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U.S. suspends Obama airline transparency reviewWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration said on Friday it is suspending action on an Obama administration decision in October to probe a long-time practice by some airlines of preventing various travel websites from showing their fares and whether to require transparency in airline baggage and other fees. The U.S. Transportation Department said in a notice Friday it is suspending a public comment period on the review of the practices to “allow the president’s appointees the opportunity to review and consider this action.” Airlines generated $3.8 billion in baggage fees in 2015 and the Obama administration said in October it was formally exploring requiring airlines and ticket agents to provide consumers with prices that include service fees for baggage and other services alongside fares at points of sale. Separately, the Trump administration is also extending the compliance date for a new regulation requiring reporting of data for mishandled baggage and wheelchairs in aircraft cargo compartments for one year - until Jan. 1, 2019. Airlines for America, the industry trade group representing American Airlines Group Inc (AAL.O), United Continental Holdings Inc (UAL.N), Southwest Airlines Co (LUV.N) and others, praised the decision. “Today’s action is a common sense measure reinforcing that the airline industry is capable of making the decisions that best serve our customers, our employees and the communities we serve,” the airlines’ group chief executive Nicholas Calio said in a statement. The group added the “airline industry operates under 13,000 regulations across 13 agencies, many of which are outdated, obsolete and in need of reform.” President Donald Trump met with airline chief executives last month and asked them to identify regulatory hurdles preventing job growth in the industry. A study commissioned by a travel agencies’ trade group, the Travel Technology Association, in 2014 found that restricting the ability to comparison-shop would result in ticket prices increasing more than 11 percent. Airline shares rose on the news. JPMorgan said in a research note Friday that the “the protections never mattered in the first place - the financial impact of the Obama protections was largely irrelevant, in our view.” The Obama administration efforts were very modest, JPMorgan said, and did not propose limiting airlines’ ability to pursue ancillary revenue, such as an outright ban on bag fees. But JPMorgan added: “U.S. airlines appear to increasingly have the ear of a sympathetic, regulatory-averse administration.”

Republicans PANICKING After Federal Judge Shuts Down Florida Voter SuppressionThe Trump campaign is self destructing. If things get any worse between now and the election day, Trump could even be bringing down Congress. Republicans are in a panic and the only way out they see is voter suppression.Florida s Governor Rick Scott saw an opportunity when Hurricane Matthew hit. He refused to extend the registration deadline past 5:00 on Monday (seriously, why would the cutoff be a month before the election anyway?). A federal judge put a quick stop to that, calling it irrational. The deadline is extended till Tuesday. Quite simply, it is wholly irrational in this instance for Florida to refuse to extend the voter registration deadline when the state already allows the governor to suspend or move the election date due to an unforeseen emergency, (U.S. District Judge Mark) Walker wrote in a 16-page order. If aspiring eligible Florida voters are barred from registering to vote, then those voters are stripped of one of our most precious freedoms. Source: TampaBay.comMore than that, Walker called the state s effort to block the vote unconstitutional. The right to vote is a precious and fundamental right, Walker wrote, quoting from an earlier case.It s expected that about 100,000 additional people will be registering between now and the deadline. This is especially bad for Republicans. Clinton is leading the race in Florida by a narrow three points, but between his offensive remarks toward women and the fact that it was revealed that Trump illegally did business with Cuba, his Florida support is quickly fading. Without Florida, Trump is almost assured of losing, while Clinton could still win the election while losing Florida. Those 100,000 people might represent about one percent of the Florida electorate, which might not sound like a lot, but in a race that s that close, in a perennial swing state, that could mean the difference between winning and losing.Featured image via Joe Readle/Getty Images.

Vice President Pence: Trump greatly concern about Irma after briefingWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Sunday that President Donald Trump had directed full federal resources to help with Hurricane Irma at it batters the Florida coast and that his latest briefing on the storm caused him great concern. “Clearly the briefing that we received at Camp David this morning caused the president to have great concern for the impact of the impact of this storm moving up the west coast and the potential through heavy winds and storm surge to compromise cities and compromise lives,” Pence said during a visit to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s headquarters with members of Trump’s Cabinet.

Japanese MP drinks decontaminated water

Many financial institutions and multinational organizations view speculating on food commodities as a dangerous game and a contributor to global hunger. Despite its bruised reputation, Deutsche Bank is leaping back into the business.

Netherlands will once again need to close prisons due to falling crime rate and lack of prisoners.

Fury at Berlusconi 'sexist' jibe

TWITTER User Suggests “Climate Deniers” Should Be ShotThe Left is all about gun control unless of course, they re talking about shooting someone who disagrees with phony man-made climate change Thought: in wartime, people deliberately spreading lies and misinformation get shot. Why not do the same with climate change deniers? Daniel Rendall (@danielrendall) October 30, 2015h/t Weasel ZippersJust in case they remove this Tweet, we ve taken a screen shot here:

World Health Organisation urges 'drastic action' on Ebola

New foreign minister of Israel, Avigdor Lieberman, and his threats to wipe off the map Egypt and Palestine

Turkey, Iran, Iraq may meet to discuss Kurdish Iraqi referendum: Turkey PMANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey, Iran and Iraq may hold a trilateral meeting to discuss the Iraqi Kurdish independence referendum, Turkey s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Thursday. Yildirim also said he agreed with his Iraqi counterpart Haider al-Abadi to coordinate economic and trade relations with the central government in Baghdad, after Abadi s government took control of border crossings with Turkey.

Four killed as militants attack airport security camp in Indian-controlled KashmirSRINAGAR (Reuters) - Indian police on Tuesday killed three suspected militants in army uniforms after they infiltrated a security camp beside the main airport in the disputed region of Kashmir, officials said, an assault claimed by an Islamist group. One Indian security official was killed and three wounded in a gun fight that followed. Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammad has taken responsibility for the attack, Kashmir police chief Muneer Khan said. Under cover of darkness, the militants cut a fence to enter the camp in the early hours of Tuesday, he added. The security camp of India s Border Security Force shares a boundary wall with the airport in Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir. Its main gate was about 500 meters (0.3 miles) from the airport. Airport flight operations were briefly disrupted. Militants have targeted police camps in Kashmir in recent months. Eight Indian police officials were killed when Jaish-e-Mohammad militants attacked a security camp in southern Kashmir in August. India accuses Pakistan of training and arming militants and helping them infiltrate across the Line of Control that divides Kashmir. Pakistan denies those allegations. The South Asian neighbors have fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over Muslim-majority Kashmir, which both claim in full but each rules in part.

Video of police shooting a 14-year-old boy several times comes to light.

Paraguayan landowner calls for the creation of armed groups to liquidate communists

US Judge Rejects BPs Latest Request to Stop Payments from its Multibillion-Dollar Settlement with Victims of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill - Were pleased the court relied on actual facts & evidence in reaching its conclusion & not the unsupported hyperbole & speculation propagated by BP.

Top Yemeni General announces he is joining the protests: major blow for the regime.

The 1990s were a time of prosperity. We created more than 22-million new jobs, moved 8-million people out of poverty, and turned our economy around.

Republicans see tax reform complicated by Trump deal with DemocratsWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican party lawmakers warned on Friday that President Donald Trump’s legislative deal with Democrats to help hurricane victims and keep the government running for another three months could complicate his next big priority - tax reform. Trump’s sudden shift in strategy hands a clear victory to Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and that could slow the Republicans’ legislative agenda, they said. “This kind of creates complications relative to tax reform,” said Representative Ryan Costello from Pennsylvania. “It seems to me that there’s an element of unpredictability from one issue to the next and this week is sort of a reflection of that.” “There was a lot of work going into how this was going to take shape in September. And that was entirely undermined … seemingly very spontaneously.” Following Trump’s deal with Democratic leaders, the House of Representatives on Friday approved legislation that provides $15.25 billion in emergency disaster aid for the victims of Hurricane Harvey, which battered coastal areas of Texas and Louisiana last week, and Hurricane Irma, which is expected to pound Florida in coming days. Already approved by the Senate on Thursday, the deal also raises the U.S. government’s debt ceiling and allows it to continue financing federal spending programs until Dec. 8, the new deadline for a deal on both issues. But some Republicans fear the Democrats will be able to use their negotiating clout in early December to resist changes on key tax issues, especially the corporate tax rate, which Trump wants to cut from 35 percent to 15 percent. Republican Senator Ben Sasse said the experience of watching Trump empower Democrats had been “embarrassing” for a Republican-controlled Congress and that the deal made Schumer “the most powerful man in America.” Sasse was one of 17 Senate Republicans who voted against the deal on Thursday. In the House, all 90 “no” votes came from Republicans but the deal passed comfortably with 183 Democrats and 133 Republicans in favor. The White House said Trump’s shift in strategy this week clears away complicated issues like the debt ceiling and government funding, both of which had to be resolved in September, so Congress can concentrate more fully on tax reform, which Republicans want to complete by the end of the year. After the failure of Republican efforts to overturn former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act in July, Trump and lawmakers need a legislative victory to shore up their hopes of maintaining Republican majorities in next year’s midterm elections. Some House Republicans are already frustrated by a lack of details on tax reform from the administration. They hope to see more as soon as next week, though some are skeptical. “My expectations are low. I think if they had something big they’d be floating elements of it now,” said Representative Darrell Issa. How House Republicans respond to the tax plan will help determine the challenges they may face passing a fiscal year 2018 budget resolution that is critical to the Republican strategy for tax reform. The budget contains a procedural rule that would allow Republicans to enact tax legislation with a simple majority in the Senate, which they control by a 52-48 margin. Republican aides said House leaders had expected to bring the budget to the floor next week, but the document now needs changes to include government revenue projections that take into account current tax policy and the failure to repeal Obamacare, aides say. Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, a formidable bloc in the House, have said they will not support the budget until they see the tax reform plan and want the resolution to contain more cuts to federal spending than the $203 billion over a decade that it already contains. It was not clear whether the budget resolution could now suffer from conservative anger over Friday’s vote. Many conservatives have long called for lawmakers to couple any measures that raise the U.S. debt ceiling with reforms to cut spending. The deal that passed on Friday did the opposite by attaching an increase in the debt ceiling to more spending to keep the government open, as well as adding money for hurricane relief without making any spending cuts elsewhere. “I love President Trump and I’m with him probably 90 or 95 percent of the time. But I don’t think it’s appropriate to raise the debt ceiling with a $19 trillion public debt and not have any effort to change the way we spend money here in Washington,” said Joe Barton, a House Freedom Caucus member. Mark Meadows, who chairs the House Freedom Caucus, said he did not feel betrayed by Trump and that the legislation was a “unique situation” brought about by the massive storm damage in Texas and Louisiana. “Because of hurricane relief, there wasn’t a whole lot of options,” Meadows said on MSNBC. But, he added: “Our grassroots are very confused.”

