What happened to the Trump that originally took on the NRA?
March 1, 2018
President Trump shocked lawmakers in a bipartisan meeting by calling for comprehensive gun control measures backed by Democrats.
Thursday, February 28, 2019
There is a case out of Maine that is rather worrisome.
I am NOT trying to effect his guilt or innocence, but, was this man beaten? Some of what the police are accused of is torture. That is a separate investigation and it needs to be carried out by disinterested parties.
There was a time gap between the time he was apprehended and the time he was read his Miranda rights, I don't believe that constitutes proof of the comprehension of his arrest and the charges before him. If he was tortured he would do anything to prevent more of the same.
At this point, it looks as though the State's case is completely compromised as it should be if this man was tortured by the police. I don't' see how the case can go forward without a complete investigation of the accusations of torture.
February 28, 2019
by Megan Gray
John D. Williams is shown being led away after his capture by Maine State Police on April 28 and during his court hearing Thursday on a motion to suppress his confession to killing Somerset County Sheriff's Cpl. Eugene Cole. His attorney argued that Williams had been beaten by the arresting officers and feared further physical violence if he didn’t cooperate with the interrogation, and his drug withdrawal symptoms and weakened state made him vulnerable to coercion by police.
The man accused of killing a Somerset County sheriff’s deputy (click here) was in withdrawal from drugs during his arrest and police interrogation, a doctor testified Thursday morning.
John D. Williams is charged with murder in the death of Cpl. Eugene Cole in April. Cole, 61, became the first Maine police officer fatally shot in the line of duty in three decades. Williams, 30, pleaded not guilty to the murder charge in June.
The doctor was the first witness in a multi-day hearing on a motion to suppress all statements Williams made to law enforcement upon his arrest, including a confession to the killing.
Defense attorney Verne Paradie argued in his motion that police obtained those statements illegally. He said Williams had been beaten by the arresting officers and feared further physical violence if he didn’t cooperate with the interrogation, and his withdrawal symptoms and weakened state made him vulnerable to coercion by police.
Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese pushed back on those ideas with her own questions, pointing in particular to a moment when Williams said he understood his Miranda rights and explained them to police....
There was a time gap between the time he was apprehended and the time he was read his Miranda rights, I don't believe that constitutes proof of the comprehension of his arrest and the charges before him. If he was tortured he would do anything to prevent more of the same.
At this point, it looks as though the State's case is completely compromised as it should be if this man was tortured by the police. I don't' see how the case can go forward without a complete investigation of the accusations of torture.
February 28, 2019by Megan Gray
John D. Williams is shown being led away after his capture by Maine State Police on April 28 and during his court hearing Thursday on a motion to suppress his confession to killing Somerset County Sheriff's Cpl. Eugene Cole. His attorney argued that Williams had been beaten by the arresting officers and feared further physical violence if he didn’t cooperate with the interrogation, and his drug withdrawal symptoms and weakened state made him vulnerable to coercion by police.
The man accused of killing a Somerset County sheriff’s deputy (click here) was in withdrawal from drugs during his arrest and police interrogation, a doctor testified Thursday morning.
John D. Williams is charged with murder in the death of Cpl. Eugene Cole in April. Cole, 61, became the first Maine police officer fatally shot in the line of duty in three decades. Williams, 30, pleaded not guilty to the murder charge in June.
The doctor was the first witness in a multi-day hearing on a motion to suppress all statements Williams made to law enforcement upon his arrest, including a confession to the killing.
Defense attorney Verne Paradie argued in his motion that police obtained those statements illegally. He said Williams had been beaten by the arresting officers and feared further physical violence if he didn’t cooperate with the interrogation, and his withdrawal symptoms and weakened state made him vulnerable to coercion by police.
Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese pushed back on those ideas with her own questions, pointing in particular to a moment when Williams said he understood his Miranda rights and explained them to police....
The country has a problem. It has an entire political party in the Republicans that is bonded to Trump and he is a criminal. His methods are criminal and he doesn't care the amount of damage he does to our country or our people. Not only that but there is an entire segment of the population that has turned off the media for information and receives information only from Trump.
I hope the proper authorities are moving to take into custody the information Michael Cohen taken about that is "off site" in warehouses. The authorities need to get the information before it is destroyed. Have there been any warehouse fires lately?
I have no confidence at all in President Trump. He was tolerable, but, as time has worn on there is less and less about him that is tolerable. He uses racism to his advantage with a segment of the USA population. He breeds hate.
The USA has a profound problem and there is only one political party willing to do anything about it. There needs to be more Republicans separating themselves from Trump and be willing to love their country more than a man.
I hope the proper authorities are moving to take into custody the information Michael Cohen taken about that is "off site" in warehouses. The authorities need to get the information before it is destroyed. Have there been any warehouse fires lately?
I have no confidence at all in President Trump. He was tolerable, but, as time has worn on there is less and less about him that is tolerable. He uses racism to his advantage with a segment of the USA population. He breeds hate.
The USA has a profound problem and there is only one political party willing to do anything about it. There needs to be more Republicans separating themselves from Trump and be willing to love their country more than a man.
It was an alarming day.
The news both abroad and domestic was alarming yesterday and no American should take it lightly.
The talks with North Korea collapsed. They were touted by Trump for a long time as being award winning talks. That failed to be the case.
The USA military needs to reestablish its stance with South Korea and begin military games once more. That reality needs to automatically be part of any agreement between the USA and North Korea. The agreement between North Korea mist reflect a decreasing nuclear profile. In other words, as North Korea denuclearizes THEN the USA military decreases it's a profile in the area IN RELATION TO THE DEGREE OF DENUCLEARIZATION.
I find the abrupt removal of the USA military from South Korea and the compromise of South Korean national security to radical. It is understandable North Korea is demanding the removal of the USA military from the Korean Peninsula, but, to grant these demands without recognized and measurable concessions was an enormous mistake by Trump. What incentive did Kim have to carry out denuclearization after he got everything he wanted without changing a very aggressive profile? There were none.
In the domestic picture of the USA, there were alarming facts revealed in the US House with the testimony of Michael Cohen. He was very well spoken. He was more than willing to talk about the facts regarding his involvement in crimes by the Trump Company and the president as the president himself.
It was heartbreaking to realize Michael Cohen was enjoying a very lucrative career only to be drafted into a company that destroyed his professional status and life as a high earning lawyer. His family has suffered because of his affiliation with the Trump Company and the president.
Yesterday's testimony provided many lessons including the fact a slick public profile can mask the truth about the crime behind that profile. I hope if there are more Michael Cohens in the USA they take an example from this man and begin to reverse their involvement in crime.
The USA federal legislature has a heavy task ahead of it. It cannot leave a criminal in the Executive Branch. The American people should not consent to any criminal leadership in any branch of government. There are always hidden priorities with such people and it effects the path the USA government takes.
It is very worrisome that Trump is a criminal. He has taken enormous steps in regard to the USA treasury, dissolving treaties and reversing alliances with long standing allies. This is simply poor leadership, but, in the case of Trump it is poor leadership in the face of strong favoritism to Russian influence in both his election and his White House.
There is much to be done, but, the federal legislature cannot turn their backs on the facts brought to the country by Michael Cohen.
The talks with North Korea collapsed. They were touted by Trump for a long time as being award winning talks. That failed to be the case.
The USA military needs to reestablish its stance with South Korea and begin military games once more. That reality needs to automatically be part of any agreement between the USA and North Korea. The agreement between North Korea mist reflect a decreasing nuclear profile. In other words, as North Korea denuclearizes THEN the USA military decreases it's a profile in the area IN RELATION TO THE DEGREE OF DENUCLEARIZATION.
I find the abrupt removal of the USA military from South Korea and the compromise of South Korean national security to radical. It is understandable North Korea is demanding the removal of the USA military from the Korean Peninsula, but, to grant these demands without recognized and measurable concessions was an enormous mistake by Trump. What incentive did Kim have to carry out denuclearization after he got everything he wanted without changing a very aggressive profile? There were none.
