opportunities it would bring. The same week, Mr. Trump's daughter Ivanka — an executive at the Trump Organization hotel chain — attended a meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan. The move drew criticism from former State Department officials, given that Ms. Trump does not have security clearance and is helping run the family business enterprises. Separately, The Washington Post reported on Saturday that the recently opened Trump International Hotel in Washington invited representatives from local embassies to the hotel after the election to encourage them to use it when leaders from their countries visited Washington. Noah Bookbinder, the executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, a liberal government watchdog group in Washington, said the meeting at Trump Tower was inappropriate even if there had not been conversation about business. "Donald Trump's children and have been deeply involved in the transition and selecting who will be part of his administration," Mr. Bookbinder said. "At the same time they are deeply involved in the business. There does not seem to be any sign of a meaningful separation of Trump government operations and his business operations. " Ms. Butler, the spokeswoman for the Trump Organization, said the family was moving to try to formally separate Mr. Trump from his family's business ventures. "Mr. Trump is not going to have dealings in the business of that organization," she said. Another spokeswoman for the Trump Organization added in a written statement that "the structure that is ultimately selected will comply with all applicable rules and regulations. " Asked if such a separation had already taken place in the aftermath of the election, she said she did not know.


Things didn t go as well as Nicholle had hoped and now, she s lashing out at the owner of the billboard company who was inundated with calls from angry residents.Rouse & Revolt owner Nicholle Lewis told Newsweek that she didn t sleep much last night. Her phone wouldn t stop going off with the persistent buzzing of death threats for her sign, which stylizes the number 45 into a swastika and features Trump posed in a Hitler-esque stance. I m living in a small, podunk red town and I m already getting death threats, said Lewis, whose store is in right-leaning Chico, population 90,000. My business has completely floundered. Overnight I had more one-star reviews than all the reviews I ve received in a year. The sign was up for less than 24 hours before Stott Outdoor Advertising took it down amid a backlash that featured online attacks.But Lewis said she s standing behind her beliefs. I don t necessarily think that just because I m a business doesn t mean I can t mix my beliefs, Lewis said. That s a common misconception that you can t mix politics and business. I have a platform and I m going to use it. Lewis has used the billboard at the corner of Third Avenue and Mangrove Avenue all year, though this is the first time she s made it political. He is not presidential, he is not a president, Lewis said. He is a celebrity who was born into money. And he s a Nazi sympathizer. I am going to stand behind my beliefs regardless. Lewis said she has been getting some support, too.Lewis got slammed by bad reviews on her store, Rouse and Revolt Facebook page, as well as her personal Facebook page, where she posted this video. In the video, Lewis pleas with liberals to make false claims against the sign company, as a payback because she s been hit with bad reviews. That s called liberal logic, in case you re not familiar with how liberal operate.Watch, as angry liberal Nicholle Haber Lewis threatens the sign company with a lawsuit while simultaneously asking libs to help her destroy his business.(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.10"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));Posted by Nicholle Haber Lewis on Friday, October 6, 2017The general manager of Stott Outdoor Advertising replied to Newsweek:Jim Moravec, the general manager of Stott Outdoor Advertising, told Newsweek that the company took it down because a lot of people misinterpreted the billboard and who the speaker was. I should have not accepted the ad in the first place, Moravec said, adding that the sign looked more like a call for action than an ad for the clothing store. Newsweek