Thirty-eight years ago today, Jimmy Carter hosted a well-known houseguest at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. -- and made him sing for his supper. On a lovely late-summer evening, Willie Nelson performed on the South Lawn, a set that included a duet with Rosalynn Carter.

After bidding the president good night, Willie retired to his own room. He was restless, however, and after the First Family was safely abed the great country singer went to the White House roof where he took in the sights of the capital city and fired up a fat boy.

Nelson revealed his midnight toking in his autobiography -- he called his joint a big fat Austin torpedo" -- although it wasnt a revelation that surprised anyone. Marijuana is in the process of being decriminalized in the U.S. these days, but that wasnt the case in 1980. Willie Nelson was a man ahead of his time: Hes had as many marijuana arrests as wives (four), and has served on the board of directors of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

The president wasnt on the White House roof smoking weed with Willie on September 13, 1980, which is just as well: More worldly souls than Jimmy Carter  , to hang with the singer in that pursuit. On the other hand, it might have helped Carter relax. It was a trying time in his presidency. The U.S. economy remained in the dumpster, the Iranian hostage crisis showed no signs of abating, and it had finally dawned on Carter that Ronald Reagan, his general election opponent, was one tough customer.

A longtime dry fly fisherman, Carter found solace by tying flies while listening to Willie Nelsons records and reading the Bible at night. But on this evening 38 years ago, Carter derived pleasure from hearing his old pal team up with the first lady on a spirited rendition of  Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother.

Jimmy Carter will turn 94 in a couple of weeks. Willie Nelson is 85. Neither man has retired. Six years ago, Willie was performing at Atlantas Chastain Park amphitheater when he invited Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter on stage to join him in Amazing Grace.

Carter, not exactly known for letting his hair down as president, even donned Willies trademark red bandana for the occasion. Times (and technology) being what they are, someone in the audience  . Its not great filmmaking, or even great music anymore, but what took place on that Georgia night was a pretty good definition of aging gracefully.

They are still at it, both guys, and they arent sitting out the 2018 election season, either.

At his annual July 4 picnic and concert this year, Willie invited Texas senatorial candidate Beto ORourke onstage to join him in closing out his set. ORourke had brought his guitar for the occasion, just in case, and joined the band in playing Will the Circle Be Unbroken?

In two weeks time, Willie is scheduled to be one of the headliners for an ORourke rally in Austin -- the first time in the singers long career,  , that hes done a public performance for a political candidate.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Carter is looking even farther into the future -- to the next presidential election. Carter tempers his criticisms of Donald Trump   that this isnt the time for them to veer too wildly to the left. I dont think any Democrat is going to vote against a Democratic nominee, he said earlier this week at The Carter Center, the site of his presidential library in Atlanta. Independents need to know they can invest their vote in the Democratic Party in 2020.

Smoke Signals When Jimmy Carter Hosted Willie Nelson


Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor and gun control activist David Hogg and disgraced anchor Dan Rather joined CNNs Reliable Sources with host Brian Stelter Sunday.

During the course of the interview, Stelter asks Hogg about his future plans, even prompting the 17-year-old to ask the God Father of Fake News for career advice.

STELTER: I wonder David, Ive been interested in your story because you were working for the TV station at school, you were the news director of the station. You have been thinking about getting into journalism. Are you thinking about trying to major in journalism some day or are you thinking about more of a political path?

STELTER: To both. Still thinking about it.

HOGG: So honestly, what Id like to do personally is Id love to go somewhere like Harvard for poli sci or go to Northwestern for journalism. But, honestly, even a day after the shooting, I got rejected from one of my safety schools, Cal State Long Beach.

STELTER: It happens to all of us.

HOGG: Yeah, it does, it really does. But, um, I mean honestly, I wanna continue on. I wanna continue learning. I might have to take a gap year to during midterms to help out on these campaigns. I want to continue to change the world and the only way Im going to be able to do that, the only way the American public is going to be able to do that, is through education.

STELTER: Anything you wanna know from Dan Rather?

RATHER: Writing is the bedrock of the craft. If you want to do anything in journalism, learn to write. Dedicate yourself to a lifetime of improving your writing. I cant guarantee youll be famous and make a lot of money. But you can have a very satisfying career if you concentrate on writing.

CRINGE David Hogg Asks Fake News Legend Dan Rather For Career Advice Live On CNN VIDEO


(Natural News) A severe side effect of drug treatment is liver damage. In some cases, a specific medication that a physician may have prescribed to treat a disease may make it worse for your liver  the organ primarily responsible for purifying toxins in the blood.

One such case is isoniazid, a commonly used drug for treating tuberculosis. While it is known to treat Mycobacterium tuberculosis effectively, its hepatotoxic side effects can interfere with the course of treatment. To counter these effects, researchers from Jahrom University of Medical Sciences and Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Iran have suggested using orchid extract (salep) to protect the liver against the effects of isoniazid. The results of their study were published in the Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine.

Ever since its introduction into clinical practice in 1954, isoniazid has been credited with the sharp decline in morbidity and mortality of tuberculosis. However, it also accounts for the most common cause of serious liver injury. In the U.S., the drug is known to cause acute liver injury with jaundice, in some cases even causing death. Risk factors that increase isoniazid-related liver injury include alcohol consumption, old age, malnutrition, underlying hepatitis B or C, and the use of other anti-tuberculosis medications.

For this study, the researchers built on the results of their previous studies, which showed that salep (Orchis maculate L.) possessed anti-hepatotoxic properties in general. In traditional medicine, salep is applied topically to relieve chest pain, and it is known to treat chest and intestinal disorders, tuberculosis, diarrhea, Parkinsons disease, and cancer. Earlier studies have also shown that salep possesses potent antioxidant properties.

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To learn how salep can reduce the incidence of drug interruption in isoniazid treatments for this study, the team first collected salep plants and, using the dried roots, made flour. This was then processed and filtered to make an aqueous extract for the study. They then used 56 Wistar rats for the experiment, randomly assigning each rat to seven groups. Aside from the control group and the sham group, one group was given 50 mg/kg of isoniazid. The four remaining experimental groups received 40, 80, 160, and 320 mg/kg of orchid extract, respectively. The extracts were administered every day for a month, after which blood samples and liver tissues were analyzed.

The results revealed that the rats administered with salep had significantly lower levels of liver enzymes, bilirubin, MDA, and total oxidant content  which were markers for liver damage  than the rats that were not given salep. The salep group also had a higher level of antioxidants and protein over those which only had isoniazid. The tissue analysis also revealed that the rats in the salep group had no liver injury.

Researchers deduced that salep might help prevent the destructive effects of isoniazid on the liver. It seems antioxidant compounds present in orchid extract stabilize membranes of liver cells through reducing production of free radicals, decreasing release of liver enzymes into blood, and by improving liver protection indices in rats poisoned by isoniazid, they wrote in the report. Administration of salep (as a complementary drug in TB therapy) may increase the power of the patient against the hepatotoxicity and this drug may decrease the chance of drug interruption.

Salep, the starch that comes from the dried tubers of orchids, is well-known in the Middle East, where it is used anywhere from a thickener in cooking to its most famous variant, a creamy drink.

The drink is especially popular in winter, where it not only warms a person up but also helps with cough. It is readily available in markets in countries such as Turkey. However, because making salep flour is an arduous process and some varieties of orchids used in production are already endangered, it is prohibited to export salep outside of Turkey.

If you can get your hands on salep flour, a simple way to prepare it is to mix one tablespoon of salep flour with two teaspoons of sugar. Add two cups of milk to the mix and stir. Put the mixture over low heat for 10 minutes, constantly stirring until it thickens. Pour the salep into mugs and put cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger on top. (Related: 8 Hot Comfort Drinks to Beat Winters Chill.)

You can also try other fine starch, such as glutinous rice flour  a staple in Asian cuisine  as an alternative.

Learn even more foods that support the liver at Food.news.

Flour made from orchid tubers can protect the liver from drug-induced toxicity


Despite progress over the last four years across the district, black and Latino children enrolled in Chicago Public Schools still lag behind their white and Asian counterparts, a new report shows.

The report, released Thursday by Thrive Chicago, outlines how CPS students fared in five areas from the 2013-2014 school year to 2016-2017: pre-K enrollment; high school readiness; high school graduation; postsecondary enrollment and completion, and youth employment.

Thrive, a nonprofit group with ties to Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, works with other organizations to promote education and youth services.

CPS saw its biggest gains in K-12. According to the report, 4,329 more children were enrolled in a full day CPS pre-school education program in 2016-2017 than in 2013-2014  a 48 percent jump.

The report also shows more third-graders reading at or above national standards, up to 58 percent last year from 52 percent in 2014, while eighth-graders scoring at or above national standards in math went up to 63 percent from 51 percent.

In 2017, 89 percent of CPS freshmen were on track to graduate within four years, up from 84 percent in 2014. The CPS high school graduation rate also improved to 75 percent in the 2017 data, which looked at freshmen entering high school in 2013, up from 65 percent in 2011, which includes freshmen who entered in fall 2007. That growth of 10 percentage points was more than three times faster than the national rate, according to the report.

Less impressive are the statistics for postsecondary success. While 66 percent of CPS high school graduates enrolled in two- or four-year colleges in 2016  up from 62 percent in 2014  the college graduation rate for CPS grads lingered at 49 percent.

Lastly, the report shows the percentage of youth ages 20-24 who are employed but not enrolled in school hit 67 percent, up from 63 percent.

These uplifting statistics for Chicago youth are tempered by a persistent racial gap throughout the report.