In the domestic picture of the USA, there were alarming facts revealed in the US House with the testimony of Michael Cohen. He was very well spoken. He was more than willing to talk about the facts regarding his involvement in crimes by the Trump Company and the president as the president himself.
It was heartbreaking to realize Michael Cohen was enjoying a very lucrative career only to be drafted into a company that destroyed his professional status and life as a high earning lawyer. His family has suffered because of his affiliation with the Trump Company and the president.
Yesterday's testimony provided many lessons including the fact a slick public profile can mask the truth about the crime behind that profile. I hope if there are more Michael Cohens in the USA they take an example from this man and begin to reverse their involvement in crime.
The USA federal legislature has a heavy task ahead of it. It cannot leave a criminal in the Executive Branch. The American people should not consent to any criminal leadership in any branch of government. There are always hidden priorities with such people and it effects the path the USA government takes.
It is very worrisome that Trump is a criminal. He has taken enormous steps in regard to the USA treasury, dissolving treaties and reversing alliances with long standing allies. This is simply poor leadership, but, in the case of Trump it is poor leadership in the face of strong favoritism to Russian influence in both his election and his White House.
There is much to be done, but, the federal legislature cannot turn their backs on the facts brought to the country by Michael Cohen.
Donald Trump is heating up his veto pen.
Trump is very wrong in his assessment of these bills. They need to be signed into law and they are popular with gun owners. The veto should be viewed as adverse to gun ownership and safety for the American people. A majority of gun owners want better background checks.
The second bill is to extend the period of time given to gun shops to clear a person for ownership. That is a very good idea since Dillon Roof would not have been able to own his guns if he needed to wait a day or two longer for his background check.
There are very big consequences affiliated with the planned vetos of current bills passed with bipartisan votes. Those consequences need to be told to the American people. Vetos are serious issues and to use them for cronies and political votes is simply wrong when Americans are heavily impacted. Vetos impact the advocates and their campaigns to pass laws to help Americans. It simply wrong and proves the president is out of touch with the majority of Americans.
February 26, 2019
Washington — President Donald Trump (click here) is threatening to veto two Democratic bills expanding federal background checks on gun purchases, saying they do not sufficiently protect gun owners’ Second Amendment rights.
The House is expected to vote this week on separate bills requiring background checks for all sales and transfers of firearms and extending the background-check review from three to 10 days.
The bills are the first in a series of steps planned by majority House Democrats to tighten gun laws after eight years of Republican control.
The White House said in a veto message that the bill expanding background checks would impose unreasonable requirements on gun owners. It said the bill could block someone from borrowing a firearm for self-defense or allowing a neighbor to take care of a gun while traveling....
The second bill is to extend the period of time given to gun shops to clear a person for ownership. That is a very good idea since Dillon Roof would not have been able to own his guns if he needed to wait a day or two longer for his background check.
There are very big consequences affiliated with the planned vetos of current bills passed with bipartisan votes. Those consequences need to be told to the American people. Vetos are serious issues and to use them for cronies and political votes is simply wrong when Americans are heavily impacted. Vetos impact the advocates and their campaigns to pass laws to help Americans. It simply wrong and proves the president is out of touch with the majority of Americans.
February 26, 2019
Washington — President Donald Trump (click here) is threatening to veto two Democratic bills expanding federal background checks on gun purchases, saying they do not sufficiently protect gun owners’ Second Amendment rights.
The House is expected to vote this week on separate bills requiring background checks for all sales and transfers of firearms and extending the background-check review from three to 10 days.
The bills are the first in a series of steps planned by majority House Democrats to tighten gun laws after eight years of Republican control.
The White House said in a veto message that the bill expanding background checks would impose unreasonable requirements on gun owners. It said the bill could block someone from borrowing a firearm for self-defense or allowing a neighbor to take care of a gun while traveling....
FedEx is proving the IMF was correct in warnings about a slowing global economy.
In the fourth quarter of 2018, there has been a slowing to the USA economy. Many blame the government shutdown, but, the greatest impact didn't occur in 2018. The first paycheck was missed by the government employees in 2019. The USA government shutdown definitely affected the USA economy, but, to extrapolate that into the global slowdown is not likely.
Timeline to tariffs (click here)
November 13, 2018
By Dan Murphy
Growth is slowing in a number of the world’s big economies (click here), and the International Monetary Fund is warning that investor sentiment could make a “sudden reversal” for the worse.
“Although still supportive of growth, global financial conditions have started to tighten,” the fund said in its latest Regional Economic Outlook report for Middle East and Central Asia, released Tuesday.
The report is published annually and gives a broad overview of recent economic developments and of prospects and policy issues for the medium term....
FedEx is one of the companies that launched and grew with the expansion of global markets. It makes complete sense that FedEx would be feeling the CONTRACTION of the global market place. Now, 3.5 growth is still significant, but, if the slowing continues it will have a larger impact. I think this slowing is on track due to the USA tariffs.
February 25, 2019
By Max Garland
FedEx’s view on the economy (click here) isn’t getting any better with its next earnings report less than a month away, according to a recent company report.
The Memphis logistics giant expects global and U.S. economic growth to slow this year and next, per a FedEx analysis as of Feb. 1.
Global gross domestic product growth will dip to 2.9 percent in 2019 and to 2.8 percent in 2020, according to the analysis in FedEx’s roadshow report for investors. FedEx forecast global GDP growth to be 3.1 percent last year.
“Global economic growth is slowing as growth eases in the Eurozone, China, and other large economies,” FedEx said in the report. “Given the importance of access to global supply chains to U.S. competitiveness and jobs, it is important to have a policy environment that encourages free trade. Higher tariffs represent a downside risk to the economic outlook, especially as global trade growth slows.”
FedEx is one of many expecting the global economy to slow. In January, the International Monetary Fund said GDP growth would drop from 3.7 percent in 2018 to 3.5 percent in 2019....
continued...
Timeline to tariffs (click here)
November 13, 2018
By Dan Murphy
Growth is slowing in a number of the world’s big economies (click here), and the International Monetary Fund is warning that investor sentiment could make a “sudden reversal” for the worse.
“Although still supportive of growth, global financial conditions have started to tighten,” the fund said in its latest Regional Economic Outlook report for Middle East and Central Asia, released Tuesday.
The report is published annually and gives a broad overview of recent economic developments and of prospects and policy issues for the medium term....
FedEx is one of the companies that launched and grew with the expansion of global markets. It makes complete sense that FedEx would be feeling the CONTRACTION of the global market place. Now, 3.5 growth is still significant, but, if the slowing continues it will have a larger impact. I think this slowing is on track due to the USA tariffs.
February 25, 2019
By Max Garland
FedEx’s view on the economy (click here) isn’t getting any better with its next earnings report less than a month away, according to a recent company report.
The Memphis logistics giant expects global and U.S. economic growth to slow this year and next, per a FedEx analysis as of Feb. 1.
Global gross domestic product growth will dip to 2.9 percent in 2019 and to 2.8 percent in 2020, according to the analysis in FedEx’s roadshow report for investors. FedEx forecast global GDP growth to be 3.1 percent last year.
“Global economic growth is slowing as growth eases in the Eurozone, China, and other large economies,” FedEx said in the report. “Given the importance of access to global supply chains to U.S. competitiveness and jobs, it is important to have a policy environment that encourages free trade. Higher tariffs represent a downside risk to the economic outlook, especially as global trade growth slows.”
FedEx is one of many expecting the global economy to slow. In January, the International Monetary Fund said GDP growth would drop from 3.7 percent in 2018 to 3.5 percent in 2019....
continued...
Thank you, Speaker Pelosi.
Expanding background checks high a high approval rate by the American people, including gun owners. Those that can lawfully own a gun recognize the loopholes in the current law and want those loopholes closed. This is the first time in nearly two decades a gun law has been passed in the USA legislature. It is a result of hard work and reaching across the aisle.
The elections of 2018, placing Democrats in the majority in the US House, was won due to expectations of increasing gun control and guaranteeing health insurance without regard to pre-conditions. Yesterday was a great day in the US House which occurred with committees recessed for the vote.