Trump Conducts Sting Operation on US Intelligence Services21st Century Wire says Trump claims that after suspicions that US Intelligence services were leaking information from classified meetings he was having with them, that he conducted his own sting operation to prove this was happening. I think it s pretty sad when intelligence reports get leaked out to the press. First of all, it s illegal. These are classified and certified meetings and reports, Trump said during a press conference held at Trump Tower. Only, strategic leaks and clandestine subterfuge are par for the course in the swamp Geoff Earle Daily MailPresident-elect Donald Trump, after growing suspicious that intelligence officials were leaking news about their classified briefings with him, says he conducted a sting operation to try to prove top spies were behind the leaks.Trump revealed the extraordinary scheme to try to entrap the senior spies in a furious press conference where he suggested the intelligence community had been behind salacious and totally unproven allegations against him. I think it s pretty sad when intelligence reports get leaked out to the press. First of all, it s illegal. These are classified and certified meetings and reports, Trump said during a press conference at Trump Tower his first since getting elected.Then he revealed the details of the stealthy sting he says he conducted on the nation s senior spooks. I ll tell you what does happen. I have many meetings with intelligence. And every time I meet, people are reading about it, Trump complained, possibly referencing reports on his classified briefings, which he has chosen not to receive daily. Somebody s leaking them out, Trump said, after inveighing against leaks generally. So I said, Maybe it s my office. Maybe my office. Because I ve got a lot of people Maybe it s them? What I did, is I said I won t tell anyone. I m going to have a meeting, and I won t tell anybody about my meeting with intelligence, Trump continued.He even shielded one of his closest aides from word of the meeting. Nobody knew not even Rhona, my executive assistant for years. She didn t know I didn t tell her. Nobody knew, Trump continued drawing laughter from collected family members and staff.Having set the trap, Trump says the word leaked anyway. The meeting was held. They left, and immediately the word got out that I had a meeting. So, I don t want that. It s very unfair to the country Continue this report at The Daily MailREAD MORE ELECTIONS NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire 2016 FilesSUPPORT OUR WORK BY SUBSCRIBING & BECOMING A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV

North Korea fuel prices soar after U.N. sanctions capping supply(Reuters) - Gasoline and diesel prices rose sharply in North Korea after its sixth nuclear test and as the U.N. Security Council imposed new sanctions capping fuel supply, market data analyzed by Reuters on Monday showed. The Security Council unanimously passed a resolution on Sept. 11 banning exports of condensates and natural gas liquids to the North and capping the annual supply of refined petroleum products at two million barrels and crude at its current levels. The price of gasoline sold by private dealers in the capital Pyongyang and northern border cities of Sinuiju and Hyesan spiked to $2.51 per kg as of Sept. 13, up 45.1 percent from $1.73 per kg on Sept. 5, according to Reuters analysis of data compiled by the Daily NK website. The website is run by North Korean defectors who collect prices via phone calls with traders in the North. Diesel prices also surged 61.5 percent from $1.30 per kg to $2.10 per kg during the same period. Lee Sang-yong, who speaks regularly to sources inside the North and supervises market data from them, said the price hikes were caused primarily by a cut in supplies as the regime scrambles to hoard fuel, wary of a potential fuel crunch. North Korean authorities are likely to have intentionally reduced supplies in the market after the nuclear test, thinking the U.N. Security Council sanctions would affect their own repository, Lee said. In addition, astute traders are cutting their supplies on the expectations that the prices would go up further, while there s some psychological effect among ordinary citizens who worry about war. U.N. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Sunday the Security Council has run out of options on containing the North s nuclear programmer and Washington may have to turn the matter over to the Defense Department. North Korea launched a missile over Japan into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday in defiance of the new Security Council. White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster said on Friday, after the latest North Korean missile launch, that the United States was running out of patience: We ve been kicking the can down the road, and we re out of road. The latest gasoline price represents a 70.7 percent and 153.5 percent surge compared with statistics posted on June 8 and Dec. 1, respectively, less than one week after the Security Council adopted its last two resolutions on North Korea. North Korea gets most of its fuel from China and some from Russia. U.S. and South Korean officials have said the North imports some 4.5 million barrels of refined petroleum products and two million barrels of crude oil each year.

ISIS gaining ground in Yemen, competing with al Qaeda

New HIV Study Was So Dramatic, It Had To Be Stopped Early - New research has global implications for the way HIV-positive people receive treatment.

EU will cut some money for Turkey as ties sourBRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union will cut some of the money earmarked for Turkey to join the bloc, reflecting increasingly sour ties with Ankara but stopping short of killing membership bid of the country it still sees as a strategic partner. The EU has been walking a tight rope for months on Turkey, angered by President Tayyip Erdogan s crackdown on critics after a failed coup in July, 2016, but dependant on Ankara to keep a lid on immigration to Europe and combat militants in Syria. The EU leaders chairman, Donald Tusk, said the bloc had agreed in two days of talks in Brussels to cut or reroute some of the 4.4 billion euros ($5.2 bln) Ankara was due to get as part of its accession talks in 2014-20. It was a substantive discussion. We want to keep the door open to Ankara, but the current reality in Turkey is making this difficult, Tusk told a news conference. Germany has seen its ties with Turkey particularly strained and Chancellor Angela Merkel called last month for a tougher stance on Ankara as she campaigned for re-election at home.

Casualties in explosion at airfield near Kabul: U.S. militaryWASHINGTON (Reuters) - An explosion at an entry control point at Bagram airfield near the Afghan capital Kabul caused a small number of casualties, the U.S. military said on Wednesday. An explosion occurred outside an entry control point at Bagram Airfield at 5:38 p.m. local time today, a statement said. The explosion resulted in a small number of casualties, it said, adding that the airfield was secure and the incident was being investigated.

The European Union has given Greece three months to fix its border controls or face suspension from the border-free Schengen zone for up to two years.

Netanyahu skips Mandela memorial. Israelis say 'are you kidding?'

Repression of Italian student protests: The specter of a police-state. "Protests against education "reform" and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government last Tuesday in Rome were met with brutal force by Italian police and paramilitary units."

Pirate Bay founder Gottfrid Svartholm will be extradited to Denmark where he faces several new hacking charges.

U.S. policy changes on Cuba will be tough to undo: officialWASHINGTON (Reuters) - It will be difficult for future U.S. administrations to undo President Barack Obama’s policy of easing trade and travel restrictions with Cuba because of the benefits associated with the measures, a senior U.S. official said on Friday. “We’ve increased the space for this type of travel, people to people exchange, commercial opportunities in ways that are already having a positive impact on the lives of Americans and Cubans,” the official said. “Turning back the clock on that policy would only take away those opportunities.”

Nepal's Oli, most likely next PM, wins parliament seatKATHMANDU (Reuters) - Former Nepali prime minister K.P. Oli on Sunday looked set for a return to power after winning his seat in parliament and his Communist UML party and Maoist allies on course to win a majority. Counting is still under way following an election on Thursday that capped a near-decade long transition to democracy from monarchy and a civil war in which more than 17,000 people died. Oli, 65, has vowed to form a government that lasts its full five-year term, something no prime minister has achieved since parliamentary democracy was established in 1990. His campaign has called for the extension of the Chinese railway network into Nepal and implement of hydroelectric, airport and other infrastructure projects to create jobs. We can expect Oli to lead a stable government with the Maoists as strong allies, said Bipin Adhikari, a constitutional expert. Once there is political stability he can implement a development agenda and attract foreign investment. Instability has spooked investors, curbed growth, spurred corruption and slowed reconstruction after a 2015 earthquake that killed 9,000 people. Nepal is a natural buffer between China and India, with the ruling Nepali Congress party considered pro-India and the left alliance seen closer to China. If Oli leads the new government, he will be forced to be pragmatic in maintaining a geo-political balance with both, said Kunda Dixit, editor of the weekly Nepali Times. Final election results are expected to take about a week, election officials said. Home to Mount Everest, Nepal is one of the world s poorest countries.

Trump and Putin speak for an hour about Syria, Ukraine, North KoreaWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone for about an hour on Tuesday and covered topics including Syria, Ukraine, Iran, North Korea and Afghanistan, a White House official said.