In 2016, for example, a $20,000 gap separated the average earnings of black youth ($14,000 a year) and white youth ($34,000). Also, one in four black youth age 16-24 neither worked nor were in school in 2016, the report found; thats most of the nearly 50,000 Chicago youths who fall into that category.

Overall, black and Latino youth were two-to-three times more likely to be disconnected from work and school than their white peers, the report concludes.

Racial disparities are also reflected at the elementary and high school level: While 46 percent of black third-graders in CPS met or exceeded national reading standards in 2017, the number of Asian students who did so was 87 percent.

And despite an impressive 14 percentage point jump in black eighth-graders meeting or exceeding national math standards from 2014 to 2017, they remain more than 30 percentage points behind their Asian and white counterparts.

Latino third- and eighth-graders in CPS also saw improved reading and math test scores, but remain behind Asian and white students by double-digit margins.

Further, the report shows that the high school graduation rate has remained stagnant since 2015 for black (67 percent) and Latino (78 percent) students.

Sandra Abrevaya, president of Thrive Chicago, said the disparities are no coincidence, but instead are symptoms of entrenched systematic barriers that continue to create persistent socioeconomic and racial opportunity gaps. To ensure equity for all, we must collectively remove those barriers.

She called the report a valuable tool that sheds a light on the some of the racial disparities that persist on youth outcomes, and hopes it will galvanize leaders already focused on these issues to double their efforts.

Chicago black Latino students gain ground still lag due to systemic barriers


(Natural News) In a move that is sure to get liberal snowflakes rushing to their safe spaces faster than ever, Princeton University is now encouraging students to report problematic experiences based on [their] identity. This means that if students find themselves in a situation that makes them feel offended or uncomfortable in anyway, they can  and should, according to Princeton  go tell somebody about it, even if it is something that normally wouldnt result in disciplinary action.

Posters that have been plastered on walls across the Ivy League schools campus by the Office of Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity remind students that even though not every experience can or should be addressed through a disciplinary process, they can rest assured knowing that there are always resources available to help you manage your experience. In addition, the posters encourage students at Princeton to consider reporting your experience.

Even if you do not want to pursue disciplinary action, or your experience is not appropriate for disciplinary action, the posters encourage students to report negative identity-related experiences because it helps Princeton monitor behavior on campus and identify opportunities to improve it.

When it comes to actually reporting on these identity-related incidents, the posters explain that students have a number of options. They can talk to someone informally at the Carl A. Fields Center for Diversity and Cultural Understanding, the Womens Center, the LGBT Center, the International Center, the Office of Religious Life, or the Office of Disability Services. Students also have the option to report the experience to Institutional Equity and Diversity, which monitors information about interactions that may not meet the definition of discrimination or harassment but suggest a pattern of a larger hostile environment. (Related: Millennial snowflakes are now claiming that calling them snowflakes damages their mental health.)

There once was a time when colleges only encouraged students to report incidents that involved some kind of harassment or discrimination; now, it seems as though an incident can be reported for just about any reason at all. The Millennials are being coddled more than any generation that came before them, and if it doesnt stop, then it will have a severe negative impact on the future of our country.

Earlier this week, the Daily Wire reported that the University of Minnesota is now holding an event to teach students about white supremacy in response to an upcoming speech by conservative speaker Ben Shapiro, which has incidentally been pushed to an off campus venue. While the organizers of the event told Campus Reform they do not know where Ben Shapiro is a white supremacist, the event will lecture students on the alleged connections between white extremist groups and American conservatism today. (Related: This college is now requiring students majoring in politic science to take a course on the abolition of whiteness.)

It really is sad that college students would feel the need to hold an entire event just because someone is scheduled to speak on campus with whom they disagree. If this lecture on white supremacy never happened, then whats the worst that would happen? Ben Shapiro would come to the school, deliver his speech, liberals would disagree, and everyone would go on with their lives. But instead, Millennials are being coddled yet again.

The problem with schools going out of their way to make sure that students never feel uncomfortable or offended is that it essentially sets them up for failure. In life, when you encounter an identity-related incident, theres not going to be seven or eight different offices for you to choose from and report the experience. When you hear someone giving a speech on something that you fundamentally disagree with, there wont always be a counter event for you to attend to make you feel comfortable and safe.

Its time for schools to truly start preparing young people for the real world, and they can start by teaching them how to deal with beliefs that are different from their own.

See more reports of the insanity on left-wing college campuses by reading CampusInsanity.com.

LOONS ON PARADE Princeton University unleashes actual identity police to REPORT people for ident


BELGRADE, October 1. /TASS/. Belgrade expects support from Russia in the
settlement of its political and national tasks, and the upcoming talks with
Russian President Vladimir Putin are of special importance for Serbia,
President Aleksandar Vucic told reporters in Moscow on Monday.

"The moment at which I am meeting with President Putin is among the most
significant for us in the past few years," President Vucic said. "The
situation in our region is very difficult, it is necessary to weigh up every
word and of course every political step. At the moment when we can be
satisfied with economic progress, we have substantial political problems in
the region," he went on to say.

"That is why a meeting with President Putin is of special importance," Vucic
was quoted by Serbian national television.

According to the president, the two leaders intend to discuss bilateral
relations. "They are good politically, good from the economic point of view,
but they should be much better," he noted. "We will discuss a lot of concrete
projects that are of major importance for a better life of our citizens,"
President Vucic said.

He said they would also discuss the situation in Europe and in the world. "Now
we face different conditions and possibilities, big tensions and it is
important to speak about all of this. About all isolated incidents, which did
take place and which can happen in the future," the Serbian leader said.

The Kremlin press service said on Monday that the Russian and Serbian leaders
"will discuss key issues of further development of Russian-Serbian relations,
as well as topical regional and international issues".

Earlier, Vucic said he intended to discuss with Putin the situation in Kosovo
and Metohija and ask for his support.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday"this meeting was scheduled back
several months ago, that is why it is not related to growing tensions in the
region". Peskov said "the peoples of the two countries share a common history,
warm feelings and extensive trade-economic ties".

"And of course, growing tensions in the adjacent region - all this will be on
the agenda of the talks, which, I repeat it once again, were scheduled several
months ago," he specified. Peskov stressed that Serbia was a long-standing
partner of Russia. He said the upcoming talks would come in "continuation of
regular working contacts of the Russian and Serbian leadership".

Putin and Vucic will meet on Tuesday, October 2.

Serbian president highlights upcoming talks with Putin amid tensions in the region


More than half (61 per cent) of Britains young men feel pressured to man up as a result of damaging gender stereotypes, new research from YouGov reveals.

According to the findings, 67 per cent of 18-24 year olds felt compelled to display hyper-masculine behaviour in tough situations and 55 per cent said crying in front of others would make them feel like less of a man.

The survey, named Future Men, sheds light on the prevalence of archaic attitudes towards male identity and also revealed that very few people associate masculinity with positive traits.

For example, just one per cent of the 2,058 adults surveyed associated the term with honesty and only three per cent associated it with kindness.

One of the most dated stereotypes surrounding men and women is that the latter are more emotional while the former are stoic - but even this was found to be a prevalent attitude among those surveyed, with 53 per cent of young men saying they feel like society expects them to never ask for emotional support.

To be masculine is often associated with being boorish, aggressive, inconsiderate and sometimes violent," says Christopher Muwanguzi, CEO of Working With Men, the charity who commissioned the survey for International Mens Day.

Muwanguzi tells The Independent that these links are instilled from a young age.

"We see it as early as the toddler years, when a boy who falls down, is told not to cry and to be a man versus the girl that is comforted.

He went on to explain how important it is to tackle these attitudes if were to address some of the worrying statistics surrounding men, such as suicide being the biggest killer of men under 45.

Men are often expected to man up when faced with challenges, even when tackling serious mental health issues or complex problems. This means that many of them will not ask for help early enough, reinforcing the tradition of men asking for help when its often too late.

He added that a call to action is needed now from than ever, particularly one year on from #MeToo, the global movement encouraging victims of sexual assault and harassment to speak out.

By helping young men and boys understand that they dont have to conform to archaic aggressive stereotypes of masculinity, we hope to reduce antisocial behaviour, mental health struggles, suicides, gender-based crime and domestic violence.

Toxic masculinity leaves most young men feeling pressured to aposman upapos


Donald Trumps idiotic tariffs are nothing but a tax on consumers here in the United States. His trade stances havent only put the U.S. at odds with our trading partners, but theyve put him at odds with American companies too. Take Ford Motor Company for example. A little over a week ago they announced that they would not be selling the Chinese-made Focus Active here because Trumps tariffs have taken all the profit out of it. Now Trump is trying to pressure the company to build the cars here tariff free...but Ford refuses to do that.

The New York Times reported today that Ford quickly responded to Trump telling him

Ford also added that it would be expanding its lineup in the U.S. by adding trucks, sport utility vehicles, hybrids and electric models and that it would like to get its profit margin in North America to 10 percent. Unfortunately, it wouldnt be profitable enough for the company to fit out a factory to build just 50,000 cars per year, so Trump is out of luck there.

You would think that since Trump always brags about being a businessman he would understand how profit margins work...but sadly that doesnt seem to be the case. His lack of basic knowledge about how tariffs work is astounding. The ones hes already put in place have done nothing but hurt U.S. consumers and the companies that operate here. His escalating problems with China over tariffs are only going to get worse. Were bordering on a trade war with them right now and thats bad news for everyone involved.

Ford Motors Humiliates Trump With Fact Check Of His Morning Tweet Tantrum


(Natural News) If youre looking to get rid of stubborn belly fat, try raiding your spice rack. A preliminary study has suggested that cinnamon may be efficient in preventing fat from settling around the belly, DailyMail.co.uk reported. A study presented at a conference hosted by the American Heart Association found that the spice, commonly used in both sweet and spicy dishes, slowed the fat-storing process and lowered the risk of heart damage caused by eating unhealthy food.