This bill was possible because gun control groups never gave up, including with the help of Michael Bloomberg.
February 27, 2019
By Brakkton Booker
The House passed (click here) what advocates call the most significant gun control measure in more than two decades on Wednesday when it approved the first of two bills aimed at broadening the federal background check system for firearms purchases.
The vote on the first bill, dubbed the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, passed largely along party lines 240 to 190 with Democrats who control the House cheering as they carried the legislation across the finish line.
A second bill, expected to be taken up Thursday, would extend the period federal authorities have to complete a background check before a gun sale can go through. Under current law, if a check isn't finalized in three business days, the transaction can automatically proceed.
House Democrats hope the swift passage of the companion bills will put pressure on the Senate to act. The National Rifle Association opposes the legislation, and it faces major headwinds in the Republican-controlled Senate. In the unlikely event the Senate approves the measure, the White House has already signaled the President would veto the bill, should it reach his desk....
The elections of 2018, placing Democrats in the majority in the US House, was won due to expectations of increasing gun control and guaranteeing health insurance without regard to pre-conditions. Yesterday was a great day in the US House which occurred with committees recessed for the vote.
This bill was possible because gun control groups never gave up, including with the help of Michael Bloomberg.
February 27, 2019
By Brakkton Booker
The House passed (click here) what advocates call the most significant gun control measure in more than two decades on Wednesday when it approved the first of two bills aimed at broadening the federal background check system for firearms purchases.
The vote on the first bill, dubbed the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, passed largely along party lines 240 to 190 with Democrats who control the House cheering as they carried the legislation across the finish line.
A second bill, expected to be taken up Thursday, would extend the period federal authorities have to complete a background check before a gun sale can go through. Under current law, if a check isn't finalized in three business days, the transaction can automatically proceed.
House Democrats hope the swift passage of the companion bills will put pressure on the Senate to act. The National Rifle Association opposes the legislation, and it faces major headwinds in the Republican-controlled Senate. In the unlikely event the Senate approves the measure, the White House has already signaled the President would veto the bill, should it reach his desk....
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
My internet connection was interrupted during the final segment of questioning. I will most likely spend time at the library tomorrow for uninterrupted listening to the final time segment.
That said, I have seen segments on the evening news and Rep. Wasserman - Schultz asked how she can coroborate Mr. Cohen’s testimony so I have some suggestions.
I would make a complete list of the information I was looking for such as, “Please send me all the known dates and times of postings of Guccifer 2.0 in relation to the election of 2016,” and “Send any supporting evidence to the fact Guccifer 2.0 was involved in the hacking of the DNC headquarters and that of the Clinton Campaign, as well as the dates and times connected to communications with Wikileaks.” Then Representative, I would address that list to relevant agencies directly such as the FBI, CIA and European intelligence agencies and perhaps Interpol. Caution with Interpol as about six months or so ago or more a Russian operative was attempting to take over leadership of the agency.
I would not send requests through the Homeland Security Secretary as that is a conflict of interest and possible obstruction of justice. So, enlist people and agencies that can be honest and trustworthy. The requests must be specific to focus the desired information for efficiency and expediency of the request. A simple statement such as, “Please send any coroborating evidence to the Michael Cohen testimony before Congress,” is very broad in it’s scope and requires interpretation and expertise that will submit the request to a lengthy process and quite possibly make it untenable to answer.
I think the US House has enough talented people that can narrow down what is needed and pin point the important information. Allow the LIST to be satisfied as the information is accumulated without any particular order, date or time it is delivered to your desk. A partial fulfillment of the list will begin to build clarity and quite possibly as more information rolls in will complete the picture far sooner than waiting for a completed task.
That is probably clear as mud, but, just dive in and ask a staffer to follow up regularly and bring it to your attention regularly. Good luck.
Do I mistrust the Secretary of Homeland Security? Are there children in detention camps without a clear path for their future? The answer to both is, yes.
That said, I have seen segments on the evening news and Rep. Wasserman - Schultz asked how she can coroborate Mr. Cohen’s testimony so I have some suggestions.
I would make a complete list of the information I was looking for such as, “Please send me all the known dates and times of postings of Guccifer 2.0 in relation to the election of 2016,” and “Send any supporting evidence to the fact Guccifer 2.0 was involved in the hacking of the DNC headquarters and that of the Clinton Campaign, as well as the dates and times connected to communications with Wikileaks.” Then Representative, I would address that list to relevant agencies directly such as the FBI, CIA and European intelligence agencies and perhaps Interpol. Caution with Interpol as about six months or so ago or more a Russian operative was attempting to take over leadership of the agency.
I would not send requests through the Homeland Security Secretary as that is a conflict of interest and possible obstruction of justice. So, enlist people and agencies that can be honest and trustworthy. The requests must be specific to focus the desired information for efficiency and expediency of the request. A simple statement such as, “Please send any coroborating evidence to the Michael Cohen testimony before Congress,” is very broad in it’s scope and requires interpretation and expertise that will submit the request to a lengthy process and quite possibly make it untenable to answer.
I think the US House has enough talented people that can narrow down what is needed and pin point the important information. Allow the LIST to be satisfied as the information is accumulated without any particular order, date or time it is delivered to your desk. A partial fulfillment of the list will begin to build clarity and quite possibly as more information rolls in will complete the picture far sooner than waiting for a completed task.
That is probably clear as mud, but, just dive in and ask a staffer to follow up regularly and bring it to your attention regularly. Good luck.
Do I mistrust the Secretary of Homeland Security? Are there children in detention camps without a clear path for their future? The answer to both is, yes.
I like Michael Cohen. I believe he is doing his level best to apologize to Congress and the American people. His statements where he enters into the assessment of a brief encounter between Trump and Trump, Jr. is interesting, but, has to be corroborated.
I don't think Michael Cohen is a bad man, but, he allowed himself to be dragged into a corrupt real estate company for the monies it brought. I also wonder if Michael Cohen felt intimidated in any way to continue his employment with Trump.
There is a difference between the ideas of corruption and entitlement by Trump and the actions of Michael Cohen. Cohen took the heat for Trump and he made a lot of money doing so, but, those monies would not be available to him if Trump didn't first exact his actions.
Michael Cohen needs no one's help in defending himself.
Why isn't the FBI handling this? Are there American entities involved with this? Every financial institution in the USA needs to investigate any potential of harboring these monies and report it to the FBI. There are significant laws regarding the reporting of large movements of money to detect terrorists. No USA institution should be in violation of those laws.
16 February 2012
By Rupert Neate
A high court judge (click here) has issued an arrest warrant for a Kazakh billionaire accused of committing one of the world's biggest ever frauds.
Mukhtar Ablyazov, who is alleged to have embezzled $5bn (£3.2bn), was found guilty of lying to the court about the scale of his vast fortune, including a £17m mansion on The Bishops Avenue, known as London's "billionaires' row". Mr Justice Teare sentenced Ablyazov to 22 months in jail for "serious" and "brazen" contempt of court in trying to hide more than £34m of assets from creditors, who claim he siphoned off billions of pounds from the Kazakh bank he used to run, BTA.
Ablyazov fled to Britain in 2009 after the bank he chaired defaulted on £8bn of debt owed to majority-state-owned Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Barclays and others. The judge said Ablyazov has been accused of "fraud on an epic scale" and of using the bank "as if it were his own private source of funds"....
Mr. Hice us chasing rainbows. Signatures are signatures. Checks are checks. Mr. Cohen has already stated much of what the US House is looking for can be found with the Southern District of New York US Attorney's office.
The Republicans strongly appear to be under the influence of Trump no different than Mr. Cohen was at one time.
Lanny Davis is a wealthy man who can easily provide Pro Bono services to Michael Cohen. It is generous of him and he intends to have Michael Cohen to be honest and bring about the truth to the American people. I am concerned that if Michael Cohen had another attorney the truth would still be buried.