Armed men destroy two dozen logging trucks in Chile indigenous disputeSANTIAGO (Reuters) - A group of armed men claiming to represent the nation s indigenous Mapuche people hijacked and burned 29 logging trucks in southern Chile on Monday morning as a years-long conflict with forestry companies heated up. The government convened an emergency meeting less than two weeks after a similar hijacking in which 18 trucks were burned, and several high-ranking officials denounced the attack later in the day. We re going to combat violence and we are not going to allow minoritarian groups, which don t value dialogue, to ruin the great effort all regional actors in the south are doing to promote development and overcome exclusion, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said in televised remarks. It was not clear to what extent the attacks have broader support among Mapuche communities. Many Mapuche leaders doubt all such attacks are carried out by indigenous people, saying non-indigenous groups with a radical political agenda may be involved. The group Weichan Auka Mapu, or Fight of the Rebel Territory in the local Mapudungun tongue, claimed responsibility, national media reported. According to local authorities, at least two people were responsible for the arson attack, although local media reported that as many as seven people were responsible. Around 600,000 Mapuche live in Chile, concentrated in Araucania and Bio Bio, two lush and hilly provinces roughly 400 miles (645 km) south of Santiago, the nation s capital. Ever since the Chilean army invaded Mapuche territory in a brutal campaign in the late 1800s, relations with the state have been fractious. The conflict has accelerated in recent years, with armed groups burning houses, churches, trucks, and forest plantations. It has also spread geographically. The Monday attack occurred in the region of Los Rios, south of the traditional conflict zone. The trucks belonged to Sotraser, a subcontractor that mainly serves subsidiaries of Chilean forestry companies Empresas CMPC and Arauco [ANTCOC.UL]. The company reported $6 million in damages. While that figure is not significant in relation to Chile s larger timber industry, subcontractors have begun to register dozens of attacks annually in recent years, weighing on the sector.

US warns against Israeli plan to strike against Iran's nuclear facilities

Trump says confident Congress will solve Dreamers issue: MexicoMEXICO CITY (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump rang Mexican leader Enrique Pena Nieto to express condolences over last week’s earthquake, and said he was confident the U.S. Congress would find a solution for the Dreamers, Mexico’s president’s office said on Thursday. Earlier on Thursday, Trump said he was close to a deal with Democratic congressional leaders on protections for illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children, a group known as Dreamers. In a tweet, Trump said he had been tardy in calling Pena Nieto as he had been unable to reach him due to patchy cellphone coverage in the zone where the Mexican president was visiting those afflicted by the massive quake.

LORD’S PRAYER AD BANNED…One Month Later Muslims Get “Praise Allah” Signs ApprovedThis will be America if we don t push back! London red buses will have a Muslim sign saying Praise Allah when Christian signs have been banned. Religious freedom is what America was founded on so it would be a great idea to watch for signs of censorship of Christianity here in America as it has totally changed the UK.BUS adverts are set to carry a slogan praising Allah just months after a clip featuring the Lord s prayer was banned from cinemas.The slogan reads Subhan Allah which translates as Glory be to God and will feature on hundreds of buses across the country as part of a campaign by the Islamic Relief.The group have targeted the ad campaign to raise money for victims of the Syrian Civil War during the holy month of Ramadan in June, when muslims traditionally fast and give to charity.But the campaign has caused anger among some Christian groups after an advert featuring the lords prayer was banned from UK cinemas in the run up to Christmas.The advert, which featured the Archbishop of Canterbury along with a variety of parishioners reciting the Lord s prayer, was banned from Odean, Cineworld and Vue cinema.Former Tory MP Ann Widdecombe said: If other religions are allowed to put their religious banners up, then so should Christians. Read more: Express

Saudi says 208 questioned in graft probe, at least $100 billion stolenDUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia s attorney-general said on Thursday that 208 people have been called in for questioning in a sweeping anti-corruption investigation, and seven of them had been released without charge. Based on our investigations over the past three years, we estimate that at least $100 billion has been misused through systematic corruption and embezzlement over several decades, Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said in a statement. He repeated statements by other top officials that normal commercial activity had not been affected by the crackdown, and that only personal bank accounts had been frozen, not corporate accounts. Companies and banks are free to continue with transactions as usual.

Rwanda charges critic of president with inciting insurrectionKIGALI (Reuters) - Rwandan authorities have charged a critic of President Paul Kagame with inciting insurrection and forgery after she was barred from challenging him in August elections, the public prosecutor s spokesman said on Wednesday. Diane Shima Rwigara, a 35-year-old accountant, has repeatedly accused Kagame of stifling dissent and criticized his Rwandan Patriotic Front s near total hold on power since it fought its way to power to end a genocide in 1994. Kagame won the August election with 98.8 percent of the vote. Rwigara s mother Adeline and sister Anne have also been charged with incitement and discrimination and sectarianism , prosecutor s spokesman Faustin Nkusi told Reuters. He said the cases were filed in court on Tuesday and awaited a trial date. The three women have been in detention for around two weeks. They were first taken from their home in the Rwandan capital on Aug. 30 on tax evasion allegations related to the family s tobacco company. That charge was not listed in those filed on Tuesday. Kagame won international praise for restoring stability in Rwanda and presiding over a rapid economic recovery after the genocide, in which an estimated 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and politically moderate ethnic Hutus were killed. But human rights groups say he has muzzled independent media and suppressed potential democratic opponents. Some critics of the government have been imprisoned or killed. Electoral authorities barred Rwigara from standing in August, saying she had not submitted enough supporters signatures and some of the names she did sent in belonged to dead people. Rwigara s brother Aristide, who lives in the United States, said the charges against the three women are politically motivated and intended to punish the family for her attempted presidential bid. He was not reachable for comment on Wednesday. Nkusi said the charges were not related to politics.

"Bin Laden has won," says Richard Dawkins after having honey confiscated by airport security

NASA: Pluto's Moons Are 'Tumbling In Absolute Chaos'

North Korea fires short range missiles in the Sea of Japan

U.S. lawmakers seek compromise on Zika virus fundingWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers sought on Wednesday to break a logjam over $1.1 billion in funding to combat the Zika virus, with the Senate possibly considering legislation as soon as next week, even as one congressman toted a jar full of mosquitoes to the House floor to condemn congressional inaction. “Can you imagine the fears and anxieties if the mosquitoes were not in this jar?” Florida Republican David Jolly told his colleagues as he brandished the container holding about 100 of the insects in the House of Representatives chamber. “Members of Congress would run down the hall to the physician’s office to be tested,” added Jolly, whose state is the first in the nation with local transmission of the mosquito-borne virus that has spread through the Americas. The potential Senate Zika measure could advance as part of a broader legislative effort to temporarily keep federal agencies operating in the 2017 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. Republicans and Democrats huddled separately in closed meetings in both the Senate and House to see if they could reach a compromise during a 19-day work session this month, before lawmakers break for a recess in the weeks before the Nov. 8 U.S. election. Lawmakers returned to work this week after a seven-week summer recess. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters he was in talks with Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid. “We’re looking for a way forward. And I’m hopeful and optimistic that we’ll be able to do that,” McConnell, a Republican, said of both a temporary agency funding bill and Zika money. In February, President Barack Obama asked Congress to approve $1.9 billion in emergency funds to deal with the Zika virus, which can cause severe birth defects when pregnant women become infected. Since then, both parties have backed $1.1 billion as the funding figure. But fights over side issues related to abortion and Obama’s signature healthcare law have bitterly divided the two parties. One of the biggest controversies involves Democrats’ opposition to language, backed by Republicans, that they say would prevent Zika funds for abortion providers like Planned Parenthood, mainly in Puerto Rico. The Miami Herald on Tuesday quoted Senators Marco Rubio of Florida and Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri, who chairs a Senate panel overseeing healthcare funding, suggesting the Planned Parenthood language might have to be dropped in order to reach a deal. Aides to both senators declined to confirm or deny the accuracy of the quotes. Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, asked by Reuters whether she thought Planned Parenthood funding restrictions should be eliminated from Zika legislation, said: “That would be my preference.” Still, some Republicans were resisting a deal that would abandon the Planned Parenthood language in the Zika bill.

Major explosion, fire at Shell plant in the Netherlands

WHOA! Why Is Our Classless President Following Porn Sites On Twitter?Just another classless act in the life of President Barack Obama President Obama s Twitter account, which is run by his Organizing for Action staff, follows 636,000 accounts. Many of them you might expect: Michelle Obama, Joe Biden, John Kerry. Even Mariah Carey and Snoop Dogg don t really raise an eyebrow. But several accounts on the presidential follow list fit a different theme: Asa Akira, a porn star who has 653,000 followers and, in her Twitter bio, states I have an award-winning asshole. Joanna Angel (390,000 followers), who describes herself as a multiple award winning punk porno princess; Penthouse Pet Of The Year Nikki Benz (808,000 followers); and Ashley Steel (138,000 followers), who writes that she is a Porn Star, Doggy mama, Happiness Junkie, XXX Model, Buddhist, & Total nerd. So why is the official Twitter account for the president of the United States publicly following adult movie stars? Of course, American porn stars are just as American (and just as worthy of the President s ear) as anyone else, but this interaction is nonetheless an unusual move for an elected official s campaign-managed social media account.Neither the Organizing for Action campaign nor the White House immediately responded to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Joe Rospars, Obama s principal digital strategist for both presidential campaigns, said that he was not available to comment.The current presidential candidates seemed to have been more intentional about their follow lists, if for no other reason than that Twitter had blocked auto-following before the start of their 2016 campaigns. Nikki Benz, Penthouse s 2011 Pet Of The Year, has followed Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and Donald Trump. None of them have followed back. Via: Fast Company

Internet users cannot be sued for browsing the web, ECJ rules

Turkey's aim in Syria's Idlib operation is to prevent clashes completely: ministerANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey s aim in backing Syrian rebel fighters for a major military operation into Syria s Idlib is to prevent clashes completely and facilitate the process for a political solution, Turkish foreign minister was quoted by the CNN Turk news channel as saying. Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also told reporters that the steps to be taken in the field would be determined by cooperation between Turkish Armed Forces and its intelligence service.

Syria, 'on the Verge of Collapse' - In Focus - The Atlantic

ISIS Chief India recruiter killed in US drone strike.