For the study, scientists conducted a series of tests over the course of 12 weeks, during which time a cinnamon supplement was administered to rodents. Results showed that at the end of 12 weeks, rodents were found to have more antioxidant anti-inflammatory molecules which protected their bodies from damages caused by stress. The rodents were also found to weigh less and have a lower amount of belly fat, even if they were consuming a high fat diet.

If these results prove similar in humans, fat reduction and weight loss can be added to the long list of health benefits associated with the favored household spice. In a study published in Pharmacognosy Research, researchers listed the many health benefits of cinnamon:

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Additionally, a study by researchers at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago has found that a sprinkle of cinnamon added to a hot drink, oatmeal, or cereal boosted a brain protein that improved learning ability by enhancing the organization and storage of memory. The same study also attempted to explore the cinnamons potential to reverse changes in the brain caused by Parkinsons disease.

With so many benefits to be enjoyed, adding a dash of cinnamon to all your meals may be worth it.

Cinnamon spice found to help eliminate unwanted body fat


OTTAWA  Canadas lobbying czar says she needs more funding to meet the growing demands of her office and to properly modernize the countrys lobbyist registry.

The federal lobbying commissioners office has not received an increase to its annual budget of $4.5 million since it was first created 10 years ago.

Commissioner Nancy Belanger said she believes more must be done to increase education and outreach efforts to ensure all lobbyists and public office holders understand lobbying rules and to maintain a high level of transparency for the public  but she needs more money to do it.

We will not be able to sustain the level of demands on our staff right now and (on) the registry, Belanger said in an interview.

If we want to be able to modernize, there is no way we will be able to do it with the current budget. Thats clear. So one day we wont be able to put another Band-Aid on it and it will crash.

Half of the offices budget currently pays for salaries, which leaves little for program development, Belanger said, and even less for updating the technical aspects of the registry itself.

As a result, the registry has been forced to forgo more modern features, such as allowing lobbyists to upload information on mobile devices.

We need to modernize our system, but I have such a small budget its very difficult to prioritize and get to it when its so I.T.-based and so expensive.

Belanger, who was appointed as Canadas lobbying watchdog last December, tabled her offices annual report last week.

In 2017-18, some 9,084 lobbyists were registered over the course of the year  the largest total in seven years, and a number thats only expected to grow. Thats why Belanger said she needs to be able to expand her offices capacity.

The monthly communications reports have been going up, everything is increasing, she said.

That enhances the demand on our staff on all fronts, so at some point, with a team of 26 people, theres only so much we can do.

Her office asked Treasury Board for a one-time increase of $3 million over three years over three years to pay for modernizations like a new website and updates to the registry, as well as $700,000 more a year in base funding. No such help materialized in the federal budget.

Belanger said her office is maintaining things for now, but hopes government will consider an increase soon.

Treasury Board did not respond to media inquiries Tuesday.

As for the work of her office, Belanger said she believes theres a lack of knowledge and understanding about what lobbyists do and why her work is important.

For many, lobbying remains a dirty word awash in corruption and secrecy  something thats simply not true in Canada, where stringent rules govern organizations and companies that wish to influence the decision-making powers of government, she argued.

(Lobbyists) appear to have a negative reputation, when in fact the work that they do is good for democracy, Belanger said.

Its good for our public office holders to have the information in order to make decisions that are in the public interest.

Lobbying czar calls for federal investment after 10 years of stagnant funding


LA MALBAIE, Que.  Donald Trumps fellow G7 leaders greeted the presidents aggressive pre-summit bluster with a warm, reassuring breeze in an attempt to bridge their vast divide with him on trade and welcoming Russia back to their fold.

Trump, in turn, responded by using his first public remarks on Canadian soil as president to crack jokes with summit host Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at their bilateral meeting at a scenic Quebec resort overlooking the St. Lawrence River.

The president also offered reassurance that Canada and the U.S. have made progress in their trade dispute over his administrations punishing steel and aluminum tariffs on all the other G7 members.

Trump insisted the Canada-U.S. relationship is as good or better than it has ever been, and he even quipped that there might be a way the badly divided G7 could reach a consensus in their final communique on Saturday.

I think well have a joint statement, Trump said.

The possibility of that seemed far-fetched only hours earlier.

For the past week, it was an open question in Ottawa whether Trump would actually show up, after he imposed the heavy tariffs. The G7 leaders were planning to press him to lift those duties in their opening sessions Friday, egged on by Trumps early morning tweets complaining about unfair trade and Canadas supply management.

Then Trump upped the ante. He mused to reporters at the White House in pre-departure remarks about allowing Russia back into the G7. That moved him squarely offside with most of his fellow G7 leaders, including Trudeau, on one of their most serious, shared international security concerns.

Why are we having a meeting without Russia in the meeting? Trump said at the White House just before departing.

They should let Russia come back in because we should have Russia at the negotiating table.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte  a rookie populist whos been on the job only a week  fuelled the disharmony amongst the G7 by tweeting his support for the U.S. presidents position.

European Council President Donald Tusk expressed broad concern about Trumps opposition to the international rules-based order, because it is being challenged, quite surprisingly, not by the usual suspects but by its main architect and guarantor, the U.S.

We will not stop trying to convince our American friends and President Trump that undermining this order makes no sense at all because it would only play into the hands of those who seek a new post-West order where liberal democracy and fundamental freedoms would cease to exist, said Tusk.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland flatly rejected allowing Russia back into the G7 fold. She listed the reasons why the G7 yanked Russias invitation to the club in 2014, including its invasion of Ukraine, the annexation of Crimea and the recent chemical weapon attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter in the British town of Salisbury.

Freeland said Russia has made it clear with actions like these that it has no interest in following the rules of Western democracies, like those in the G7.

Canadas position is absolutely clear that there are no grounds whatsoever for bringing Russia, with its current behaviour, back into the G7, Freeland said in La Malbaie.

But in a sign of the attempt to lighten the mood, Freeland also said the first leaders working session with Trump on the state of the world economy was a rich and productive discussion.

Freeland said the Russia issue did not come up in any formal way around the G7 tables Friday, although she noted Canada discussed it with allies during bilateral meetings.

She acknowledged that Canada and the U.S. have disagreed on significant issues in the past  such as the Vietnam and Iraq wars  and still have differences today when it comes to things like climate change and the steel and aluminum tariffs.

But she stressed there are many areas where Canada is working closely and effectively together. A major example, she added, is Trumps summit in the coming days with North Koreas Kim Jong Un.

I think one of the results of this G7 leaders meeting will be to talk about the situation on the Korean peninsula and let the U.S. president know, and let the world know, that he will be travelling to Singapore to the meeting with the North Korea with the strong support of his allies, Freeland said.

One source speaking on the condition of anonymity described the overall cordial tone with Trump as an attempt to lay a positive foundation for tougher discussions that would follow.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who was fiercely critical of Trump as recently as Thursday in Ottawa, posted a video of his meeting with the president on Friday that contained a caption out of a Hallmark greeting card.

Pursuing the conversation. Engaging, keeping the dialogue alive, now & ever. Sharing, reaching out, always, to promote the interests of the French people, and all those who believe in a world we can build together, Macron wrote.

Trudeau addressed Trump by his first name off the top of their meeting and offered warm greetings. The two also appeared relaxed in their welcome handshake  despite a harsh, public exchange of insults over the past few days.

Trump injected levity into his photo-op with Trudeau before the start of their meeting. He joked that hed won his trade dispute with Canada on the metal tariffs.

Well Justin, its been really great. And I appreciate, you know, Justin has agreed to cut all tariffs and all trade barriers between Canada and the United States. So Im very happy, Trump said, as the room erupted in laughter.

We are actually working on cutting tariffs in making it all very fair for both countries and weve made a lot of progress today. Well see how it all works out, but weve made a lot of progress.

Before the two leaders went behind closed doors, someone shouted a question at the prime minister to ask if he was disappointed the president intended to leave the summit early on Saturday.

Trump answered for Trudeau with a joke: Hes happy. The quip drew laughs and Trump flashed a big grin.

Trudeau G7 leaders try warm welcoming touch with combative Trump


Tate Modern is on to something.

For its forthcoming exhibition about Pierre Bonnard it is promoting what the curator, Matthew Gale calls slow looking. That is to say, its encouraging visitors to take time to look at pictures at length, for as much as half an hour, especially those that reward careful scrutiny... with details that only reveal themselves gradually. Hes planning slow looking events to help people see the pictures properly by discussing the artists imagery, structure and techniques. The exercise is, he observes, a challenge in this day and age.

Too true. I went to the Chinese gallery at the British Museum this week, to find the institution the equivalent of Piccadilly Circus, about as unpropitious for slow looking as its possible to get. If you want to stand and stare at one of the more famous works youll have to take your turn next to tourists whose object is to take a picture on their phone and then move rapidly on. It bears out a study done by the Metropolitan Museum in New York a year ago, which found the average time taken by a visitor in front of a work of art is 28 seconds. It does make you wonder whether the object of the exercise is to look at a work, or to say youve seen it.

Some museums already encourage slow looking. At Sir John Soanes Museum, for instance, which is fascinating in all sorts of ways, there arent any intrusive labels; visitors are encouraged to put their phones aside and simply to focus on the exhibits. Earlier critics took for granted that looking properly at works of art took time; John Ruskin would write about spending an entire morning in a church looking at its art and architecture. With our notoriously short attention spans, were made of less stern stuff.