Lanny Davis is known to have a friendship with the Clintons as former members of the federal authority of the USA. I think I feel better about Lanny Davis' friendships than I do about Trump's in Asia.
There are many people that feel responsible for the failed election of Hillary Clinton. The longer this continues the more Americans are realizing the Clinton loss in 2016 was an assault against the country. If Lanny Davis is dedicated to revealing the truth, then I am not surprised. He is as an American as anyone else and he has a right to seek to protect this democracy.
Mark Meadows is barking up the wrong tree because Michael Cohen has already discussed this with his council. This is the third day of testimony and there have been legal dynamics continuing throughout.
Higgins is a piece of work. The prosecuting authorities don't necessarily need Cohen's boxes when it comes to bank information and otherwise. Michael Cohen already stated what evidence he had can be found at the SDNY. There are no secrets stated today that isn't already known. Oops, there it is. Higgins is defending the president.
July 6, 2019
New Orleans -- A Louisiana congressman (click here) is apologizing for the "unintended pain" caused by a video of his visit to a gas chamber at a Nazi concentration camp.
Rep. Clay Higgins said in an email Wednesday that he was retracting the video, recorded at the Auschwitz camp in Poland that is now part of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum....
The guy opposes bipartisanship.
September 14, 2018
By Drew Broach
U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Port Barre, (click here) has been a solid supporter of GOP President Donald Trump, and has raised and spent more money in his re-election campaign than anyone else in the race. But he's also facing more opponents than any Louisiana incumbent, and is the only one challenged by a member of his own party....
September 29, 2016
By Walter Pierce
[Editor's Note: (click here) The IND reached out to former Opelousas Police Chief Perry Gallow, who says Higgins' comments on both of the incidents below are misleading. "I am disappointed," Gallow says. "I really thought that Clay had turned the page. He preaches a lot about redemption, but his claims are, for the most part, inaccurate." More to come from that interview later this week.]
On May 31, 2007, Perry Gallow, then the police chief in Opelousas, wrote a letter to the mayor and city council informing them that on “May 18, 2007, Police Officer Clay Higgins rendered all equipment/property in his possession to Assistant Chief Smith/Opelousas Police Department, thereby resigning his position as Police Officer. A recommendation of disciplinary action, suspension without pay, regarding Mr. Higgins was approved at the Special Council Meeting of May 15, 2007. Due to his abrupt resignation, disciplinary action cannot be imposed.”
In addition to the letter to the mayor and council informing them of Officer Higgins’ resignation, Gallow attached a series of police department documents from his office including minutes of the Opelousas Police Department’s Discipline Review Board concerning the March 14, 2007, incident. Included among several accounts of police misconduct lodged against several officers within those minutes — their names are redacted — was the accusation against Patrol Officer First Class Clay Higgins: “Pfc. Clay Higgins used unnecessary force on a subject during the execution of a warrant and later gave false statements during an internal investigation. Although he later recanted his story and admitted to striking a suspect in handcuffs and later releasing him ...
That is precious. Michael Cohen needed to record Donald Trump to defend himself to David Pecker. Why do I get the feeling Trump told Pecker that he had given the monies to Cohen and Cohen needs to be forthcoming. Amazing. Trump is a thief. He entered into financial arrangements to pay off his protections against disclosure of an affair with a Playboy model and then welched on it.
Okay, Michael Cohen has a right to accept a book and movie deal within the defines of the law. He does not have to provide donations to any charity and there is every indication that once Michael Cohen leaves prison he will be his own charity. He has a Pro Bono lawyer, what else needs to be known?
There is nothing new about that.
December 12, 2018
By Ryan Lucas
A federal judge (click here) sentenced Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen to three years in prison on Wednesday following Cohen's guilty pleas to a number of political and finance crimes.
Those three years would be followed by three years of supervised release, and Cohen also is subject to forfeiture of $500,000, restitution of $1.4 million and fines totaling $100,000....
The government is receiving plenty of money from Mr. Cohen to defray the cost of the prosection. He is going to need money and plenty of it.
Additionally, Michael Cohen lost his legal license.
I forgot, the Republicans use these hearings as fodder for political commercials. Rep. Greg Steuben reminded me of that fact.
Rep. Chip Roy is from the 12th District of Texas. That is a district of San Antonio and north. Mr. Roy needs to speak to his peers that represent the Texas border because the people along the Texas border do not want a wall. He is complaining about wasting time on the testimony of Michael Cohen. I don't find it a waste of time to collect unlawful activity of a freely elected president. I might add, I am not completely sure Trump was freely elected by an electorate free of influence by an enemy of the USA.
Americans should be concerned about the priorities of Chip Roy. The reality that he disdains NATO only brings more concern about his criticism of Michael Cohen.
January 28, 2019
By Bill Lambrecht
...When the House voted 357-22 last week (click here) to prevent President Donald Trump from withdrawing from NATO, as the president has threatened to do, Roy was in the distinct minority supporting Trump.
In an even more lopsided tally, Roy was one of just seven House members, all Republicans, voting against legislation to ensure that some 800,000 federal workers affected by the government shutdown get back pay. After Senate passage and a 411-7 House vote, Trump signed the measure into law....
It is completely obvious to me there are relationships between communist leaders and Mr. Trump. THAT reality together with the information currently accumulated by SDNY and the Special Council which taints the 2016 election to favor Trump is most worrisome. Yet. The Republicans don't find it at all concerning.
It would seem the Democrats are the only ones willing to worry about the USA Constitution and the sovereign nature of the USA and it's elections.
continued...
I don't think Michael Cohen is a bad man, but, he allowed himself to be dragged into a corrupt real estate company for the monies it brought. I also wonder if Michael Cohen felt intimidated in any way to continue his employment with Trump.
There is a difference between the ideas of corruption and entitlement by Trump and the actions of Michael Cohen. Cohen took the heat for Trump and he made a lot of money doing so, but, those monies would not be available to him if Trump didn't first exact his actions.
Michael Cohen needs no one's help in defending himself.
Why isn't the FBI handling this? Are there American entities involved with this? Every financial institution in the USA needs to investigate any potential of harboring these monies and report it to the FBI. There are significant laws regarding the reporting of large movements of money to detect terrorists. No USA institution should be in violation of those laws.
16 February 2012
By Rupert Neate
A high court judge (click here) has issued an arrest warrant for a Kazakh billionaire accused of committing one of the world's biggest ever frauds.
Mukhtar Ablyazov, who is alleged to have embezzled $5bn (£3.2bn), was found guilty of lying to the court about the scale of his vast fortune, including a £17m mansion on The Bishops Avenue, known as London's "billionaires' row". Mr Justice Teare sentenced Ablyazov to 22 months in jail for "serious" and "brazen" contempt of court in trying to hide more than £34m of assets from creditors, who claim he siphoned off billions of pounds from the Kazakh bank he used to run, BTA.
Ablyazov fled to Britain in 2009 after the bank he chaired defaulted on £8bn of debt owed to majority-state-owned Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Barclays and others. The judge said Ablyazov has been accused of "fraud on an epic scale" and of using the bank "as if it were his own private source of funds"....
Mr. Hice us chasing rainbows. Signatures are signatures. Checks are checks. Mr. Cohen has already stated much of what the US House is looking for can be found with the Southern District of New York US Attorney's office.
The Republicans strongly appear to be under the influence of Trump no different than Mr. Cohen was at one time.
Lanny Davis is a wealthy man who can easily provide Pro Bono services to Michael Cohen. It is generous of him and he intends to have Michael Cohen to be honest and bring about the truth to the American people. I am concerned that if Michael Cohen had another attorney the truth would still be buried.
Lanny Davis is known to have a friendship with the Clintons as former members of the federal authority of the USA. I think I feel better about Lanny Davis' friendships than I do about Trump's in Asia.
There are many people that feel responsible for the failed election of Hillary Clinton. The longer this continues the more Americans are realizing the Clinton loss in 2016 was an assault against the country. If Lanny Davis is dedicated to revealing the truth, then I am not surprised. He is as an American as anyone else and he has a right to seek to protect this democracy.