W. Virginia Halloween Store Boasts Shockingly Racist Costume Display Featuring Pres. Obama (VIDEO)West Virginia is solid Trump country. The argument has been made that the opioid crisis, along with the forgotten population of white working class voters, is the reason for that state being overwhelmingly Trump Nation. However, there is one element that cannot be ignored here: Those same white working class voters also feature a lot of racists who hate President Barack Obama, and the ultimate way to stick it to him was to put Donald Trump in the White House.Well, it seems that putting Trump in power wasn t enough for these people. Even though the orange fascist has been steadily shredding the country, degrading the office of the presidency, emboldening our adversaries and scaring the hell out of our allies for nigh on a year now, these people simply cannot resist the temptation to attack President Obama in ever more stunningly racist ways. Case in point a Halloween costume display in Spirit Halloween in Triadelphia, West Virginia.The display features an extremely racist depiction of President Obama in the form of a mask complete with a watermelon costume in the same display, and banana costumes a shelf or two over, according to my friend and colleague John Prager, who shot the video of the shocking racism on the part of this retailer below:This just goes to show how racist certain people in this country are. This entire display is dripping with racist stereotypes, and it uses our first African American president s image to reinforce them. We need to confront this bigotry, rather than brushing it under the rug as economic anxiety, or whatever other excuses we ve been letting float out there for people voting for this despicable excuse for a human being. Trump is a crude, crass, rude, misogynistic bigot. There is not one excuse on the face of the earth for voting for a blatant white supremacist, and even less than that for continuing to excuse the behavior of so many of his voters.Shame on you, Spirit Halloween. It s time for a boycott, just in time for the best holiday of the year.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

BUSTED! FBI Hid Clinton-Lynch Tarmac Meeting Documents…Delay Turning Over The FBI is out of control. It is stunning that the FBI found these Clinton-Lynch tarmac records only after we caught the agency hiding them in another lawsuit. Judicial Watch Tom Fitton.FBI hid 30 documents related to Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting. https://t.co/8JJTDR4G47 Real Jack (@RealJack) October 14, 2017BUSTED! THANK GOODNESS FOR JUDICIAL WATCH!Judicial Watch was informed yesterday by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) that the FBI has located 30 pages of documents related to the June 27, 2016, tarmac meeting between former Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former President Bill Clinton, and proposes non-exempt material be produced no later than November 30, 2017 (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:16-cv-02046)).The new documents are being sent to Judicial Watch in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed after the Justice Department failed to comply with a July 7, 2016, FOIA request seeking the following:All FD-302 forms prepared pursuant to the Federal Bureau of Investigation s investigation of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton s use of a private e-mail server during her tenure. All records of communications between any agent, employee, or representative of the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding, concerning, or related to the aforementioned investigation. This request includes, but is not limited to, any related communications with any official, employee, or representative of the Department of Justice, the Executive Office of the President, the Democratic National Committee, and/or the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton.All records related to the meeting between Attorney General Lynch and former President Bill Clinton on June 27, 2016. The FBI originally informed Judicial Watch they did not locate any records related to the tarmac meeting. However, in a related case, the Justice Department located emails in which Justice Department officials communicated with the FBI and wrote that they had communicated with the FBI. As a result, by letter dated August 10, 2017, from the FBI stated, Upon further review, we subsequently determined potentially responsive documents may exist. As a result, your [FOIA] request has been reopened (Surprisingly, the Trump Justice Department refuses to disclose the talking points developed by the Obama Justice Department to help it respond to press inquiries about the controversial June 27, 2016, tarmac meeting between Loretta Lynch and Bill Clinton at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.)On June 27, 2016, Attorney General Loretta Lynch met privately with former President Bill Clinton on board a parked private plane at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona. The meeting occurred during the then-ongoing investigation of Mrs. Clinton s email server, and mere hours before the Benghazi report was released publicly involving both Mrs. Clinton and the Obama administration. Judicial Watch filed a request on June 30 that the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General investigate that meeting. The FBI is out of control. It is stunning that the FBI found these Clinton-Lynch tarmac records only after we caught the agency hiding them in another lawsuit, stated Judicial Watch Tom Fitton. Judicial Watch will continue to press for answers about the FBI s document games in court. In the meantime, the FBI should stop the stonewall and release these new records immediately. This case has also forced the FBI to release to the public the FBI s Clinton investigative file, although more than half of the records remain withheld. The FBI has also told Judicial Watch that it anticipates completing the processing of these materials by July 2018.There is significant controversy about whether the FBI and Obama Justice Department investigation gave Clinton and other witnesses and potential targets preferential treatment.The Obama administration extended numerous immunity agreements, including: Clinton s former Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills; John Bentel, former director of the State Department s Office of Information Resources Management; Heather Samuelson, Clinton s executive assistant; Brian Pagliano, an IT employee at the State Department who serviced the Clinton non-government server; and an employee at Platt River Networks, the company that maintained it. It is not clear whether Hillary Clinton received some type of immunity.In 2015, a political action committee run by McAuliffe, a close friend and political supporter of Bill and Hillary Clinton, donated nearly $500,000 to Jill McCabe, wife of McCabe, who was then running for the Virginia State Senate. Also, the Virginia Democratic Party, over which McAuliffe had significant influence, donated an additional $207,788 to the Jill McCabe campaign. In July 2015, Andrew McCabe was in charge of the FBI s Washington, DC, field office, which provided personnel resources to the Clinton email probe. Judicial Watch has several lawsuits about this McCabe/FBI/Clinton scandal.Via: Judicial Watch

Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Deal Is Reached

Two Trump judicial nominations rebuffed by SenateWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees will not be confirmed by the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate following criticism over controversial statements they made, a White House official said. The official said on Wednesday that the two nominations “will not be moving forward” in the U.S. Senate. One of the nominees, Brett Talley, selected for a district court position in Alabama, had already said he would withdraw. The other, Jeff Mateer, nominated to serve as a district court judge in Texas, was already hanging by a thread although he has not officially withdrawn. Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican who chairs the influential Senate committee that overseas judicial nominations, said on Wednesday that he “doesn’t anticipate that either nominee would be confirmed,” a spokesman said. The move came a day after Grassley raised concerns about the statements the two nominees had made. Talley was reported by online magazine Slate as having posted online sympathetic comments about the early history of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) white supremacist group. He also failed to disclose that his wife works in the White House Counsel’s office, which overseas judicial nominations. Mateer has run into trouble over speeches he made in 2015. In one, he referred to transgender children as being part of “Satan’s plans,” CNN reported. Trump has made significant progress in filling vacancies on the federal courts with conservative judges. He also appointed Justice Neil Gorsuch to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court.

Egypt: Is The Revolution Being Co-Opted? - "We still have the same cabinet appointed by Mubarak. The emergency state is still enforced. Old detainees are still in detention and new ones since the 25th of January remain missing. There is no public apology for the killings."

ISIS planning imminent attack on Jewish schools and kindergartens

WATCH! FOX NEWS On High Anti-Trump Propaganda Mission: Obama/Clinton Stooge Masquerades As Unbiased Pundit [Video]Dennis Ross is a prior Obama and Clinton crony goes on to speak without any questioning from Shawn and then at the end Shawn speaks of Ross and his decades of experience PROPAGANDA!!!

Norway appoints its first female foreign ministerOSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian Defence Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide was named minister of foreign affairs on Friday, making her the first woman to hold the post in the Nordic country. She replaces Boerge Brende, who last month was appointed president of the World Economic Forum. The appointment leaves the top three government jobs, that of prime minister, foreign minister and finance minister, in the hands of women. Prime Minister Erna Solberg said European Affairs Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen will move to the defense post, while Marit Berger Roesland will join the cabinet to take up the European affairs portfolio.

MARK LEVIN WARNS: “Obama Just Planted The Seeds For World War III” IN EYE-OPENING VIDEOMark Levin lays out Obama s one-sided, unconstitutional Iran nuke deal in this easy to understand video. In the video below, he points out the danger we, as a nation face with this reckless President and the cowardly Republican majority Congress who refuses to stand up to him and his radical transformation of America Obama is patting himself on the back for making what he seems to think is a great deal with our long time enemy Iran. The truth is, this deal does nothing for America and it does everything to help Iran get a nuclear bomb. The goal of this deal was to dismantle Iran s nuclear program completely, it doesn t do that. On that point alone, it s a failed deal. This deal allows Iran to continue enriching uranium, and it drops the sanctions that have been working well until this point.Also, if the U.S decides to do a surprise inspection, we have to give them 24 days notice! So what do we get out of this historic deal? Nothing. We get an enemy with more money and more power to build a bomb.As Mark Levin points out in this video, Obama just planted the seeds for World War III. This president has done nothing but help our enemies, and he should be convicted of treason for it. There is a reason Iranians are cheering, it s because they know that America just bowed to them. What Obama has done today goes far beyond politics, he put our lives and our children s lives at stake.Via: ViralSneak