But standing in front of a painting with your alarm timed for 30 minutes isnt the way to do it. Kenneth Clark, the celebrated art critic, wrote a book called Looking at Pictures, which discussed how to learn to interrogate a painting. Looking at pictures requires active participation and, in the early stages, a certain amount of discipline, he observed.

He divided the experience into three stages: the first, the general impression of tone and colour  for him, that took about two minutes. Then there is bringing knowledge of the artist to bear on a picture. That engagement keeps the attention fixed on the work. Finally, the picture takes effect, and you may find it changes how you see the world.

Here are some suggestions for works of art in London that repay extended slow looking. Take the time for details to emerge. Read a little about the artist, look at their other works. Seeing a work of art is a matter of moments; looking at it takes time.

G F Watts, a great sculptor as well as a painter, thought that access to great art would have an ennobling effect on the population. Well, you cant get better public access than this, the bronze cast of his monumental sculpture, Physical Energy, bang in the middle of Hyde Park. It is, essentially, a man on a horse, with the rider shading his eyes with his hand. Its colossally elemental; Watts himself described it as that restless physical impulse to seek the still unachieved in the domain of material things. Its an allegory of human and animal vitality and, in its splendid isolation, is both arresting and exhilarating.

The story was that Rembrandt placed this picture behind an actual window, and it was so realistic that passers-by thought the young woman was real. Turns out this wasnt true, but its impossible not to respond to the direct gaze of this girl who looks straight at the viewer, leaning on a stone ledge. We dont know who she is, what she is. She could be a figure from the Old Testament, or a servant; theres a sensuousness about the loose chemise and ruddy complexion. She looks at you; you look at her.

This is a cheat: a series of pictures, not just the one, but its a cracker. Hogarths gravestone in Chiswick observes that his pictured morals change the mind; and through the eye, correct the heart and this is a moral lesson in eight pictures. Its the story of a young man who inherits a fortune, fritters it away in loose living, then sinks down and down into moral turpitude until he ends up in the madhouse. A bracing warning, then, against imprudence and self-indulgence, with enough riveting detail to detain you for at least 30 minutes. If you dont fancy Hogarth, in the same room  theres a wonderful Canaletto.

Its bedlam again on the V&A ground floor now, but on the upper floor, next to the museums wonderful under-visited picture gallery, theres a darkened gallery with this extraordinary series of tapestries that is often near-empty. The original riot of colour in these huge canvases is faded now  some colours predominate as they wouldnt have done originally  but these tapestries, probably from Arras in France and almost certainly executed by women, are still a fabulous fantasy of hunting, courting, rural life, courtly life and snogging. The subject is hunting  otters, swans, bear, deer  but the packed canvases are a riot of all kinds of activity.

Its extraordinary to think that this was painted when the artist was only 19 or 20; it was his calling card, to advertise his skills. It is a genre picture, depicting a humble occupation, but its really a sublime reflection on youth and age and a study in light that recalls Caravaggio. Look at the textures: the shiny glazed ceramic vessel, the unvarnished terracotta, the wool of the old mans tunic, the young ones crumpled linen collar. Look closer; see the fig in the glass, the shadowy figure of a man between the boy and the waterseller. And in this gallery theres space to sit down and contemplate the pictures.

This joyful piece of rococo art shows an older man in the shadows pushing a girl in riotously frothy pink on a swing, with her lover looking at her from below as her slipper flies off and her little dog barks. Look at the statue of Cupid, with his finger to his lips. Its erotic, of course, but its innocent and coquettish and mischievous too. An enchanted world in which we can all take refuge.

Again, this is a cheat: the stations of the cross give you the Passion of Christ in 14 successive panels, and you walk through them in turn. They are carved in low relief in Hopton Wood limestone, and they are marvels of restrained impassive simplicity. They got a dusty reception from critics when they were first put in the Cathedral  grotesque and undevotional was one observation  but this misses the point. The emotion comes from the viewer.

Cezanne once claimed that nature should be treated in terms of three-dimensional geometric shapes, and this landscape has the blocks of colour that we can see as art on the path to abstraction. Its a masterly exercise in colour and form; see how the framing branch of pine curves into the outline of the mountain.

It exudes light and heat; an enormously satisfying picture. Tbh, it was a tough call as to whether to go for this Cezanne, or his Card Players in the same gallery. Try both.

Another man-and-horse bronze sculpture but very different from the Watts. Elisabeth Frink called it an ageless symbol of man and horse, and its curiously immobile, serene, stylised and simple. The rider has no tack, no saddle, not even reins; one hand rests on the horses mane, the other on his flank. Both look to the left; at what, no one knows. Its a serene and enigmatic piece. And in its new position (it was on Dover Street) theres less chance of getting run over during slow looking.

This one is only going on show next year after restoration, but it will be unmissable. Its a self-portrait of this extraordinary woman artist, the first woman member of the artists Academy of the Arts of Drawing in Florence. Artemisia, an artists daughter, was raped by the painter her father brought into his studio to teach her perspective; the trial was a sensation. This self-portrait was painted in the following period and shows her in the guise of the patron saint of scholars. By identifying with this hugely popular virgin martyr, this depiction is an extraordinary act of self-assertion. Its a wonderful portrait, only rediscovered in France last year: itll be worth the wait.

How to make the most of slow looking in London art galleries


Its hardly outlandish for vast segments of the American population to refuse to get on board with the presidents policy platform. He has gone after minorities at every opportunity, peddled sexism, and sought to undercut the nations regulatory system at the expense of the environment. Thats not exactly a platform poised to be very popular among those who dont live in the GOPs ivory towers.

In that light, Democrats are gearing up for a blue wave this fall in the midterm elections. The Democrats have to take about two dozen seats in the U.S. House and two seats in the U.S. Senate in order to become the majority party in the respective chambers, and Democratic candidates chances are looking pretty good.

In addition to the national races, there are, of course, numerous lower level races set to play out this fall too, and down in Florida last week, weve now gotten another glimpse into how those lower level races might play out.

Last Tuesday, Democrat Javier Fernandez won the race to represent Florida House district 114 in the state legislature, beating out Republican Andrew Vargas by approximately four percent. The race culminated in the last legislative special election in Florida before the midterms later this year; the race was sparked by the resignation of Democrat Daisy Baez in the face of what the Miami Herald terms a residency scandal.

Before Baez, the district Fernandez won this week was represented by Republican Erik Fresen, who was busted in a massive tax evasion scheme that covered the years he was in the Florida House.

Fernandezs victory comes after a string of special election victories for Democrats in the state of Florida, which Donald Trump won by a thin margin in the 2016 presidential election. In September of last year, Democrat Annette Taddeo won a state Senate race in the south Dade area, and more recently, Democrat Margaret Good won a state House race in the Sarasota area.

Florida Democratic Party chairwoman Terrie Rizzo summed up the developments by commenting:

Seats in Floridas government ranging from the legislature to the governors office itself will be available later this year in the midterm elections, so well have to wait and see how the current Democratic surge plays out in the broader course of the state.

In the meantime, Democrats have not only enjoyed a string of special election victories in Florida. Across the country, Democrats have picked up dozens of seats formerly held by Republicans. Among the most prominent victories are no doubt those of Doug Jones and Conor Lamb in Alabama and Pennsylvania, respectively.

If Democrats are able to become the majority party in even one house of Congress, it will set up a major roadblock to the implementation of the presidents agenda. He will have far less of a clear shot to seeing some of his most incendiary promises become reality.

Democrat Stuns America Wins Special Election In Major Red State GOP Enters Spiral


Nigel Farage revealed the EU is offering an alternative to an extended transition period that would avoid the UK becoming a rule-taker and a vassal state but would keep Britain shackled to the EU for longer.

The former Ukip leader told Sky News there is a possibility he will stand for re-election to the European Parliament as a suspension of Article 50 could be agreed as an alternative to an extension to the Brexit transition period.

The British MEP argued the alternative would give Britain an extended seat at the table but would inevitably mean the UK extending its membership to the EU indefinitely.

Farage Eyes Re-Election for Brexit Shock Solution


### Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

 Donat Sorokin/TASS

TOKYO, September 14. /TASS/. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday
he expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in November and
December.

"Russian-Japanese top-level meetings in November and December will be truly
important," Abe said during Friday debates in the run-up to the election of
the ruling Liberal Democratic Partys leader.

Abe did not elaborate on the possible venue of those talks. However, according
to public sources, both leaders may attend the 2018 East Asia Summit in
Singapore.

Commenting on the Russian leaders proposal to sign a peace treaty by the end
of the year, the Japanese premier said that Putin was "truly committed to the
idea of signing" this document, but Japans official stance is that "the peace
treaty should be signed after the territorial problem is solved."

During the Eastern Economic Forums plenary session on September 12, Putin
suggested concluding a peace treaty between Moscow and Tokyo without any
preconditions before the end of the year. Commenting on the initiative, the
Japanese Foreign Ministry told TASS that Tokyo would engage in talks with
Russia on the peace treaty only after the territorial dispute is settled.

Since the mid-20th century, Russia and Japan have been holding consultations
in order to clinch a peace treaty as a follow-up to World War II. The Kuril
Islands issue remains the sticking point since after WWII the islands were
handed over to the Soviet Union while Japan has laid claims to the four
southern islands. In 1956, the two countries signed a common declaration on
ending the state of war and restoring diplomatic and all other relations,
however, a peace treaty has still not been reached. Moscow has stated many
times that Russias sovereignty over the islands could not be questioned.