Mark Meadows is barking up the wrong tree because Michael Cohen has already discussed this with his council. This is the third day of testimony and there have been legal dynamics continuing throughout.
Higgins is a piece of work. The prosecuting authorities don't necessarily need Cohen's boxes when it comes to bank information and otherwise. Michael Cohen already stated what evidence he had can be found at the SDNY. There are no secrets stated today that isn't already known. Oops, there it is. Higgins is defending the president.
July 6, 2019
New Orleans -- A Louisiana congressman (click here) is apologizing for the "unintended pain" caused by a video of his visit to a gas chamber at a Nazi concentration camp.
Rep. Clay Higgins said in an email Wednesday that he was retracting the video, recorded at the Auschwitz camp in Poland that is now part of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum....
The guy opposes bipartisanship.
September 14, 2018
By Drew Broach
U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Port Barre, (click here) has been a solid supporter of GOP President Donald Trump, and has raised and spent more money in his re-election campaign than anyone else in the race. But he's also facing more opponents than any Louisiana incumbent, and is the only one challenged by a member of his own party....
September 29, 2016
By Walter Pierce
[Editor's Note: (click here) The IND reached out to former Opelousas Police Chief Perry Gallow, who says Higgins' comments on both of the incidents below are misleading. "I am disappointed," Gallow says. "I really thought that Clay had turned the page. He preaches a lot about redemption, but his claims are, for the most part, inaccurate." More to come from that interview later this week.]
On May 31, 2007, Perry Gallow, then the police chief in Opelousas, wrote a letter to the mayor and city council informing them that on “May 18, 2007, Police Officer Clay Higgins rendered all equipment/property in his possession to Assistant Chief Smith/Opelousas Police Department, thereby resigning his position as Police Officer. A recommendation of disciplinary action, suspension without pay, regarding Mr. Higgins was approved at the Special Council Meeting of May 15, 2007. Due to his abrupt resignation, disciplinary action cannot be imposed.”
In addition to the letter to the mayor and council informing them of Officer Higgins’ resignation, Gallow attached a series of police department documents from his office including minutes of the Opelousas Police Department’s Discipline Review Board concerning the March 14, 2007, incident. Included among several accounts of police misconduct lodged against several officers within those minutes — their names are redacted — was the accusation against Patrol Officer First Class Clay Higgins: “Pfc. Clay Higgins used unnecessary force on a subject during the execution of a warrant and later gave false statements during an internal investigation. Although he later recanted his story and admitted to striking a suspect in handcuffs and later releasing him ...
That is precious. Michael Cohen needed to record Donald Trump to defend himself to David Pecker. Why do I get the feeling Trump told Pecker that he had given the monies to Cohen and Cohen needs to be forthcoming. Amazing. Trump is a thief. He entered into financial arrangements to pay off his protections against disclosure of an affair with a Playboy model and then welched on it.
There is nothing new about that.
December 12, 2018
By Ryan Lucas
A federal judge (click here) sentenced Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen to three years in prison on Wednesday following Cohen's guilty pleas to a number of political and finance crimes.
Those three years would be followed by three years of supervised release, and Cohen also is subject to forfeiture of $500,000, restitution of $1.4 million and fines totaling $100,000....
The government is receiving plenty of money from Mr. Cohen to defray the cost of the prosection. He is going to need money and plenty of it.
Additionally, Michael Cohen lost his legal license.
I forgot, the Republicans use these hearings as fodder for political commercials. Rep. Greg Steuben reminded me of that fact.
Rep. Chip Roy is from the 12th District of Texas. That is a district of San Antonio and north. Mr. Roy needs to speak to his peers that represent the Texas border because the people along the Texas border do not want a wall. He is complaining about wasting time on the testimony of Michael Cohen. I don't find it a waste of time to collect unlawful activity of a freely elected president. I might add, I am not completely sure Trump was freely elected by an electorate free of influence by an enemy of the USA.
Americans should be concerned about the priorities of Chip Roy. The reality that he disdains NATO only brings more concern about his criticism of Michael Cohen.
January 28, 2019
By Bill Lambrecht
...When the House voted 357-22 last week (click here) to prevent President Donald Trump from withdrawing from NATO, as the president has threatened to do, Roy was in the distinct minority supporting Trump.
In an even more lopsided tally, Roy was one of just seven House members, all Republicans, voting against legislation to ensure that some 800,000 federal workers affected by the government shutdown get back pay. After Senate passage and a 411-7 House vote, Trump signed the measure into law....
It is completely obvious to me there are relationships between communist leaders and Mr. Trump. THAT reality together with the information currently accumulated by SDNY and the Special Council which taints the 2016 election to favor Trump is most worrisome. Yet. The Republicans don't find it at all concerning.
It would seem the Democrats are the only ones willing to worry about the USA Constitution and the sovereign nature of the USA and it's elections.
continued...
The truth is bullet proof in the light of day.
Michael Cohen is due to CONTINUE a multi-day testimony to the Congress today. The opportunity to lie is not available to Mr. Cohen. There is no way a week of intense testimony will hold up to lies. There are too many people asking the questions and the opportunity to trip up and have conflicting answers is not likely. I think Michael Cohen feels good about what he is doing and he needs to continue down that path.
The Special Council has decades of time and experience in dealing with liars. Michael Cohen has a future. He will satisfy his debt to the country in jail, but, when he is released the future will include his ability to market his education in a way that will bring interest to him. There are many, many reasons for him to purge his past and reach for a better future. I hope the truth will heal his life and he will succeed in a meaningful way in the future. I wish him well.
"This is a time where Mr. Cohen (click here) had to put his family and their safety first," Cohen's attorney, Lanny Davis, said.
The biggest mistake Guiliani and Trump made was to threaten Michael Cohen and his family. We see this sometimes, don't we? There are many criminals in today's society that like to hang out in groups and bring about fear in communities to ensure they remain silent. The inner cities are fighting back these dynamics all the time. Witnesses become emotionally paralyzed in the face of the reality of threats over that of the truth and justice. Well, here we go again. Falling back into old patterns is not the future and the American people are fighting for the truth and justice not maintaining the lies of the past.
February 26, 2019
By David French
...1. Corroboration is key. (click here) This is the most obvious point. As Cohen testifies, his credibility increases when he can support his story with documents, with recordings, or even with other witnesses. If anyone else is willing to testify under oath in the same way to the same events, then Cohen’s words take on new importance. His narrative is only as compelling as his corroboration.
2. Don’t believe your own discernment. The absolute worst thing anyone can do when confronting a witness is to believe they have some sort of special insight into who is truly “sincere” or “credible.” A man who has lied for a long time tends to be very good at lying, and the obvious giveaways or “tells” are more often the stuff of movies than real life. I’ve sat in depositions and watched a witness give a performance fit for awards season — only to see them reverse course quickly (and, again, convincingly) after being confronted with clearly contradictory documentary evidence....
The Special Council has decades of time and experience in dealing with liars. Michael Cohen has a future. He will satisfy his debt to the country in jail, but, when he is released the future will include his ability to market his education in a way that will bring interest to him. There are many, many reasons for him to purge his past and reach for a better future. I hope the truth will heal his life and he will succeed in a meaningful way in the future. I wish him well.
"This is a time where Mr. Cohen (click here) had to put his family and their safety first," Cohen's attorney, Lanny Davis, said.
The biggest mistake Guiliani and Trump made was to threaten Michael Cohen and his family. We see this sometimes, don't we? There are many criminals in today's society that like to hang out in groups and bring about fear in communities to ensure they remain silent. The inner cities are fighting back these dynamics all the time. Witnesses become emotionally paralyzed in the face of the reality of threats over that of the truth and justice. Well, here we go again. Falling back into old patterns is not the future and the American people are fighting for the truth and justice not maintaining the lies of the past.
February 26, 2019
By David French
...1. Corroboration is key. (click here) This is the most obvious point. As Cohen testifies, his credibility increases when he can support his story with documents, with recordings, or even with other witnesses. If anyone else is willing to testify under oath in the same way to the same events, then Cohen’s words take on new importance. His narrative is only as compelling as his corroboration.