New Batman Comic Features Batman Saving Black Man From Evil CopsFull frontal Leftist propaganda As a side note, writer and artist Frank Miller is also a Hillary supporter Last week anarchists, socialists and Black Lives Matter terrorists joined together to protest against white police officer, Jason Van Dyke, who was already charged with first-degree murder for fatally shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.The following day, DC Comics released the much-anticipated first issue of its latest Batman installment, Dark Knight III: The Master Race. Half of the comic is dedicated to scenes of police brutality, depicting a potentially fatal course of events halted by the caped superhero s interventions.The occasion of the issue s release heralded not only Batman s reemergence in Gotham City, but also the return of original Dark Knight Returns writer and artist Frank Miller. Nearly 30 years after he first penned the iconic comic series, the 58-year-old is breathing new life into his most influential work.A known provocateur, Miller has been described by turns as reactionary, overly conservative and radical. In a recent Vulture interview, he described himself as a libertarian who supports Democrat Hillary Clinton.Miller s politics have always been complicated, making his newest Batman s explicit stance against police brutality a noteworthy change of pace.This isn t the first time a comic book author has used their influence to indoctrinate young minds with a leftist narrative. We recently reported about about Disney s effort to turn popular opinion in favor of amnesty by making the villain in their latest Captain America comic book an evil conservative:DISNEY Introduces New Marvel Comic Books: Captain America (Captain Socialist) Beats Up Conservative Terrorists Defending U.S. Borders And More [VIDEO]The opening sequence of Dark Knight III: The Master Race is narrated through text messages between a young black man in a hoodie and his friend, presumably rehashing recent past events. The man, named Squid, is shown running from a police car with a cracked windshield and blood on its dashboard.As Comic Book Resources points out, colorist Brad Anderson uses only police reds and blues in this scene to illustrate the closeness of the cop car.Two police officers emerge from the car with their guns pointed at him. Aghast, Squid responds by showing them his open palms. Getting arrested, reads a text bubble from Squid. 4? his friend asks. The man dont need no reason [sic], Squid responds in a panel showing the barrel of a gun. I was waitin for the shot, he continues in his recollection, BANG last sound id ever hear. Instead i heard a snap and i turned to it. Enter the superhero of the hour, a dark caped figure who swoops in and immediately shatters one of the police car s front windows. He starts beating the officers who had their guns aimed at Squid.At first, it seems like this is game over. The artwork pans to TV pundits comic doppelgangers of Kelly Ripa, Michael Strahan, Jon Stewart, Al Sharpton and Bill O Reilly debating the morality of Batman s actions. There s talk about how the video footage of the confrontation went viral.Then Miller moves to a different setting in the jungle with Wonder Woman, and the police encounter is briefly forgotten, only to be thrown back into sharp relief at the end.With their overt metaphors and symbolic characters, comics have a long history of steering their readers toward certain moral conclusions and inciting fury over perceived social injustices.The issue s final scenes show Batman taking the place once occupied by Squid, except this time he s far outnumbered as he runs from a parade of at least four police cars. His attempts to evade the officers seeking vengeance for their beaten colleagues are unsuccessful, as Batman runs between trucks and climbs a fire escape before committing himself to a brawl.https://twitter.com/restlessbit/status/670836492026163200Completely surrounded, Batman falls to the ground after a police officer shoots the side of his head. A horizontal panel shows 10 cops approaching him with batons in the air.The large sound effect lettering leaves little room for interpretation. WHACK. WHACK. WHACK WHACK WHACK WHACK. He is bludgeoned seemingly endlessly. Had enough? one of the officers asks as the troupe encircles a fallen Batman lying face-down in his own blood.This being a superhero comic, however, Batman emerges seriously injured but not defeated. With a sudden burst of energy, he punches the cop closest to him, causing them all to scatter.(The final pane reveals a significant twist to Batman s identity, but we ll leave that out because it s irrelevant to the police scene.)Via: The Washington Post

Brazil says no evidence loggers burned indigenous girl.

President Vicente ‘I’m Not Building That F*cking Wall’ Fox Says Trump Is Like Hitler (VIDEO)During a recent interview on Anderson Cooper 360, Mexico s former president, Vicente Fox, said that Donald Trump reminds [him] of Hitler. Today, he s going to take that nation back to the old days of conflict, war and everything. I mean, he reminds me of Hitler. That s the way he started speaking, Fox told CNN s Anderson Cooper. He has offended Mexico, Mexicans, immigrants. He has offended the Pope. He has offended the Chinese. He s offended everybody. You can watch the interview below:Earlier this week, Fox had made national headlines after he told Fusion s Jorge Ramos, I m not going to pay for that f*cking wall, while discussing Trump s plan to build a giant border wall between the United States and Mexico. A wall that Trump insists must be paid for by Mexico.You can watch the interview below:In response to Fox s comments, Trump went on Twitter to demand an apology from Fox because he used the F word. Here s the tweet:FMR PRES of Mexico, Vicente Fox horribly used the F word when discussing the wall. He must apologize! If I did that there would be a uproar! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2016Fox isn t the only former president of Mexico who has compared Trump to Hitler this week. The Guardian reports the ex-president Felipe Calderon spoke to reporters and said that Trump is praising white supremacy . This logic of praising the white supremacy is not just anti-immigration. He is acting and speaking out against immigrants that have a different skin color than he does, it is frankly racist and [he is] exploiting feelings like Hitler did in his time, Calderon said.The idea that building a border wall between Mexico and the U.S. would do help to curb illegal immigration into the U.S. is pure nonsense. Immigration from Mexico has been on the decline for several years, India and China are number countries of origin for immigrants. Furthermore, 40% of immigrants who are living in the U.S. came here by airplane legally on temporary visas.The idea that Mexico would pay for the mega project, that wouldn t actually achieve anything, is simply delusional.Featured image from video screenshot via YouTube

UK economic growth hits 2.6% in 2014, fastest growth since 2007

Tony Abbott launching a full-frontal attack on renewable energy industry. The environment minister, Greg Hunt, jumped out of a plane to support a previous save our solar campaign on the grounds that Labors decision to means-test the then $8,000 subsidy was putting the industry into freefall.

Taliban attack Afghan checkpoints, killing more than 20 policeKANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - The Afghan Taliban attacked more than a dozen checkpoints over six hours in the southern province of Kandahar, killing 22 police and wounding 15, officials said on Tuesday, as militants killed eight soldiers in the west in a growing insurgency. Government forces killed 45 insurgents and wounded 35 and none of the police checkpoints was captured in the overnight attacks, officials said. Our forces resisted until they received reinforcements and air support, said Zia Durrani, spokesman for Kandahar s police chief. The Taliban were defeated. The Taliban told reporters by WhatsApp that they killed 43 police and members of a militia and destroyed 13 armored vehicles. The insurgents often exaggerate battlefield casualties. The Taliban, fighting to restore Islamic rule after their 2001 ouster by U.S.-led troops, also attacked Bala Boluk, in the western province of Farah, on Tuesday, killing eight soldiers and wounding three, according to the provincial government. The government s control or influence over the country has fallen to just under 60 percent, down six percentage points from last year, according to the United States Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

Remember bogus U.S. excuses for Iraq war before attacking Syria: China's Xinhua

DNA Confirms King Richard III's Remains Under Parking Lot

The 4 surviving copies of the 1215 Magna Carta brought together for 1st time in London for 800th anniversary - It's one of the 1st steps towards parliamentary democracy & includes the principle that no one was above the law, including the king

Trump to ask China to cut financial links with North Korea: White House officialBEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will ask China to cut its financial links with North Korea and to abide by U.N. sanctions when meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, a senior White House official said on Wednesday. Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon from South Korea for a two-night stop in the Chinese capital as part of his marathon Asia tour. The U.S. president was undecided on whether to declare North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism by the end of his trip, the official said, speaking to reporters on-board Air Force One. Trump believes any talks with the North would require reducing threats, ending provocations and movement toward denuclearization and that no deal can be achieved without denuclearisation, the official added.

White House wants Congress to boost disaster aid, cut spending elsewhereWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House plans to ask the U.S. Congress for a third round of disaster aid in mid-November as the costs continue to pour in for helping rebuild after hurricanes, but Budget Director Mick Mulvaney has told lawmakers he wants to see spending cuts elsewhere. Mulvaney said the federal government is assessing how much it will cost to help Puerto Rico, Florida, Texas and the U.S. Virgin Islands rebuild after Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria caused massive damages in August and September. Mulvaney expects the damages to add up to “several tens of billions of dollars,” he said in a letter to Senate Leader Mitch McConnell dated Tuesday. “As we move toward the longer-term issue of rebuilding the impacted areas of our nation, we believe that it is appropriate that the Congress consider reducing spending elsewhere in order to offset what will, again, be a significant amount of unbudgeted spending,” Mulvaney said in the letter. President Donald Trump is slated to receive a briefing on hurricane recovery efforts later on Wednesday in Dallas, where he is attending fundraising events. The Office of Management and Budget has drawn up a preliminary list of more than $5.5 billion in unspent funds that could be cut, Mulvaney said in a separate letter to lawmakers on Senate and House appropriations committees. The list includes $4.3 billion from an Energy Department loan program for advanced technology vehicle manufacturing and almost $730 million in funds no longer needed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for projects related to Hurricane Sandy recovery, Mulvaney said.

OBAMA’S AMERICA: INCOMING U.S. CITIZENS NO LONGER REQUIRED TO PLEDGE THEY WILL “bear arms on behalf of the United States”If it were up to this President, we wouldn t have any arms to bear U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Tuesday said it will no longer require incoming U.S. citizens to pledge that they will bear arms on behalf of the United States or perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces as part of the naturalization process.Those lines are in the Oath of Allegiance that people recite as they become U.S. citizens. But USCIS said people may be able to exclude those phrases for reasons related to religion or if they have a conscientious objection.USCIS said people with certain religious training or with a deeply held moral or ethical code may not have to say the phrases as they are naturalized.The agency said people don t have to belong to a specific church or religion to use this exemption, and may attest to U.S. officials administering the oath that they have these beliefs.Via: Washington Examiner

Obama says protectionism no answer to inequalities of globalization(Reuters) - America must work with all nations to build stronger economies, recognizing the inequalities that globalization can generate but refusing to give in to protectionism, U.S. President Barack Obama wrote in the Economist on Thursday. Months before he leaves the White House in January, Obama wrote that a certain anxiety over globalization had taken hold in the United States, not unlike the discontent leading to Britain’s vote in June to leave the European Union. “The world is more prosperous than ever before and yet our societies are marked by uncertainty and unease,” the Democratic president wrote. “So we have a choice - retreat into old, closed-off economies or press forward, acknowledging the inequality that can come with globalization while committing ourselves to making the global economy work better for all people, not just those at the top.” Calling capitalism the greatest driver of prosperity the world has ever known, Obama argued that trade had helped the U.S. economy much more than hurt it. His enthusiastic advocacy for trade runs counter to the stated policies of both his potential successors, who say many trade deals hurt U.S. workers. The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal championed by the president is opposed by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his Democratic rival in the Nov. 8 election, Hillary Clinton, whom Obama has endorsed. Obama listed four major structural challenges facing the United States - “boosting productivity growth, combating rising inequality, ensuring that everyone who wants a job can get one and building a resilient economy that’s primed for future growth.” Trumpeting the achievements of his eight-year presidency, led by preventing the 2007-2009 recession from turning into a depression, Obama said a foundation was laid for a better future. “America must stay committed to working with all nations to build stronger and more prosperous economies for all our citizens for generations to come,” he wrote.