In other media

Japanese prime minister expects to meet with Putin in November December


Mitch McConnell is the butt of Republican jokes, and if it werent for the way he looks, he would probably be less of a target for jokesters. Probably not though, because, while Mitch is hard to look at, he also makes some of the dumbest remarks imaginable. Now, Americans are fed up.

McConnell was surprised Friday night while dining out with his wife at a Cuban restaurant.

The Kentucky Senator was eating dinner with his wife at Havana Rumba in Louisville, when 4 men confronted Mitch. The main aggressor screams at McConnell, Why dont you get out of here?  Why dont you leave the entire country? The woman who shot the video tells us, before she started recording, the main aggressor slammed his fists down on McConnells table, grabbed his doggie bag and threw the food out the door of the restaurant. The woman says the main gripe seemed to be the Senators stance on Social Security and health care.  McConnell recently said entitlement programs are the main cause of massive debt. The woman says before she started shooting, the main aggressor was screaming that McConnell was killing people with his views. McConnell kept his cool and afterward thanked some of his supporters, shaking their hands. And theres this ... the woman who shot the video says before McConnell left there appeared to be some dispute over the bill. They talked to the waiter and restaurant manager and apparently resolved it.

In the video, a man can be heard shouting at McConnell and his wife Why dont you get out of here?! Why dont you leave the entire country. McConnell sits uncomfortably while the altercation continues.

Mitch McConnell Just Tried Going Out In Public Karma Hit Instantly


Mick Fleetwood has spoken about guitarist and co-vocalist Lindsey Buckingham's departure from Fleetwood Mac, ahead of the band's upcoming tour of North America.

Buckingham left the group in April after a 40-year career, and it was later announced that he would be replaced on tour by Mike Campbell [Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers] and Neil Finn [Crowded House].

His departure from the band caused shock for fans, particularly given the conflicting statements issued by himself and the remaining members of the band.

At the time, Buckingham claimed he was fired and accused the band of "losing perspective". Speaking to Billboard, Fleetwood has now said he remains positive for the future of the band.

"Obviously this is a huge change with the advent of Lindsey Buckingham not being a part of Fleetwood Mac," he said.

"We all wish him well and all the rest of it. In truthful language, we just weren't happy. And I'll leave it at that in terms of the dynamic."

He praised Campbell and Finn as he spoke about rehearsals for the tour, and added: "If you know anything about the history of this band, it's sort of peppered with this type of dramatic stuff. It's a strange band, really.

"It's ironic that we have a 50-year package coming out with all the old blues stuff with Peter Green, all the incarnations of Fleetwood Mac, which was not of course planned."

Fleetwood Mac's tour of North America begins in October this year and runs until April 2019.

Mick Fleetwood speaks out over Lindsey Buckinghamaposs departure from Fleetwood Mac ahead of North


Dr Christine Blasey Ford, the woman testifying that a US Supreme Court nominee sexually assaulted her, was faced by a sea of men in suits as she relived her ordeal at an historic hearing on Thursday.

Blasey Ford told the Senate Judiciary Committee that she feared Judge Brett Kavanaugh  President Donald Trumps nominee for the highest court in the States  would rape her in an assault 36 years ago. He denies the allegations

As the terrified professor of psychology recounted the events which took place, which she said have been seared into my memory and have haunted me episodically as an adult, a panel of all-male Republicans looked back at her.

An image of the room soon went viral on social media, with a number of prominent writers and commentators voiced their weariness  with many making comparisons to Margaret Atwoods 1985 dystopian novel, The Handmaids Tale.

The book, recently adapted into a popular television series, centres on the patriarchal oppression of women after a US liberal government has been overthrown and and renamed the Republic of Gilead.

New Yorker writer Osita Nwanevu tweeted a picture of the scene, and wrote: This is what Christine Blasey Ford is looking at as she describes her sexual assault. The tweet quickly gathered speed with tens of thousands of retweets.

Dr Christine Blasey Ford Details Sexual Assault Allegations To A Room Packed Full Of Men


Trumps son-in-law and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner may be out the door soon as his relations with other countries become even more problematic. Kushner and his wife are already in financial crisis after accumulating millions of dollars in debt in 2017, and he may also be one of the worst real estate investors ever.

On Tuesday, according to The Washington Post:

Then nations specifically discussing how to influence Kushner to their advantage are the United Arab Emirates, China, Israel, and Mexico. The Post reported:

Last week, Kushners security clearance was downgraded last week from the top-secret to secret level, meaning he would no longer have the same access he has had to highly classified information.

According to The Post:

H.R. McMaster, President Trumps national security adviser, learned that Kushner had contacts with foreign officials that he did not coordinate through the National Security Council or officially report. The issue of foreign officials talking about their meetings with Kushner and their perceptions of his vulnerabilities was a subject raised in McMasters daily intelligence briefings, according to the current and former officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

Even from the beginning, the White House saw Kushners  lack of government experience and his business debt as potential points of leverage that foreign governments could use to influence him. Not only that, but these contacts could have legal implications.

Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III has been investigating Kushners foreign contacts as well. The Post reported:

What has been problematic is that for a senior White House aide, his combination of business arrangements and foreign entanglements is strangely complicated. Kushner needs top security clearance to perform the jobs that Trump hands down to him which include negotiating foreign trade deals and overseeing the Middle East peace process. However, his behavior while in office and the fact he has been stripped of some of his security clearance, heightens concerns.

White House security adviser H.R. McMaster was a bit shocked when he learned of some of Kushners foreign contacts. One official said:

According to this official, McMaster:

Council spokesman, Michael Anton, spoke about the relationship between Kushner and McMaster, saying:

It is not out of the ordinary for foreign governments to discuss ways they can influence senior officials in all administrations though. One person familiar with intelligence intercepts of foreign officials said:

Still, all of this has the White House becoming even more skeptical of Kushner in recent days. He is on a slippery slope.

JUST IN Foreign Corruption Bombshell Rocks White House WaPost Strikes Again


(Natural News) The communist Chinese government is using internet surveillance, AI and data collection to revolutionize their society  but not in a good way. Combined with a social credit score, Chinese citizens are now facing digital totalitarianism, as the government harnesses technological prowess and turns it into absolute power.

Currently, there are multiple initiatives to gather more data about people and corporations. This data is then used to inform decisions and policies, and the government devises systems of incentives and punishments to control peoples behavior. Even owning too many books may result in a person getting flagged by the government.

Technology that was once used to support the free sharing of information has been corrupted, and is now being used to control the masses and penalize so-called dissenters. But this isnt just a problem in China: Recall the massive tech-sponsored censorship of conservative voices here in the United States. Across the board, technology is now being used for a sinister purpose: To quash freedom.

As Technology Review explains, China has been seeking to make its citizens more modern and more governable since at least the 1980s, when the implications of information technology were first realized. The nations current leader, Xi Jinping, has turned to AI, surveillance and data collection to better understand (and control) his constituents. After becoming the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in 2012, Xi has demanded cyber sovereignty to bolster censorship efforts and take complete control of the nations internet.

Many of Xis aspirations involve increasing the countrys technological prowess; one of his most lofty goals is for China to become the world leader for artificial intelligence by 2030. At a meeting of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi reportedly stated that technology was vital to the great goal of building a socialist and modernized nation.

An official from the U.S. says that Xi used to receive daily briefings on social disturbances and public concerns via data scraped from social media.

But the most encompassing initiative to control the masses is the recently implemented social credit score system, by far. The goal of the system, which targets both individuals and businesses is the construction of sincerity in government affairs, commercial sincerity, and judicial credibility. China hopes to have the credit system fully implemented by 2020. Local governments are already adopting smaller-scale social credit systems.

Under Chinas ludicrous social credit score system, citizens are either rewarded or penalized for their actions. Those who end up on the blacklist may be barred from flying, from purchasing a home, or even from sending their kids to private school. Journalist Liu Hu says he was banned from flying because he was on a list of untrustworthy people. Chinese courts demanded that he apologize for a series of tweets he wrote  but ultimately, the courts decided his apology was insincere.

I cant buy property. My child cant go to a private school, Liu stated.

You feel youre being controlled by the list all the time, he added.

Earlier this year, Xiao Qiang, a professor of communications at the University of California-Berkeley, called Chinas data-driven approach to government a digital totalitarian state. Algorithms are being used in the province of Xinjiang, for instance, to predict who may be likely to commit future acts of violence or defiance.

What, precisely, will get you flagged is unknown, but it is believed that even owning too many books will put a target on your back. Is this going to be Americas future, too? With left-wing dogma taking over the world of tech, you never know.

Chinas police state algorithm flags citizens who own too many books because now even thats susp


Boris Johnsons allies will urge him to launch another bus tour to stir up opposition to Theresa Mays Brexit plans at a crunch meeting of eurosceptics next week.

HuffPost UK has learned the former Foreign Secretary, who quit the Government over its negotiating stance with the EU, will be pressured into hitting the road in the run up to the Conservative Party conference in September.

The roadshow would focus on firing up grassroots Tories to oppose Mays so-called Chequers Agreement.

Johnson will hold a meeting with his closest allies next week to thrash out the details of the roadshow, but an influential pro-Brexit MP confirmed to HuffPost UK the idea of replicating the bus campaign used in the 2016 EU referendum campaign would be on the table.

It seems Johnson would require some persuasion, with a source close to the former London Mayor ruling out another bus tour.

Johnson will be urged to go on tour by other Tory MPs who share his concerns the Chequers Agreement will leave the UK tied to EU rules on goods and agri-foods without having any influence on those laws.

Asked about the plans for a new bus tour, a senior Tory Brexiteer MP confirmed that was one of the options being considered, adding: Theres a lot going on, people are trying to work out what can be done without tearing the party in two.