2. Don’t believe your own discernment. The absolute worst thing anyone can do when confronting a witness is to believe they have some sort of special insight into who is truly “sincere” or “credible.” A man who has lied for a long time tends to be very good at lying, and the obvious giveaways or “tells” are more often the stuff of movies than real life. I’ve sat in depositions and watched a witness give a performance fit for awards season — only to see them reverse course quickly (and, again, convincingly) after being confronted with clearly contradictory documentary evidence....
There are listening posts in the ocean. That is a fact.
The location seems reasonable.
February 26, 2019
...In research published Jan. 29 (click here) in the open-access journal Scientific Reports, applied mathematician Usama Kadri said underwater microphones in the Indian Ocean had recorded four distinctive sound events, caused by very low-frequency acoustic-gravity waves, around the time that Flight 370 could have crashed into the sea.
...In research published Jan. 29 (click here) in the open-access journal Scientific Reports, applied mathematician Usama Kadri said underwater microphones in the Indian Ocean had recorded four distinctive sound events, caused by very low-frequency acoustic-gravity waves, around the time that Flight 370 could have crashed into the sea.
His research showed that one of those sound events happened relatively close to the search area — but two others are thousands of miles away, in the northern part of the Indian Ocean, somewhere between Madagascar and the atoll of Diego Garcia in the Chagos Archipelago, Kadri told Live Science.
Investigators suspect that the lost airliner crashed somewhere in the Indian Ocean, although its flight path after it disappeared from civilian and military radars, west of the Malay Peninsula, is not known....
Weren't there some reports of a low flying plane reported in that area? Some of the microphones belong to military operations and could still be classified. Military personnel could sort through any of recordings to determine and validate this scientific report. The military recordings might be a part of this discovery. So, the bottom line is this is a very viable answer to help locate the downed jet.
Det 1, 13th Air Force, (click here) is responsible for operating and maintaining a Southwest Asia contingency base on Diego Garcia in support of CINCCENTCOM OPLANs. Provides facilities, munitions, vehicles, Aerospace Ground Equipment, supplies and aviation fuel to sustain deployed bomber and tanker sortie operations.
The 36th Civil Engineer Squadron sent a 24-person Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force detachment to Naval Support Facility, Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territories, in June 2000. The team left Andersen seven weeks ago to complete some construction work as part of the Air Force¡¯s Bomber Forward Operating Location initiative. Members from Pacific Air Forces Headquarters and 36th CES identified five requirements for the team, including: constructing a land mobile radio repeater facility, constructing supply and maintenance secure storage rooms, repairing tent city electrical system, constructing a generator pad and testing grounding points on the south ramp.
Diego Garcia is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) formed in 1965 from territory belonging formerly to Mauritius and the Seychelles. The island is one of 52 in the Chagos Archipelago, which extends over an area of 10,000 square miles. The archipelago is located in the heart of the Indian Ocean, south of India and between Africa and Indonesia. The tropical island is a narrow coral atoll with a land area of about eleven square miles, nearly enclosing a lagoon. Its configuration is that of a "V" drawn by a shaky hand. The island stretches 37 miles from tip to tip, with an opening to the north-northwest. Three small islands dot the mouth of the lagoon which is approximately 13 miles long and up to 6 miles wide. The lagoon is from sixty to one hundred feet deep with numerous coral heads in most areas. Shallow reefs surround the island on the ocean side, as well as in the lagoon. The island's mean height above sea level is 4 feet.
Diego Garcia is the largest of many atolls that form the Chagos Archipelago. The horseshoe- shaped atoll is located seven degrees south of the equator in the North Central Region of the Indian Ocean. It is heavily vegetated, has a land area of 6,720 acres and is 37 miles long, tip-to-tip. The maximum elevation is 22 feet, with an average elevation of four feet above sea level. The enclosed lagoon is approximately seven miles wide and thirteen miles long. The three small islands at the mouth of the lagoon and the shape of the atoll give the impression of a footprint, hence the term....
Weren't there some reports of a low flying plane reported in that area? Some of the microphones belong to military operations and could still be classified. Military personnel could sort through any of recordings to determine and validate this scientific report. The military recordings might be a part of this discovery. So, the bottom line is this is a very viable answer to help locate the downed jet.
The 36th Civil Engineer Squadron sent a 24-person Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force detachment to Naval Support Facility, Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territories, in June 2000. The team left Andersen seven weeks ago to complete some construction work as part of the Air Force¡¯s Bomber Forward Operating Location initiative. Members from Pacific Air Forces Headquarters and 36th CES identified five requirements for the team, including: constructing a land mobile radio repeater facility, constructing supply and maintenance secure storage rooms, repairing tent city electrical system, constructing a generator pad and testing grounding points on the south ramp.
Diego Garcia is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) formed in 1965 from territory belonging formerly to Mauritius and the Seychelles. The island is one of 52 in the Chagos Archipelago, which extends over an area of 10,000 square miles. The archipelago is located in the heart of the Indian Ocean, south of India and between Africa and Indonesia. The tropical island is a narrow coral atoll with a land area of about eleven square miles, nearly enclosing a lagoon. Its configuration is that of a "V" drawn by a shaky hand. The island stretches 37 miles from tip to tip, with an opening to the north-northwest. Three small islands dot the mouth of the lagoon which is approximately 13 miles long and up to 6 miles wide. The lagoon is from sixty to one hundred feet deep with numerous coral heads in most areas. Shallow reefs surround the island on the ocean side, as well as in the lagoon. The island's mean height above sea level is 4 feet.
Diego Garcia is the largest of many atolls that form the Chagos Archipelago. The horseshoe- shaped atoll is located seven degrees south of the equator in the North Central Region of the Indian Ocean. It is heavily vegetated, has a land area of 6,720 acres and is 37 miles long, tip-to-tip. The maximum elevation is 22 feet, with an average elevation of four feet above sea level. The enclosed lagoon is approximately seven miles wide and thirteen miles long. The three small islands at the mouth of the lagoon and the shape of the atoll give the impression of a footprint, hence the term....
The demonization of freedom in Europe.
The rise of White Nationalists in Europe is palpable. The communists are feeding on the opportunity of weakening these democracies to allow exploitation of political turmoil.
September 30, 2018
By Simon Schutz
...In last September's elections, (click here) the AfD became the first far-right party to win seats in the Bundestag in more than half a century, becoming the official opposition to Merkel's ruling "grand coalition" of conservatives and social democrats. Although — or precisely because — the AfD is treated as a pariah in the legislature, its support is growing among German voters.
The AfD was listed as the country's second most popular party in a recent poll, with 18 percent support, beating the mainstream Social Democratic Party into third place, albeit by just a single point....
February 26, 2019
Groups and clubs in Germany (click here) are putting the final touches on their elaborate floats with outrageous caricatures depicting political themes for this year's Carnival celebrations.
In a workshop in Mainz on Tuesday, an artist worked studiously on a float featuring a bull with "USA" emblazoned on the side, with a horned head depicting President Donald Trump's face, a cowbell carrying the Twitter logo, and a rear end expelling flatulence on the globe.
The popular street parades in traditional Carnival strongholds such as Cologne, Duesseldorf and Mainz in western Germany draw millions of dressed-up revelers and schoolchildren every year, and always feature colorful floats that push boundaries with their political parodies that poke fun at the powerful.
Other offerings that will be part of Mainz's parade next Monday included Chancellor Angela Merkel atop a horse labeled "coalition" collapsed with exhaustion — a nod to fatigue in her longtime government — and Queen Elizabeth II jumping over a border crossing with a German asylum application in hand and faithful corgi at her side to escape her nation's Brexit squabbles....
A populist movement based in holding on to ideologies is a work in Europe.
By Ferdinando Giugliano
When Angela Merkel (click here) announced her planned retirement on Monday, few tears were shed in southern Europe. From Greece to Italy, the German chancellor has embodied the cold-heartedness of the rest of Europe to the plight of those in crisis....