So they arrested "El Teo" in mexico. If you remember, this is the guy that would make a stew with the bodies of his rivals so the families would not even have a body to bury.

Muslim Woman Who Turned In Paris Terrorist Shares Important Thought With The WorldAbdelhamid Abaaoud, the planner of the terrorist attacks that hit Paris on November 13, 2015, was killed after a raid led by French authorities who stormed an apartment in the town of Saint-Denis. It has now been revealed that police found Abaaoud in part thanks to information given to them by a Muslim woman.She has now revealed her faith because she wants the world to know the following:But until now, the public has been unaware that the critical tip in the hunt for Abaaoud came from a Muslim one of millions who now face a backlash in Europe fueled by anger over the attacks in Paris and Brussels, as well as fear and resentment of a rising tide of refugees. It s important the world knows that I am Muslim myself, the woman said, citing that as a reason for being willing to speak to The Post. It s important to me that people know what Abaaoud and the others did is not what Islam is teaching. Too often after terrorist incidents, people particularly conservatives act as if Islam is the only faith that extremists use as justification for mass murder, ignoring the history of other faiths (including Christianity) being perverted.When terrorists have hit America the hardest, their attacks did not discriminate by faith. In fact, one estimate says that 32 Muslims were killed in the 9/11 attacks.Ironically, even though his administration declared war on Iraq, it was President George W. Bush who often went to great lengths to point out there was a distinction between those who practice peaceful Islam, and the terrorist hijackers. And that sentiment has continued with President Obama, who pointed out that when discussing Americans and those with Islamic faith, it s not them or us, it s just us. This woman s example shows that blanket condemnations of Muslims, as agitators like Donald Trump have engaged in, are backwards and just flat-out incorrect.Featured image via YouTube

Britain wants to restart Assange talks with Ecuador

ISP spying begins in UK, as Universal, Virgin ink a deal

Hungary will send back economic migrants

WikiLeaks Didnt Blow U.S. Afghan Intel Sources

Turks safe in Germany, Merkel says, dismissing Ankara's warningDELBRUECK, Germany (Reuters) - Turks can safely come to Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday, dismissing a warning from Ankara that its citizens should take care when traveling there due to what it said was an increase in anti-Turkish sentiment. Tensions between Berlin and Ankara have been bubbling for months and Turkey s warning on Saturday came after Germany s foreign ministry said on Tuesday Germans traveling to Turkey risked arbitrary detention even in tourist areas. I want to say very clearly that all Turkish citizens can travel here, Merkel said in the northwestern German town of Delbrueck during a campaign event ahead of a Sept. 24 election. No journalists get arrested here and no journalists get put in custody. Freedom of opinion and the rule of law prevail here and we re proud of that, Merkel said. She pointed to German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel, who has been detained in Turkey for more than 200 days. He is one of 12 German citizens now in Turkish detention on political charges, four of them holding dual citizenship. We think there s no justification at all for him being in prison and the same applies to at least 11 other Germans, Merkel said. Merkel, who infuriated the Turkish government last weekend by saying she would seek an end to Turkey s membership talks with the European Union, is expected to win a fourth term in the upcoming election. Polls give her conservatives a double-digit percentage lead over their rival Social Democrats (SPD).

Israel predicts few casualties from war with Iran

Glad to see Obama go, Gulf Arabs expect Trump to counter IranDUBAI (Reuters) - Gulf Arab states are quietly applauding the arrival in the White House of a hawkish leader opposed to their adversary Iran, even if they suspect Donald Trump’s short temper and abrasive Tweets may at times heighten tensions in the combustible Middle East. While many countries around the world listened with concern to his protectionist inaugural address, Gulf Arab officials appear optimistic. They see in Trump a strong president who will shore up Washington’s role as their main strategic partner in a region central to U.S. security and energy interests. In Gulf Arab eyes, that involves above all checking what they see as a surge of Iranian support for paramilitary allies in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon and for fellow Shi’ite Muslims in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia’s oil-producing Eastern Province. It also means overlooking for now rhetoric about uniting “the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism” in an address that critics said echoed George W. Bush’s “crusade” against terrorism, a phrase which, for Muslims, evokes barbarous campaigns by medieval Christians against Islam. Saudi Arabia in particular appears relieved at the departure of Barack Obama, who it felt considered Riyadh’s alliance with Washington less important than negotiating a deal in 2015 to neutralize Iran’s nuclear program. The relationship is a pillar of the Middle East’s security balance. But it has suffered since Riyadh took issue with what it saw as Obama’s withdrawal from the region, and a perceived inclination towards Iran since the 2011 Arab uprisings. There have been tensions over Syria, where Obama dismissed Gulf Arab urgings to give more aid to rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad, who has survived thanks to Iranian and Russian backing. “Perception is important: Trump does not look like the kind of guy who will bend towards Iran or anyone else,” said Abdulrahman al-Rashed, a veteran Saudi commentator. “If he behaves as he says, then we will see another Ronald Reagan, someone all the forces in the region will take seriously. That’s what we have missed in the past eight years, unfortunately.” Some worry that Trump’s Twitter habit - his rapid, unbridled messages of praise or blame - mean he is unsuited to handling the volatility of the Middle East. Faisal al-Yafai, a columnist with The National newspaper of Abu Dhabi, said that while his use of social media could be a problem, Trump was unlikely to change. “At some point down the line something will happen in the world that will require a careful response, a careful policy, and Trump will react emotionally. That is always going to be the worry. But that’s his attitude. That’s who he is. Those who like Trump like that aspect of his personality,” he said. Some Arab commentators see a political resemblance between Trump and Reagan, who also campaigned on the slogan of making America great again. Reagan was also a strong backer of the military, although in the Middle East his 1981-89 presidency was marked by extended crises involving Iran, Lebanon and Libya. While few in the Gulf expect Trump to repudiate the Iran nuclear deal despite his threats to do so, most want Tehran pressured to roll back what Gulf Arabs see as subversion in fellow Arab states by a revolutionary theocracy. “I think he is going to be very, very tough on Iran. He will be decisive,” said a Gulf Arab businessman, noting he expected the deal-maker Trump would demand something in return. Moments after his speech, the White House website said the Trump administration would make defeating “radical Islamic terror groups” its top foreign policy goal and would develop a “state of the art” missile defense system to protect against attacks from Iran and North Korea. That will be the job in particular of Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson, and CIA chief nominee Mike Pompeo, all well known to Saudi officials. In particular Mattis, a retired Marine general known for distrust of Iran, is a familiar figure to Gulf Arab rulers. A former leader of Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East and South Asia, Mattis said in Senate confirmation hearings this month that Iran was “the biggest destabilizing force in the Middle East and its policies are contrary to our interests.” Such views play well with Gulf Arabs. “We hope Trump can correct (Obama’s) policy, and while we are not sure of that yet, his choices to run the administration all sound experienced,” said al-Rashed. On Syria, Yemen, Iran and Bahrain, arenas for a tussle for influence between Riyadh and Tehran, Obama’s preference for dialogue appeared weak to some Gulf Arabs. Trump’s own vision of “peace through strength” may change that perception of a passive Washington, and encourage Gulf Arabs to press on with a military build-up that relies heavily on U.S. and European defense companies. Any number of issues could yet disturb ties - Jerusalem, oil policy, perceived anti-Muslim prejudice, and a U.S. law allowing lawsuits against Riyadh over the Sept. 11 attacks. One of the most explosive appears to be Trump’s vow to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which would upend decades of U.S. policy, and his appointment as ambassador a lawyer who raised money for a major Jewish settlement. Israel and the Palestinians, who are seeking a state of their own, both claim Jerusalem as their capital. “It would create a lot of chaos, a new intifada maybe,” a Gulf source with knowledge of official thinking said, adding Trump would think long and hard about a move that would be “a huge burden on the peace process”. Another issue is Trump’s policy of seeking to destroy Islamic State. Gulf Arab states agree with him on the goal, but use of polarizing language seen as demonizing Muslims, and reliance solely on military force, would raise objections. Such language could also inflame militancy by hindering the hearts and minds effort needed to counter the thinking behind the violence. “The worst part about the speech is that he will target Islam as a religion in the name of fighting what he called radical Islamic terrorism, a blank label that is meaningless,” Tweeted Daham al-Qahtani, a Kuwaiti political analyst. “If he goes back to the era of Bush, and ‘you are either with us or with the terrorists’, this polarized idea, and then also the idea that military forces can solve it, then I think we will find ourselves in a very difficult situation, with a war that is going to be unwinnable,” al Yafai said. (Corrects in 22nd para to Iraq from Iran)

FBI to give media some Clinton notes over email use: CNNWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI plans to hand over some of its notes from its interview with U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton regarding her use of private email while secretary of state to news outlets that requested them, CNN reported on Tuesday. However, the Federal Bureau of Investigation will not yet release other notes from the law enforcement agency’s interviews with Clinton aides or turn over other investigative material, CNN said, citing unnamed sources. The materials could be released as soon as Wednesday to media companies that formally sought them under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), according to CNN. FBI representatives declined to confirm the report to Reuters. In addition to the notes, CNN said the FBI will give the news outlets the roughly 30-page report it sent to the U.S. Department of Justice last month when it recommended against pursuing criminal charges against Clinton, who is vying for the White House in the Nov. 8 U.S. election. The Clinton campaign, which had expressed concern about selective leaks from the notes, welcomed the release. “This is something that we wanted to have happen,” campaign spokeswoman Kristina Schake told CNN in an interview. Several media outlets, including Reuters, have made FOIA requests for a summary of the interview. Such requests are often returned with sensitive information redacted. FBI Director James Comey told Congress that the interview was not recorded, so the agency would only be able to provide a summary.