A source close to Johnson admitted the planning meeting is scheduled for next week, saying: Something is definitely in the offing. We want to make it clear that we are still campaigning for a proper Brexit.

Johnson is already planning to cause a stir at the four-day Tory party conference in Birmingham, scheduled to start on September 30.  The Sun has reported he will deliver a key-note speech at a fringe meeting  likely to become the main event for anti-Chequers Tories at the gathering.

One ally of Johnson told the Sun: Boris has always been the biggest draw at party conference.

He will make the fringe meeting look like the conference hall and the conference hall will look like a fringe meeting.

Johnsons presence on the Vote Leave bus became one of the most iconic images of the 2016 EU Referendum campaign.

The bus was emblazoned with the slogan We send the EU 350 million a week  lets fund our NHS instead  a claim that was contested as the figure did not reflect the money returned to the UK from Brussels.

Boris Johnson Urged To Consider Another Bus Tour To Campaign For Brexit


(Natural News) Targeting for elimination yet another racist policy carried over from the Obama era, the Trump administration is calling on colleges and universities across the country to stop discriminating against Asians and whites with unfair affirmative action admissions policies.

In a recent statement, Attorney General Jeff Sessions delineated the administrations new guidelines on the matter, explaining that they aim to undo the state-sponsored policies of discrimination imposed by Obama in order to promote diversity in education.

The Department of Education (DOE), in conjunction with the Department of Justice (DOJ), is basically advising schools to base their admissions standards on factors like merit and character, rather than skin color, which will naturally draw in a diverse grouping of students.

These proposed changes come in response to an ongoing lawsuit against Harvard University, which alleges that the Ivy League has been unfairly discriminating against Asians in order to admit more blacks and other racial minorities.

When issuing regulations, federal agencies must abide by constitutional principles and follow the rules set forth by Congress and the President, Sessions stated in an announcement, referring to Obama-issued guidelines that the Trump administration says are in violation of what the Supreme Court has already ruled.

Documents issued by the Obama administration both in 2011 and 2016 go far beyond what the law allows, the Trump administration claims. They also mislead schools into believing that legal forms of affirmative action are somehow simpler to achieve than whats legally provisioned under the law.

In previous administrations, however, agencies often tried to impose new rules on the American people without any public notice or comment period, simply by sending a letter or posting a guidance document on a website. Thats wrong, and its not good government, Sessions added.

Immediately following news of the new recommendations, Obama DOJ appointee Anurima Bargava, who was in charge of enforcing civil rights in schools under Obama, issued her own statement of disapproval concerning the new guidelines.

Hardly surprising was Bargavas pulling of the race card in claiming that the Supreme Court has ruled twice in reaffirming the importance of diversity in education.

This is a purely political attack that benefits nobody, she stated to the media.

But if the current legal filings against Harvard are any indication, they would seem to suggest that Asians and whites alike will both benefit from this alleged attack. The only ones who wont benefit are those whove gotten used to being treated like academic superstars simply because of their ethnic heritage.

And while the Supreme Court has, in fact, ruled in favor of affirmative action policies, Justice Anthony Kennedy, who recently announced his retirement from the bench, once stated otherwise concerning their future in American education.

He argued that institutions of higher learning need to continually review their affirmative action policies in order to assess both their positive and negative effects, which is exactly what the Trump administration is right now encouraging them to do.

This seems more likely than ever as President Trump considers a replacement for Justice Kennedy  one who will more than likely lean to the right as opposed to the left.

More than that, there are also other ways to bring in a more diverse student body that dont involve actively discriminating against Asians and whites, which appears to have become the norm on many college campuses. These include considering applicants socioeconomic backgrounds, eliminating early admissions programs, and increasing community college transfers.

Schools could also better consider the personal scores that they assign to prospective students, which gauge the character of applicants. Data consistently shows that Asians score the lowest on these personal tests compared to people of other ethnicities, suggesting the need for a more balanced admissions approach.

Trump administration orders universities to stop being racist against Asians


During his interview with 60 Minutes that was broadcast Sunday night, President Donald Trump regularly dodged questions and criticized the medias dishonesty when interviewer Lesley Stahl pushed back on his non-answers.

As Stahl pressed Trump on whether he intended to consider bringing back the family separation policy at the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump deflected and maintained that the policy was started by former President Barack Obama.

It was on the books, but he didnt enforce it. You enforced it, Stahl said.

Stahl pressed Trump on what his immigration policy actually is multiple times before Trump bemoaned that the 60 Minutes interviewer was treating him differently than she had treated Obama.

I disagree, but I dont want to have that fight with you, she said.

Leslie, its okay, he said. In the meantime, Im president and youre not.

Trump Upset About 60 Minutes Questions Im President And Youre Not


San Francisco will be deploying a newly-formed Poop Patrol to mitigate the citys now-infamous crisis of human waste in public areas.

A team of five Public Works staffers will begin patrolling the alleys around Polk Street and other hot spots in a vehicle equipped with a steam cleaner, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Poop Patrol will work to remove feces before locals have a chance to report incidents to a city 311 hotline  which has already received nearly 15,000 such complaints thus far in 2018, the Chronicle reports.

Were trying to be proactive, said Mohammed Nuru, Director of Public Works. Were actually out there looking for it.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed recently told local media that there is more feces on the sidewalks than Ive ever seen.

Infowars has documented the on-going decay of San Francisco and other regions along the West Coast, where socialist policies have led to rampant homelessness, drug abuse, and a mounting health emergency.

A grievance filed recently with the California Department of Transportation by the International Union of Operating Engineers alleged that the health and safety of highway maintenance personnel were being jeopardized because they were forced to clean up toxic homeless encampments.

Feces and urine and feminine products and all kinds of things on the ground; needles, syringes  you know they use buckets, five-gallon buckets for toilets, and it gets really disgusting, said Director of Public Employees, Steve Crouch.

In Oregon, Portland Police Association President Daryl Turner issued a public statement last month blasting city officials for allowing the city to become a cesspool.

Livability that once made Portland a unique and vibrant city is now replaced with human feces in businesses doorways, in our parks, and on our streets, Turner wrote.

San Francisco Poop Patrol to Tackle Citys Fecal Crisis


Its a week of both dystopian dreams and feverish fantasies as two dance troupes bring two very different shows to the table.

Elsewhere, get prepping your Christmas prezzies and follow the white rabbit into a wintery wonderland.

Heres the best of what to get up to this week.

Based on the hit films Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL comes a steamy live production. Set on a 360 degree surround stage, the show mixes dance, acrobatics, striptease and drama, conceived and produced by Channing Tatum himself. Who knows? He may even make an appearance.

Six months worth of heats culminate in the grand final of the citys biggest gin competition. Sixteen brands have been whittled down to four, and drinkers can decide the overall winner at Graphic Bar on Monday. Youll get a cocktail with each spirit in to help make your mind up.

Dancers Honki Want and Sebastien Ramirez took inspiration from composer Nitin Sawhneys album Dystopian Dream to devise this show about loss, isolation and continuity. The collaboration combines choreography, live music and theatre on the Sadlers Wells stage.

Tumble into a rabbit hole of adventure in Southwark Park. A massive 160 giant lanterns are on display to tell the story of Alice in Wonderland, with an illuminated Cheshire Cat, Queen of Hearts and life-size Mad Hatter's Tea Party. A total of 29 immersive scenes make this a magical interactive experience for the whole family.

Hidden stories from the Stonewall Riots, 1970s drag scene and AIDs activism come into the spotlight at the West Ends Duchess Theatre to raise money for the 56 Dean Street clinic. Alexis Gregorys one man show uses the words of three figures in recent gay history, followed by a Q&A.

Its without a doubt Christmas shopping time, so Columbia Roads finest are keeping their doors open well into the evening on Wednesday to give you more time to pick up your gifts. The road, famous for its flower market, is also home to one of Londons finest Christmas tree purveyors, so pick up your seasonal sapling here.

Comedian Mawaan Rizwan sold out his Edinburgh Fringe run, has more than 18 million views on YouTube and is very much on the rise. He brings some friends with to Aces and Eights for an evening of super-woke comedy.

Zak Ghazi-Torbati and Toby Marlow present a seasonal treat, taking you back in time with a Christmas Carol-style show. Its from the writing team behind West End musical Six , so is sure to be filled with smashing original songs.

Wright Brothers Battersea is throwing a birthday party on Wednesday to celebrate its first birthday. Naturally, the exclusive five-course menu (at 40 or 65 with a wine pairing) will be fish-heavy, consisting of oysters, octopus and monkfish as well as sorbet and cheesecake.

Things to do in London this week


Incoming Garda Commissioner Drew Harris made a point of bringing a copy of the Patten Commission report with him when interviewed by The Irish Times late last year. The then PSNI deputy chief constable was considering applying for the big Garda job, although at the time he kept his intentions to himself.

A seminal document was how he described the 128-page report. It is looked at right across the world, Harris added.

Harris likely to bring experience of PSNI reform to Garda role


BERLIN, August 19. /TASS/. The agenda of Russian President Vladimir Putin does
not include a meeting to discuss a presidential aides idea to withdraw excess
revenues from Russias mining and chemical enterprises, Kremlin spokesman
Dmitry Peskov said.

"There is no [such meeting on his agenda], the president cannot chair meetings
on all issues currently being studied by the government," he said.

"There is an expert point of view [on the issue], and there is also the
presidents consent to study the matter," he said, adding that the president
will express his opinion of the initiative after the government studies it.