...To Merkel’s critics, her faults are obvious: She acted too late during the Greek sovereign debt crisis, pretending Athens’ debt was sustainable when it wasn’t. While she supported three rescue packages, these imposed excessive austerity on Greece, triggering a never-ending spiral of recession and further indebtedness....
...Still, one should not forget the enormous progress the euro zone has made over the past decade. The rescues in Greece — but also Portugal, Spain, Ireland and Cyprus — marked a gradual breaking from the principle that countries in Europe shouldn’t bail each other out. Not only is this a clause in the European Treaties, it is also one of the dearest principles to parts of the German establishment. Merkel didn’t care: she backed the creation of the European Stability Mechanism, a permanent rescue fund which can deploy its multibillion-euro firepower in exchange for an adjustment program of fiscal restraint and structural reforms....
These summits are not about national security. They are about Trump Company.
The communists are playing Trump for a fool. With every meeting with the communists regardless of the leader, Trump is pushing ideas about the Trump Company and family businesses. These meetings have a side bar in promoting non-proliferation. Trump is pushing his own personal agenda over and above the national security of the USA.
The White House press corps has been removed from the media center because Trump does not want questions about the Michael Cohen testimony today. Other governments in Asia do not have a problem with control of freedom of speech. The White House press corps should simply come home and the news coming to the USA will be through South Korea.
When placing an overview of promoting Trump Company with meetings it all becomes very clear. Trump has no solid knowledge of diplomatic anything. He is a salesman and he is selling his resorts to communist leaders because it is virgin territory and unrealized profits. It is my assessment Trump is also pushing for loans to Trump Company AND/OR communist government grants that will build his hotel so they are free of cost and pure profits.
The way Trump is justifying this is the idea that once there is a very viable tourist economy the ideology of nuclear weapon proliferation will fall away. Does anyone but Trump believe that? These communist countries seeking to control Trump through promises of undiscovered wealth have no plans of denuclearization. They see their success in controlling Trump because of the nukes, why would they give them up?
February 26, 2019
The White House press corps has been removed from the media center because Trump does not want questions about the Michael Cohen testimony today. Other governments in Asia do not have a problem with control of freedom of speech. The White House press corps should simply come home and the news coming to the USA will be through South Korea.
When placing an overview of promoting Trump Company with meetings it all becomes very clear. Trump has no solid knowledge of diplomatic anything. He is a salesman and he is selling his resorts to communist leaders because it is virgin territory and unrealized profits. It is my assessment Trump is also pushing for loans to Trump Company AND/OR communist government grants that will build his hotel so they are free of cost and pure profits.
The way Trump is justifying this is the idea that once there is a very viable tourist economy the ideology of nuclear weapon proliferation will fall away. Does anyone but Trump believe that? These communist countries seeking to control Trump through promises of undiscovered wealth have no plans of denuclearization. They see their success in controlling Trump because of the nukes, why would they give them up?
February 26, 2019
By Chris Mills Rodrigo
The White House press corps (click here) has been had their workspace relocated from the media center at the hotel where North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is staying in Vietnam.
The move happened as the North Korean leader arrived, sending many American reporters scrambling for a new setup.
"The American Media Center will be relocated from Melia hotel to International Media Center," the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry tweeted Tuesday....
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
I have a straight up question, not a riddle.
Has Trump done anything to dummy down USA intelligence/threat assessment? Is Congress receiving a real picture?
NATO would have a valid assessment if that were the case. The USA and NATO threat assessment should run parallel to each other, not conflict the facts.
Nancy Pelosi never went to Afghanistan. That is a blind spot. She was supposed to travel there anonymously and Trump exposed her. But, the trip was after a meeting by Russia with parties from Afghanistan. One could ask why did Trump reveal a trip into a war zone of a member of Congress? And why was the trip canceled after a summit by Russia?
9 November 2018
By Andrew Roth
Russia has hosted talks with Taliban delegates (click here) and members of Afghanistan’s high peace council, as the Kremlin seeks a role as peace broker between Islamist rebels and the US-backed government in Kabul.
The meeting on Friday demonstrated Moscow’s renewed aspirations in Afghanistan almost 30 years after the Soviet Union withdrew its battered forces.
Russia’s foreign ministry touted the attendance of the Taliban, who sent a five-person delegation to Moscow from their political office in Doha, as unprecedented for an international conference aimed at peace in Afghanistan, although the meeting produced few concrete results.
The Afghan government did not send direct representatives to Friday’s talks, electing instead to send members of the peace council “in its own capacity as a national but non-government institution”.
The Afghan government and the Taliban both denied that the conference marked direct negotiations for peace. But Russia’s foreign ministry focused attention on the spectacle of delegates from both sides of the line in Afghanistan sitting together at Moscow’s President hotel, alongside representatives from Iran, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan....
NATO would have a valid assessment if that were the case. The USA and NATO threat assessment should run parallel to each other, not conflict the facts.
Nancy Pelosi never went to Afghanistan. That is a blind spot. She was supposed to travel there anonymously and Trump exposed her. But, the trip was after a meeting by Russia with parties from Afghanistan. One could ask why did Trump reveal a trip into a war zone of a member of Congress? And why was the trip canceled after a summit by Russia?
9 November 2018
By Andrew Roth
Russia has hosted talks with Taliban delegates (click here) and members of Afghanistan’s high peace council, as the Kremlin seeks a role as peace broker between Islamist rebels and the US-backed government in Kabul.
The meeting on Friday demonstrated Moscow’s renewed aspirations in Afghanistan almost 30 years after the Soviet Union withdrew its battered forces.
Russia’s foreign ministry touted the attendance of the Taliban, who sent a five-person delegation to Moscow from their political office in Doha, as unprecedented for an international conference aimed at peace in Afghanistan, although the meeting produced few concrete results.
The Afghan government did not send direct representatives to Friday’s talks, electing instead to send members of the peace council “in its own capacity as a national but non-government institution”.
The Afghan government and the Taliban both denied that the conference marked direct negotiations for peace. But Russia’s foreign ministry focused attention on the spectacle of delegates from both sides of the line in Afghanistan sitting together at Moscow’s President hotel, alongside representatives from Iran, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan....
I might add, dissolving the INF Treaty is an assault against NATO. Where is Russia going to reconstitute land-based intermediate nuclear weapons? Canada? Mexico? Putin is shining on about Cuba. What this is actually about is NATO. It exposes NATO to Russia's ability to deploy land based missiles outside of Europe. That includes Ukraine.
In a real evaluation of Trump's ideas to end the INF, it is more of the hatred of NATO that is evident and more and more the favoritism of Russia. It was the last year or two that Ukraine reconstituted it's short range missiles. I suppose Putin realizes the expertise of Ukrainians and their former nuclear capacity, so this fits right into Putin's aggression regarding Ukraine.
Putin realizes the USA can now place short range and medium range missiles in Europe. That is not planned, but, if Russia is going to be aggressive against Europe that might happen. There is no missile treaty of any kind between Ukraine and Russia as any summit between the two countries has already been violated by Russia.
I think it is becoming more evident what went on in Helsinki.
In a real evaluation of Trump's ideas to end the INF, it is more of the hatred of NATO that is evident and more and more the favoritism of Russia. It was the last year or two that Ukraine reconstituted it's short range missiles. I suppose Putin realizes the expertise of Ukrainians and their former nuclear capacity, so this fits right into Putin's aggression regarding Ukraine.
Putin realizes the USA can now place short range and medium range missiles in Europe. That is not planned, but, if Russia is going to be aggressive against Europe that might happen. There is no missile treaty of any kind between Ukraine and Russia as any summit between the two countries has already been violated by Russia.
I think it is becoming more evident what went on in Helsinki.
I think Putin is jealous of the bromance between Trump and Kim Jong Un.
Putin was strutting his testosterone before the meeting in Vietnam. As usual, it is always brinkmanship. Putin isn't writing or receiving "beautiful letters" and he has to get attention some way.