BONKERS MAXINE WATERS Leads Chant “Impeach 45″ at Pride Parade…”Stay Woke!” [Video]The annual LA Pride parade and Resist March was held on Sunday. Bonkers Rep. Maxine Waters led the crowd in a chant to Impeach 45 . At the end of her hateful rant she yelled out STAY WOKE! THIS IS THE DEFINITION OF UNDIGNIFIED AND UNPROFESSIONAL!Notice how Adam Schiff stands in approval next to Waters. Mind you, this is while Waters is spewing hate speech towards our president and Schiff is involved in the fake Russia scam going on to try and take Trump down: In fact, Freedom Watch filed an ethics complaint against Intel Committee Member Adam Schiff for obstruction of justice:Larry Klayman of Freedom Watch on Schiff:Klayman Discusses Complaint Against Rep. Adam Schiff for Obstruction of Justice & Ethics ViolationsIsn t this a huge conflict of interest? It certainly doesn t look good and shows us that Schiff is not to be trusted when it comes to anything Trump.Just in case you didn t hear the disgusting speech given by Maxine Waters: He is not my president. He is not your president. He lies. He cheats. He s a bully. He disrespects us all. If he thinks he can mess with the LGBT community, he better look at what happened right here in West Hollywood. You deny, you disrespect, and you will find that there are people who have the courage to organize and to take back whatever needs to be taken back. We resist this president because he stands for the worst of everything. And guess what, I know that people may not quite be ready. I know some are a little hesitant. I know some are saying I m not so sure, Maxine, that what you are saying is the right thing, but I m saying, impeach 45. Impeach 45. I love you all. And I know that we are going to take our country back from HIM. I know you have the strength. I know that you have the courage. I know that each of you knows you have the power! Stay woke!

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U.S. urges passage of Japan proposal to extend probe of chemical weapons attacks in SyriaWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department on Friday urged passage of a U.S.-drafted United Nations Security Council resolution to renew an international inquiry into chemical weapons attacks in Syria for one month. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert, speaking to reporters in a briefing, said the United States was very disappointed in Russia s veto of U.N. Security Council action on the issue on Thursday. Russia separately on Friday rejected the one-month extension proposal crafted by Japan.

White House Defends Boehner’s ‘Lucifer’ Comment About Cruz: ‘He Was Just Looking To Be Honest’ (VIDEO)Ever since former House Speaker John Boehner aired out his true feelings about Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, everyone has been having a field day and running with it.It all started on Wednesday, when John Boehner was asked about the 2016 election during a forum at Stanford University. It just so happened that Cruz s name came up in the discussion, and Boehner couldn t hold back his disgust for his fellow conservative. Referring to Cruz as Lucifer in the flesh, Boehner mocked the Texas senator: I have Democrat friends and Republican friends. I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life. This is a thought that many Republicans would actually agree with, as it s been well-documented that Cruz is one of the least-liked politicians with several of those opinions coming from within the GOP. This fact only gets proven time and time again.On Thursday, the White House hilariously failed to come to Cruz s defense during a daily briefing, clearly amused by the Republicans in-party fighting. The room broke out in giggles when CNN s Michelle Kosinski asked Press Secretary John Earnest if he felt Obama would agree with Boehner s Lucifer comment, and whether those remarks were appropriate or not.Earnest, trying to hold back laughter, suggested that Boehner was just trying to be as truthful as possible. Earnest was barely able to keep a straight face as he replied: Obviously, Speaker Boehner was speaking based on his own experience. I don t know that he was looking to be helpful or harmful, I think he was just looking to be honest about his own view. Weighing in on whether Boehner s comments had crossed a line, Earnest simply said that if Kosinski was looking for somebody to come to the defense of one Republican who s being attacked by another, you should probably ask somebody else. You can watch the hilarious moment below:Featured image via Adam Berry / Getty Images

Rio Olympics Opening Ceremonies Had A Big Message That Made Conservatives Foam At The MouthConservatives have something to say about absolutely everything. This time, they re throwing a temper tantrum over one of the major messages of the Rio Olympics climate change. The Opening Ceremonies featured climate change as one of the central themes, so of course conservatives came out in droves to whine and cry about politicizing the Games on social media.The display started with a boy and an endangered Pau-Brasil tree in the center of the stadium. Then a video of the world played, showing how several major cities would be affected from rising sea levels as the Antarctic ice sheets melt. It was an important message to highlight, and some were pleased that Rio did it.Those people weren t likely anti-science conservatives, though. Brazil has its own environmental problems, so of course that crowd thinks Rio is being massively hypocritical in saying anything about climate change. Here s a hint as to why it s not: One of the purposes of the Opening Ceremonies is to showcase the host nation. It s entirely possible that the Rio organizing committee wanted to send a message about climate change to their own government, as well as to the rest of the world.The anti-science, climate change is a hoax crowd wasn t going to let that go unnoticed, though. Everything is evil, liberal propaganda to them if it doesn t fit their narrative, and this part of the Opening Ceremonies definitely didn t fit with what they like to hear (what did they want? Something flashy and superficial, no doubt). So they took to Twitter to lash out as only conservatives can when they re faced with facts.Rio Olympics so far, quite boring pushing global warming propaganda.They mention N Pole losing ice but NEVER mention growing ice at S Pole PolitixGal (@PolitixGal) August 6, 2016 #OpeningCeremony at #RioOlympics just went full SJW retard on global warming. Highlighted slavery but no mention of Emperor who ended it ?? The Mad Monarchist (@MadMonarchist1) August 6, 2016*And now we interrupt the Rio Olympics Opening Ceremony with a global warming awareness segment* Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) August 6, 2016 Oh God, we re getting a tedious bilingual lecture on Global Warming at the #OpeningCeremony of the #RioOlympics Please, stop it. Tunku Varadarajan (@tunkuv) August 5, 2016Makes sense Brazil would focus on global warming. Probably distracts from Zika, corrupt government, and ocean of poop. Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 6, 2016 When does Obama storm onstage, grab a mic, and shout IMMA LET YOU FINISH BUT I WAS THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME ON GLOBAL WARMING Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 6, 2016So much propaganda at #OpeningCeremony, from Climate Change to Refugees , it s like watching Democrat convention. https://t.co/OMDRcv1x1Z Nick Short (@PoliticalShort) August 6, 2016 Rio Olympics ratings fail, down 28%. Spread global warming all u want. Nobody is watching you morons https://t.co/UsRD52YVEn Kathleen Dang (@Bkvar2) August 6, 2016@SarahNEmerson Rio Olympics opening ceremonies sanctimonious call to arms over global warming from country slashing & burning rainforests righteous axe (@righteousaxe) August 6, 2016Conservatives are so fun to watch when they re in hissy-fit mode, are they not? They d scream about someone declaring the sky blue if they could. At least when liberals decry anti-climate science speeches and displays, we have the science on our side with which to do so. They just want to whine.Featured image by Clive Mason/Getty Images

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(VIDEO) TED CRUZ PROTESTERS GET ALL WET WHEN RESTAURANT OWNER HAS HAD ENOUGHDisrupting people when they re trying to have dinner came to an end when Ted Cruz protesters got all wet. Can we do that to the Black Lives Matter folks?An Arkansas restauranteur thought some Ted Cruz protesters were all wet then he made sure of it!The Texas senator and Republican presidential hopeful was enjoying a meal with Republican Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson in Little Rock last week when the loud group of protesters arrived. We wanted to make sure that [Cruz] heard from us, protester Robert Nunn told ABC affiliate KATV.They made sure a lot of people heard them. Including a guy who dumped a bucket of water right down on them. KATV Breaking News, Weather and Razorback Sports I looked up and I saw, it was clearly one of the employees, he had a white jacket on and he had a bucket and I was like, Hmm, what s going on with that? Nunn told reporters. And before I knew what happened, he had dumped it. Via: BPR

WHOA! THIS DC DIVA Blows Off Traffic Laws In An SUV To Shop At a Fancy Shoe StoreWhat the heck! First it s Hillary Clinton who gets off even though she s guilty and now it s Pelosi screeching through traffic to shop at a fancy shoe store! The thing that s so infuriating is that she s racing around town ignoring laws in an SUV! I guess global warming is for the little people too but not for DC Divas U.S. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is above the law, as St. Helena, California residents learned last month.Local Paul Smith wrote in to the St. Helena Star in June to describe Pelosi s recent shoe shopping excursion at a fancy boutique, prompting a response from police chief Bill Imboden about the former House Speaker s special status (see below). Last Saturday afternoon (June 4) I m standing on the west side of Main Street directly across from the Hunt Avenue intersection chatting with friends. Of course, traffic was heavy in both directions, Smith wrote. A large perfectly polished and gleaming black SUV is attempting a left turn from Hunt onto southbound Main (not easy). Suddenly blue/red lights are flashing from the windshield area of the SUV (like you would see in an official fire/police vehicle), he continued. I said to my friends, I ve never seen that before on a regular vehicle and I d think that s illegal and dangerous. They agreed. That s when the large black SUV jolted across two lanes of traffic, lights flashing, to park in front of a fire hydrant at the high end shoe boutique Footcandy. A St. Helena police car happens to be going northbound and pulls into the center lane and the officer starts shaking his arm and hollering at the driver of the SUV. While this goes on a man exits the SUV assisting a woman from the vehicle. She dashes off to Footcandy while he waits by the SUV in the red zone, Smith explained.The SHPD car leaves and proceeds northbound.My friends and I are puzzled, say goodbye and I walk south on Main. As I approach Footcandy, Nancy Pelosi comes out with her shopping bags and the man assists her into the awaiting SUV. The SUV, with lights flashing, bursts back into southbound traffic.Wow!Privilege? Power? Arrogance? Whose SUV, taxpayers? Say it ain t so, Nancy.Paul SmithSt. HelenaEditor s note: The Star asked St. Helena Police Chief Bill Imboden to respond, and here s what he wrote: The St. Helena Police Department has received similar complaints in the past, and on occasion we come across a scenario like what is mentioned in the complaint. Unfortunately local law enforcement has no authority to prevent this type of activity. The U.S. Capitol Police and the U.S. Secret Service provide dignitary protection for certain high-ranking members of the Federal Government, and this protection comes with the discretion to violate some state and local laws (illegal U-turns, parking in a red zone) under the guise of providing the best possible protection to the dignitary. In the case of Congresswoman Pelosi, she receives her protection detail from the Capitol Police. As the Chief of Police in St. Helena I can assure you we don t like or condone their behavior, but I can tell you from personal experience that while they sympathize with the position they put us in, they will not alter their tactics to appease us. Anyone who wishes to lodge a complaint about Congresswoman Pelosi can email her at the following website: pelosi.house.gov. You can also lodge a complaint with the protection agency at: U.S. Capitol Police Office of Professional Responsibility OPR@uscp.gov. Read more: The American Mirror

Trump says no 'rush' to get healthcare legislation done next weekWASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Friday there is no “rush” to get a vote on Republican healthcare legislation in the U.S. Congress before he reaches his 100th day in office next weekend. “We’ll see what happens - no particular rush,” Trump told reporters as he left the U.S. Treasury Department. “Doesn’t matter if it’s next week, next week does not matter.”