The idea to withdraw 513.7 bln rubles ($7.7 bln) worth of bumper revenues from
Russias top mining, chemical and petrochemical companies was previously
proposed by presidential aide Andrey Belousov in a letter to Vladimir Putin.
The proposal relies on the fact that the tax rate in those industries is lower
than that in the oil sector, while the profitability is higher. According to
Belousov, the money can be spent on the implementation of the May presidential
decree.

The list of companies include NLMK, Severstal, Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel
Works, Mechel, Metalloinvest, Evraz, Norilsk Nickel, Alrosa, Polyus, Sibur,
Uralkali, Phosagro and others.

This initiative will be discussed at the meeting of Russian First Deputy Prime
Minister Anton Siluanov and representatives of major companies on August 24.

In other media

Putin has no plans to attend discussion on extra revenues of mining chemical firms


Theresa May could face a leadership challenge within the next 24 hours amid the fallout over her Brexit deal, it was reported today.

Political sources have claimed a vote of confidence could be forced through by lunchtime on Thursday as the prime minister faces a fierce backlash from both sides of the Brexit divide.

Mrs May cleared the first hurdle when Cabinet ministers finally approved the draft terms of her EU withdrawal agreement at a stormy five-hour meeting on Wednesday.

But she now faces a battle to get it through Parliament as Brexiteer Conservative MPs - as well as some Remainers - condemned the plan, accusing her of breaking promises and handing control back to Brussels.

The BBCs political editor Laura Kuenssberg reported: One senior Tory told me tonight there is likely to be a move against the prime minister in the next 24 hours.

Another said they would be amazed if enough objections to start a contest hadn't emerged by lunchtime.

She added that this could be the moment the Tory party falls into a leadership contest almost by mistake.

Rumours continue at Westminster that the tally of Conservative MPs who have submitted letters of no confidence in Mrs May is about to reach the 48 threshold needed to trigger a vote on her position.

ITV political editor Robert Peston also fuelled rumours that a vote of no confidence was imminent, claiming a source told him there would be enough letters to force one by lunch on Thursday.

Tory Brexiters become angrier and angrier as they wade through 585 pages of the Withdrawal Agreement, he wrote.

They tell me there will be enough letters in with Brady of [the committee] by lunch tomorrow to force vote of confidence!

Nicola Sturgeon, appearing on Pestons show on Wednesday night, said she wouldnt put money on Mrs May still being prime minister on March 29, the day the UK is due to formally leave the EU.

She said: The prime minister has proved to be resilient over the last month so you know lets not count her out in that respect.

I thought, and remember Im doing this interview just after shes made her statement, all sorts of things could have changed, but I thought her language about the collective decision of the Cabinet not a unanimous decision said something, I thought her body language looked very shaky and I wouldnt rule out cabinet resignations tonight, obviously I dont know that thats going to happen and right now I cannot see how she gets this deal through the House of Commons.

Now you know a week is a long time in politics as the old saying goes and in this climate a day, a few hours, is a long time in politics but right now things are looking extremely dicey for the Prime Minister and who knows whether shell still be in office by the end of the week, let alone by the 29th of March.

Following the release of the 585-page agreement document, Jacob Rees-Mogg - the leader of the pro-Brexit European Research Group - wrote to all Tory MPs urging them to vote against it.

Rumours continued to swirl at Westminster that the tally of Conservative MPs who have submitted letters of no confidence in Mrs May is about to reach the 48 threshold needed to trigger a vote on her position.

"Certainly this has dented my confidence," he told ITV's Peston programme. "Politics depends on trust and this document is shattering to trust."

While the Cabinet agreed to collectively support the agreement, there was speculation that some ministers were so unhappy that they could still quit in protest.

Reports suggested as many as a third of the 28 ministers attending the meeting in No 10 voiced doubts about the deal.

Nick Timothy, Theresa May's former chief of staff, wrote in the Daily Telegraph that Parliament will "surely" reject the proposal.

"The proposal presented to Cabinet is a capitulation," he wrote.

"Worse, it is a capitulation not only to Brussels but to the fears of the British negotiators themselves, who have shown by their actions that they never believed Brexit could be a success.

"This includes, I say with the heaviest of hearts, the Prime Minister."

Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey was said to be particularly upset amid reports she was shouted down after she tried to press for the agreement to be put to a vote.

Mrs May described the debate around the Cabinet table as "long, detailed and impassioned", in a clear indication her proposals had come under intense challenge from ministers.

Speaking outside 10 Downing Street minutes after the meeting concluded, she acknowledged she faced "difficult days ahead" as she attempts to win round critical MPs.

"I firmly believe, with my head and my heart, that this is a decision which is in the best interests of the United Kingdom," she said.

At the same time she warned Brexiteers that if they failed to back her plan they risked ending up with "no Brexit at all".

Chief Whip Julian Smith has said he is confident the Government will get the support of Parliament for the deal.

But with the DUP - whose 10 MPs prop up Mrs May in the Commons - voicing their unhappiness at the agreement, and the prospect of a significant Tory backbench revolt it is hard to see how ministers can make the numbers add up.

Jeremy Corbyn again made clear that Labour was unlikely to come to the Government's rescue.

"I don't believe that the deal that I've heard of so far is in the national interest. It doesn't meet the interests of all parts of Britain, it doesn't give us a security of our trading relationship with Europe in the future," he said.

Meanwhile European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker issued a statement that "decisive progress" had been made, clearing the way for a special summit for leaders of the remaining 27 EU states to give their stamp of approval, probably on November 25.

Senior UK Government officials said the final text of the withdrawal agreement featured important gains for the UK on the so-called backstop arrangements to be implemented if no trade deal can be reached.

The outline political declaration - which will be subject to further negotiation over the coming weeks - expresses an ambition to achieve zero tariffs and no quotas in EU-UK trade, something the officials said no other major economy had achieved.

The facilitated customs arrangements and "common rulebook" proposed in Mrs May's Chequers plan are replaced by the concept of a "sliding scale" of commitments and market access, which means the UK would not be tied to an off-the-shelf deal of the kind previously offered to countries such as Canada.

Under backstop arrangements designed to keep the Irish border open, if no trade deal is agreed by the end of the transition period in December 2020, a temporary "EU-UK single customs territory" would be established.

This could be terminated only by mutual consent of Brussels and London but each side would be legally bound to make "best endeavours" to bring it to an end by sealing a permanent deal on their future relations.

There will be a provision to allow the two sides to extend the transition to a fixed date rather than activate the backstop.

A five-person arbitration panel, with two representatives of each side and one independent member, will be set up to rule on disputes, with the chair chosen by drawing lots if members cannot agree.

Brexit news latest Theresa May could face leadership challenge aposwithin 24 hoursapos amid fur


July 1. Mubarek Ali, a 35-year-old former ringleader of a Telford child sex abuse gang, was sent back to prison after breaching the terms of his parole.

In 2012, Ali was sentenced to 22 years in prison for child prostitution offenses, but he was automatically released in 2017 after serving only five years. Telford MP Lucy Allan said that there are many questions to be answered about why Ali was released, and also about how the justice system treats so-called grooming cases:

Now he is back in jail, justice demands that he must serve the remainder of his sentence in custody; anything less would show a casual disregard for the nature of his crimes and for the victims whose lives he changed forever.

July 2. Abdul Rauf, a 51-year-old imam from Rochdale, was imprisoned for one year and five months after admitting to assaulting more than 20 children at a mosque. Inspector Phil Key, of Greater Manchester Police, said:

Abdul Rauf is a nasty, bully of a man who beat the children in his classes until it became normalised. The children were left cowering and holding onto their ears, their arms and their legs after he repeatedly used violence as a punishment. The parents of the children had no idea that they were leaving their children in the care of a man who would leave them writhing in pain and covered in marks and bruises.

Rauf is a different defendant to 49-year-old Abdul Rauf, formerly of Rochdale, who was convicted as part of a child sex gang that targeted girls as young as 13 in the town.

July 3. A judge in Iraq said that British jihadis found in the country would be executed by hanging. Abdul Sattar Beraqdar, spokesman for the Supreme Judicial Council, said that such a form of capital punishment would be good for British security:

The punishment, as much as it seems strong, will affect the security of your country. I am sure there are hundreds of people in Britain at this moment thinking of committing similar crimes. Thats why we, as Iraqis, if we are tough in sentencing these people, they will think thoroughly before taking any action.

Some 800 Britons have journeyed to Syria and Iraq to fight for the Islamic State, with 130 killed in the conflict, according to British officials, but it is unclear how many British jihadis have been captured or have faced the death penalty. A British Foreign Office spokesman said: We oppose the death penalty in all cases.

July 5. Laurel Ellis, a conservative candidate for a council by-election in Merthyr Tydfil, a town in Wales, was suspended after sharing social media posts that were critical of Islam. Labour Assembly Member Dawn Bowden said that the posts were Islamophobic. A spokesman for the Welsh Conservatives said that the party seeks to reach out to, and represent, all communities and people from all walks of life in Wales.

July 6. Police in London revealed that they intervened to stop a suspected child sex party at kebab shop in Bethnal Green. So-called uck parties involve young girls being plied with alcohol and drugs before older men have sex with them. Authorities in Tower Hamlets, which has the highest percentage of Muslim residents in England and Wales, have since revoked the kebab shops alcohol license.

July 7. The Daily Mail reported that Imran Waheed, a 41-year-old psychiatrist with the National Health Service in Birmingham, is also working as an expert witness to British courts, even though he is an Islamist who has said he does not believe in democracy and is not obedient to secular law. In a BBC interview he said: Ive got no respect for any law other than Allahs, so I dont care about the law to be honest... I care for the law of Islam. I dont care for the law of any man.

July 8. An opinion essay published by the Guardian claimed that a new a new art exhibition in Florence reveals the deep connection between Europe and Islam:

Embodied in the Renaissance view is certainly a sense of Islam as the other. But it is intertwined with curiosity, respect, even awe. There is a willingness, too, to reach beyond the otherness of Islam and to see the Muslim world not as demonic or exotic but as a variant of the European experience....

Yet, at a time when many politicians present Islam as alien to the European experience, such shows are a useful reminder of how historically deeply intertwined are the worlds of Europe and Islam.

July 9. Amanda Spielman, the head of Ofsted, the schools regulator, accused Muslim groups of having a sense of religious and/or cultural entitlement and attempting to exert an outsize influence on school policy:

... for some children, school may be the only time in their lives that they spend time every day with people from outside their immediate ethnic or religious group, or at least where the values of people outside their own group can be explained and openly discussed....

Islamist extremists  particularly fuelled by the online propaganda of Daesh and others  prey on a sense of isolation and alienation in some minority communities.

July 12. Thousands of Muslim pupils in Blackburn, Burnley, Hyndburn, Nelson, Preston and Rawtenstall were instructed to boycott all school meals when they return to class in September. The move follows the decision by the Lancashire County Council to stop supplying schools with only halal meat from pre-stunned sheep and cattle.

July 13. Sophie Rahman, the former head teacher of Eton Community School, a primary school in Ilford, was banned for life from teaching after it emerged that she had allowed the London Bridge jihadi Khuram Butt to teach after-school Arabic classes at the facility. Butt reportedly told children that non-Muslims were the worst creatures and that it was okay for them to lie to their parents. A panel found Rahman guilty of unacceptable professional conduct. She confirmed that the last day that Butt taught the children was June 2, 2017. The next day, Butt, along with Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba, plowed a van into people on London Bridge before launching a knife rampage around Borough Market. The attackers were shot dead by police officers.

July 15. Samantha Lewthwaite, a 34-year-old British convert to Islam, was reported to be recruiting suicide bombers to target summer holidaymakers in Britain, Cyprus, Greece, Spain and Turkey. The mother-of-four  known as the White Widow after her jihadi husband killed himself and 26 others in the 2005 London suicide bombings  was feared to have recruited up to 30 jihadis, who have been taught how to build suicide vests and choose their own targets. An intelligence source said:

The White Widow hates Britain and everything the West stands for. She has completely turned her back on her country and her former life. She has mentored dozens of female terrorists and favours white converts to Islam because she feels they attract less suspicion by the security services.

July 17. The Independent reported on an inquiry which found that the British government received information detailing the activities of Muslim pedophile gangs in Rotherham as far back as 2002 but failed properly to act on it, apparently out of fear of being accused of racism. A large-scale inquiry was not launched until a decade later, after a Times report on the scale of grooming in Britain provoked a national scandal. Sarah Champion, Labour MP for Rotherham, said it was clear that the Home Office knew about child sexual exploitation in Rotherham since 2002:

Why, when so many in authority knew the scale and severity of this crime, did it take until 2014, with the publication of the Jay report, for a large-scale investigation to occur? How many lives could have been protected if swift action had been taken a decade before?

July 18. Naaimur Zakariyah Rahman, a 20-year-old British-Bangladeshi jihadi from North London, was found guilty of plotting to behead Prime Minister Theresa May. The court heard how Rahman, who was the focus of a sting operation mounted by counter-terrorism officers from the Metropolitan police and MI5, told undercover officers of his plans:

I want to do a suicide bomb on Parliament. I want to attempt to kill Theresa May. There are lorries [trucks] here with big gas tankers, if a brother can drive it next to Parliament I will bomb. [God willing] will be very big if Im successful. I cant mess up. I cant get [martyrdom] if I get caught.

July 20. Khalid Ali, a 28-year-old plumber-turned-jihadi from London, was handed three life sentences with a minimum term of 40 years in prison for plotting a knife attack on MPs and police outside the Houses of Parliament. Ali had three knives when he was arrested by armed police in Parliament Square on April 2017 following surveillance by counter-terrorism police. Ali spent five years in Afghanistan, where he made Taliban bombs used to maim and kill British and NATO troops. In an interview with officers, Ali said he wanted to deliver a message to British leaders telling them to leave Muslim lands, destroy the state of Israel and release prisoners of war. I would consider myself as a mujahid [Islamic warrior], he added. Jihad is what we do.

July 20. Former Prime Minister David Cameron said it is a mistake to understand terrorism as a clash between Christianity and Islam.

Listening to Trump makes me feel that it is a clash between Christianity and Islam. It is wrong, Cameron said at an interactive session organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce...

According to Cameron, it was, indeed, a clash within Islam  between the civilised ones who want to practice their faith peacefully and those who had taken a radicalised and perverted view of the religion.

July 21. The Sunday Telegraph reported that former Prime Minister Tony Blair was being paid 9 million ($11.5 million) to advise the government of Saudi Arabia. An article on Blairs website states:

[T]he Crown Prince has demonstrated a level of conviction, clarity and coherence in identifying and understanding the nature of Islamist extremism that Western policymakers should seek to learn from. Britain should learn from Saudi Arabia and how it has demonstrated a clear commitment to tackling the politicization of Islam to inform policymaking, with no moral ambiguity in delineating Islam, the faith, from Islamism, a politicised ideology.

July 23. A leaked letter sent by Home Secretary Sajid Javid to US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, which revealed that Britain refrained from demanding assurances that two British jihadis, Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, not be executed in America, provoked a public backlash that they could face the death penalty. Diane Abbott, a Labour Party politician who serves as shadow home secretary, said that Javids stance was abhorrent and shameful. As a result, Javid abruptly halted cooperation with the United States on the case. The United States accuses the two men of being part of a cell that beheaded at least 27 people. The murdered victims include American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid-worker Peter Kassig. Britain abolished capital punishment for all crimes in 1998 and when assisting foreign governments with prosecutions, typically seeks assurances that the death penalty not be used.

July 24. Majud Hussain, a 41-year-old police officer from Nottingham, was sentenced to seven years in prison for raping a 17-year-old girl. Judge James Sampson told Hussain, a married father of four: You have shown absolutely no remorse whatsoever. You are clearly a disgrace to the uniform of police officers and you are obviously unfit to be a police constable.

July 24. Khalid Baqa, a 54-year-old man from East London, was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison for disseminating jihadi literature on the London Underground. Commander Clarke Jarrett, Head of the Mets Counter Terrorism Command said:

Baqa was reproducing and distributing terrorist related material in the hope of getting others involved and drawn into the same toxic ideology he was peddling. Not only that, but he also radicalised and involved a young impressionable 17-year-old, whom he then used to help distribute his pamphlets and CDs.

July 25. Home Secretary Sajid Javid ordered research into the ethnic origin of sexual grooming gangs, apparently in order to discover why men convicted of group sex crimes are disproportionately of Pakistani origin. Javid, a British-Pakistani, said that exploring the particular characteristics of offenders was critical to our understanding of what happened across the country, including in Newcastle, Telford and Rotherham.

July 25. Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Northern Irelands biggest health trust, reported 17 cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) between April 2017 and January 2018. The women were aged from 24 years to 46 years. Their country of origin was not recorded.

July 26. The director of the Royal College of Midwives in Northern Ireland, Breedagh Hughes, said that women are being let down by a lack of clarity over procedures for reporting incidents of female genital mutilation (FGM):

The fact that there have been no official, practical guidelines for nurses, midwives, social workers, anyone working at the coalface [on the front lines], means its very difficult for anyone to know what to do when confronted with a case of FGM....

There is also an issue of jurisdiction. If the offence was carried out on someone over 18 outside of Northern Ireland, what do they do?

July 27. Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Britain expressed fears of violent persecution after cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan announced victory in Pakistans general election. The Ahmadiyya community is considered heretical by orthodox Muslims because its followers do not believe that Mohammed was the final prophet, an offense, under Pakistans blasphemy laws, that is punishable by death. We are standing with Article 295c and will defend it, Khan said at a gathering of Muslim leaders in Islamabad. He was referring to a clause of the Pakistani Constitution that mandates the death penalty for any imputation, insinuation or innuendo against Mohammed. Some 30,000 Ahmadiyyas are living in Britain.

July 28. Six men were charged in connection with an acid attack on a three-year-old boy, who was on a shopping trip with his mother. The father of the boy, a 39-year-old Afghan asylum seeker, was among those charged in the attack. Police believe the Afghan man had intended to attack his estranged wife, who, with their three children, left him last year and moved to another house to start a new life.

July 29. The Sunday Times reported that not a single Christian was among the 1,112 Syrian refugees resettled in Britain in the first three months of 2018. The Home Office agreed to resettle only Muslims and rejected the four Christians recommended by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

July 30. A couple who tricked their teenage daughter into traveling to Bangladesh in an attempt to force her to marry her first cousin were sentenced to four-and-a-half years and three-and-a-half years to prison, respectively. The husband and wife, who were not named for legal reasons, were found guilty in May of using violence, threats or coercion to force their daughter into marriage.

During a three-week trial in Leeds, a jury heard that in 2016, the couples daughter, then 18, was taken out of college during classes to go on what she thought was a six-week holiday to Bangladesh to see family and celebrate an Islamic holiday. She was told of the marriage plans less than a week after arriving in the country. When she refused to take part, her father threatened to slit her throat.

She was rescued days before the wedding was to take place after her younger sister contacted the British High Commission, which worked alongside the UK governments Forced Marriage Unit and Bangladeshi police to bring the woman back to the UK.

A Month of Multiculturalism In Britain July 2018