Puerto Rico's 2014 fiscal report close to release: officialNEW YORK (Reuters) - Puerto Rico’s long-awaited audited 2014 fiscal statements are close to release and should be ready by the end of January or the beginning of February, an official said on Wednesday. The U.S. territory is far behind on filing its audited statements and in September was criticized by powerful Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, a Republican, for not having up-to-date audited figures. “It is in the final stage,” Office of Management & Budget Director Luis Cruz Batista told reporters regarding the 2014 fiscal statements. “Auditors need to undertake a process where they need to be satisfied with the necessary information to provide an opinion. They should be ready by the end of this month, first week of February.”

NBC Insults The Hell Out Of Trump With Tagline For New ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ (VIDEO)Donald Trump s biggest claim to fame, The Apprentice and Celebrity Apprentice, were endangered last year when he revealed himself to be nothing but a horrible, childish bigot in presidential candidates clothing. At that time, NBC fired him and began looking at who might replace him, and now they have their answer, along with a very insulting tagline.NBC tapped Arnold Schwarzenegger to replace Trump last fall, but made it official with a new promo they released over the weekend. It says, on The Apprentice s YouTube channel: Brains, brawn and business acumen we re building a better boss. [emphasis mine]Ouch. That can be taken several different ways the most obvious being that they think Schwarzenegger s more rounded personality is a better fit than Trump ever was.That s insulting enough. However, NBC specifically fired Trump over his comments about Mexican immigrants last year, at the same time other companies cut ties with him for the same reason. So this could also be seen as a dig at him for what s proven to be his severe lack of even a modicum of professionalism pretty much anywhere.NBC also won t bring Trump back, even if he loses the election and comes crawling back on his hands and knees. NBC s entertainment chair, Robert Greenblatt, said earlier this month: No. He would never be back on Celebrity Apprentice, as long as I m here. Woe to Trump if whatever new business ventures on which he embarks after losing in November fail, just like so many of his other businesses have failed.Rumors are swirling that Trump may be using this election cycle to help launch his own television network, rather than making a serious run at the White House. However, Trump Steaks, Trump Vodka, Trump University, Trump Taj Mahal, and more, were all such dismal failures it s a wonder Trump thinks he can even pull off a new business venture. Despite possibly having help from Roger Ailes and Steve Bannon, a Trump television network might fail just as hard.Oh, Trumplestiltskin. His days of fame are numbered, and NBC is trying to make that number shrink. Watch the promo for Celebrity Apprentice below:Featured image via screen capture from embedded video

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WATCH: Jake Tapper FLATTENS Trump Supporter For Citing Child Pimp As Witness Against Groping ClaimsUsing a pimp for pedophiles as a witness is something only a sleazy and desperate lawyer would do.But former NYC mayor and Trump supporter Rudy Giuliani did it anyway during an appearance on CNN to defend Donald Trump against accusations of sexual assault and Jake Tapper was quick to burn him for it.From the start, it was clear that Giuliani is a hypocrite because while he absolutely believes the women who have accused Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct, he refuses to believe the women who have come forward to say the the Republican nominee sexually assaulted them. So far, nine women made such claims about Trump. But Giuliani thinks they are all liars. Do you believe every one of these women is lying? Tapper asked. No, I believe my friend Donald Trump when he tells me he didn t do it, Giuliani replied. I ve never seen him do anything like that. Well, of course you haven t, Rudy. You ve only been kissing Trump s ass since April. Trump has been groping women for decades as a private citizen.Giuliani then conceded that he hasn t investigated the women s claims but he attacked Jessica Leeds in particularly by bringing up an alleged witness to the alleged groping on an airplane in the 1980s. There is an independent witness who says it s not true, Giuliani declared triumphantly.But a disgusted Tapper crushed Giuliani s attempt to defend Trump by pointing out that Anthony Gilberthorpe was a self-claimed pimp for pedophiles who delivered underage boys to British politicians, hardly a credible witness and certainly not the kind of witness an attorney worth their salt would want on the stand.Tapper then cornered Giuliani about his support of the women who have accused Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct, noting that Donald Trump has paraded these women around and continues to talk about sexual assault even as his surrogates complain that the media hasn t moved on to covering something else.Hypocritically, instead of answering Tapper, Giuliani did just that and complained about the media and insisted that they move on from focusing on the sexual assault allegations against Trump. In fact, Giuliani was so desperate to stop talking about the sexual assault allegations that he rambled on and on for the remainder of the interview about other stuff Trump has talked about.Here s the video via YouTube:Donald Trump should have to answer for these allegations all the way through Election Day and so should his supporters. These are serious accusations that have a lot of credibility considering Trump has openly bragged about groping women whenever he wants even if they don t want him to do so.And Trump has only made things more difficult for himself by bringing in Bill Clinton s accusers and trash talking the women who have come forward against him.Republicans have also made this more of a story by continuing to support Trump despite his comments and behavior.So really, the only one Giuliani should blame for the media circus surrounding Trump is Trump himself.But again, that would require Giuliani taking his lips off of Trump s ass first.Featured Image: Screenshot

WATCH: Trump Declares Himself One Of The Best Presidents In History With Historic Low Approval RatingSeriously, this actually just happened.Prior to a round table ass-kissing contest, Donald Trump told a room full of reporters and his Cabinet members that he has passed more legislation than any other president except Franklin D. Roosevelt. I will say that never has there been a president with few exceptions, in the case of FDR he had a major Depression to handle who s passed more legislation, who s done more things than what we ve done, Trump bragged. We ve achieved tremendous success. I think we ve been about as active as you can possibly be at a just about record-setting pace. Here s the video via POLITICO:Unfortunately for Trump, most of what he has signed is insignificant stuff that Republicans have been easily able to get passed to make it seem like Trump is getting things done. In reality, he s not.As POLITICO points out,Many of the bills Trump has signed, such as designating buildings and appointing board members to the Smithsonian, do not have a major, direct impact on Americans, and Trump s ambitious legislative agenda on tax reform and infrastructure is largely stalled.NBC News further points out that one bill Trump signed was a war memorial, and another encouraged Americans to display the flag on a certain day.None of these pieces of legislation actually do anything to help Americans or improve our country. In short, it s not worth bragging about. The only reason Trump is bragging about it is because he has nothing else to brag about and he wants to convince Americans that he is succeeding. Of course, Trump won t mention that all of bills he has signed are insignificant.Trump s major legislative agenda has been a complete failure while past presidents have major legislative accomplishments on their records through the first 100 days.Trump also whined about Democrats and accused them of being obstructionists. Here s the video via NBC:The problem with this charge is that it s hypocritical and pathetic.Republicans control both the Senate and the House. So blaming Democrats for his own party s inability to get things passed in Congress is nothing more than an excuse, and a bad one at that.It s also hypocritical because Republicans obstructed President Obama for eight years. To expect Democrats to all of a sudden play ball, especially when such a destructive and incompetent person is in charge of the White House, is ridiculous.Trump claimed that Democrats would not even vote for the greatest healthcare bill in the world. He should put his money where his mouth is. Just introduce a universal healthcare bill in Congress and watch how fast Democrats vote in favor of it. The problem is that Trump s current healthcare bill is nowhere near the greatest. It strips healthcare from millions of people while giving massive tax breaks to wealthy people such as himself. It also raises the cost of healthcare and gives insurance companies the power to drop customers for a variety of reasons, including if a woman was raped.This Cabinet meeting was nothing more than blatant propaganda designed to stroke Trump s ego and fool the American people into thinking he s great. It s disgraceful and the American people should be outraged.Featured Image: Screenshot

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U.S. Border Patrol Chief Morgan asked to leave agencyWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mark Morgan has been asked to step down as the agency moves toward tougher enforcement of immigration laws under the Trump administration, a Department of Homeland Security official told Reuters on Thursday. Morgan, a longtime former Federal Bureau of Investigation official, is expected to leave his post by the end of the month, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. President Donald Trump announced a broad plan to crack down on border security on Wednesday, including directing the construction of a wall along the border with Mexico. The border patrol union, which endorsed Trump’s presidential campaign and applauded his executive orders, had been critical of Morgan for supporting former President Barack Obama’s plans to safeguard certain undocumented immigrants from deportation. The executive board of the National Border Patrol Council called Morgan arrogant and a “disgrace to the Border Patrol” in an opinion piece published by conservative website Breitbart News on Nov. 30. Unlike many border patrol officers, Morgan did not climb the chain of command within the agency but spent most of his career with the FBI. Acting U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan issued a statement thanking Morgan for his service. “On behalf of the men and women of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Border Patrol, I want to thank Mark Morgan for his unwavering dedication to our border security mission, and recognize his life-long career in service to the nation,” the statement said.