To begin with, does anyone actually think Vladimir Putin is going to display the ONLY weapon he has to defeat a nuclear attack to the public? ONLY weapon? Give me a break.
If this is Putin's best hope, then he doesn't have one. There are a million holes in what he is saying about a nuclear confrontation with The West. The article about the Project 20380 is from 2017. This is not new.
Kim is a lot younger than Putin, so it is understanding why Putin is strutting his stuff.
The INF treaty was written by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. The treaty has existed a while. Basically, it only deals with short and medium LAND BASED missiles.
500–1,000 kilometers (310–620 mi) (short medium-range)
1,000–5,500 km (620–3,420 mi) (intermediate-range)
The treaty does not apply to air or sea launched missiles.
So, the hypersonic missile was never covered under the INF. If this is what Trump is referring to in ending the INF treaty then he has no basis for his actions. Canceling the INF without due cause is a reason for Russia to be hopping mad.
USA effected missiles with the INF Treaty according to NATO.
BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missile (decommissioned)
Pershing 1a (decommissioned)
Pershing II (decommissioned)
Soviet Union effect missiles with the INF Treaty
SS-4 Sandal (decommissioned)
SS-5 Skean (decommissioned)
SS-12 Scaleboard (decommissioned)
SS-20 Saber (decommissioned)
SS-23 Spider (decommissioned)
SSC-X-4 Slingshot (Mobile missile launcher)
It could be argued the INF Treaty was old and ineffective in modern day war, however, in dissolving the treaty it allows Russia to begin to build is' SOVIET missiles all over again. So, all in all, it was best to leave it alone.
It also could be said the INF Treaty was between the Soviet Union and the USA. The Soviet Union doesn't exist anymore.
To just regroup on all this, if Putin is stating he has some radical new missile that will turn the USA into a nuclear wasteland, that is overstating Russia's abilities. Somehow the Russian audience is supposed to come away with the idea that Russia's defense or offensive first strike weapons are radically new and the USA is somehow behind the eight ball. The USA has known about this missile for a long time. Yes, I consider AT LEAST two years a long time. Now, either the Russians deployed these missiles in response to the USA weapons deployed or they really have no other measure of national security and Putin figured, "Go ahead, why not?"
Vladimir Putin is a brinkman. He has practiced brinkmanship in the world for as long as he has been a leader for Russia. Ask any USA general retired or otherwise and they will tell the stories of how the Russians showed up with all kinds of bluster about their ability to begin a nuclear war. So, this speech is not a surprise, the only aspect of this which is NEW is the fact he is making it before Trump meets in Vietnam with North Korea. Like I said, either Putin is jealous beyond imagination of the affection between Kim and Trump or Trump is scared down to his skivvies of Putin. I do believe Trump has a yellow stripe down his back to put dandelions to shame.
The Russian Navy (click here) operates five Project 20380 corvettes and another five are under construction
...The targets, which Kiselyov described as U.S. presidential or military command centers, also included Fort Ritchie, a military training center in Maryland closed in 1998, McClellan, a U.S. Air Force base in California closed in 2001, and Jim Creek, a naval communications base in Washington state....
To begin with, does anyone actually think Vladimir Putin is going to display the ONLY weapon he has to defeat a nuclear attack to the public? ONLY weapon? Give me a break.
If this is Putin's best hope, then he doesn't have one. There are a million holes in what he is saying about a nuclear confrontation with The West. The article about the Project 20380 is from 2017. This is not new.
Kim is a lot younger than Putin, so it is understanding why Putin is strutting his stuff.
The INF treaty was written by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. The treaty has existed a while. Basically, it only deals with short and medium LAND BASED missiles.
500–1,000 kilometers (310–620 mi) (short medium-range)
1,000–5,500 km (620–3,420 mi) (intermediate-range)
The treaty does not apply to air or sea launched missiles.
So, the hypersonic missile was never covered under the INF. If this is what Trump is referring to in ending the INF treaty then he has no basis for his actions. Canceling the INF without due cause is a reason for Russia to be hopping mad.
USA effected missiles with the INF Treaty according to NATO.
BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missile (decommissioned)
Pershing 1a (decommissioned)
Pershing II (decommissioned)
Soviet Union effect missiles with the INF Treaty
SS-4 Sandal (decommissioned)
SS-5 Skean (decommissioned)
SS-12 Scaleboard (decommissioned)
SS-20 Saber (decommissioned)
SS-23 Spider (decommissioned)
SSC-X-4 Slingshot (Mobile missile launcher)
It could be argued the INF Treaty was old and ineffective in modern day war, however, in dissolving the treaty it allows Russia to begin to build is' SOVIET missiles all over again. So, all in all, it was best to leave it alone.
It also could be said the INF Treaty was between the Soviet Union and the USA. The Soviet Union doesn't exist anymore.
To just regroup on all this, if Putin is stating he has some radical new missile that will turn the USA into a nuclear wasteland, that is overstating Russia's abilities. Somehow the Russian audience is supposed to come away with the idea that Russia's defense or offensive first strike weapons are radically new and the USA is somehow behind the eight ball. The USA has known about this missile for a long time. Yes, I consider AT LEAST two years a long time. Now, either the Russians deployed these missiles in response to the USA weapons deployed or they really have no other measure of national security and Putin figured, "Go ahead, why not?"
Vladimir Putin is a brinkman. He has practiced brinkmanship in the world for as long as he has been a leader for Russia. Ask any USA general retired or otherwise and they will tell the stories of how the Russians showed up with all kinds of bluster about their ability to begin a nuclear war. So, this speech is not a surprise, the only aspect of this which is NEW is the fact he is making it before Trump meets in Vietnam with North Korea. Like I said, either Putin is jealous beyond imagination of the affection between Kim and Trump or Trump is scared down to his skivvies of Putin. I do believe Trump has a yellow stripe down his back to put dandelions to shame.
...The targets, which Kiselyov described as U.S. presidential or military command centers, also included Fort Ritchie, a military training center in Maryland closed in 1998, McClellan, a U.S. Air Force base in California closed in 2001, and Jim Creek, a naval communications base in Washington state....
Monday, February 25, 2019
Serges Lavrov is in Vietnam to pick up another bundle of highly classified USA intelligence as yet another payment for making Trump President of the USA. Lavrov is there because Putin ordered it. How many documents can one person place in their underwear without being detected? Their shoes? Their soxes? Inside their shirt and jacket or inside a long tie? My guess is a lot considering the size of microfilm.
Walmart's war on the disabled. What did Trump do to weaken the American with Disabilities Act?
Walmart forgets who many of their customers are. When driving into a Walmart parking lot what becomes very noticeable are a large number of handicapped parking spaces. The handicapped spaces at Walmart are usually full.
Despite several attempts to talk to the management at Walmart, Adam is unemployed.
February 19, 2019
By Charles Thompson
Adam Catlin, 30, is worried that restrictions from his cerebral palsy will cost him his longtime job at a Selinsgrove Walmart as the store transitions away from the traditional "people greeter" role.
A business decision (click here) by the nation’s largest retailer to revamp the role of the “people greeter” may have the perverse effect of costing a Snyder County man his job.
And for Adam Catlin and the customers he’s welcomed over the last 10 years with a big “hello”, this isn’t any old job in an ever-changing economy. Working the front door at the Walmart in Selinsgrove, Snyder County, has become the occupational sun around which his universe orbits.
You see Adam, age 30, lives with cerebral palsy.
The condition and its complications have left him, according to his family, unable to walk without a walker, lacking in fine motor skills with his hands, and legally blind.
But he can smile and cheer people up like nobody’s business, so the job as a front-of-the-store greeter - which Adam has held since shortly after his graduation from Midd-West High School - has made him a kind of a superstar in this river town about 60 miles north of Harrisburg....
Adam isn't the only American out of work because Walmart hates the disabled. Meet John Combs. This is very hard to accept. In the case of Mr. Combs, he has a dog to support. That dog is vital to Mr. Combs day to day activities. This is outrageous.
This is coming at a time when people have to work to maintain their Food Stamp benefit. I find this entire action by Walmart very suspicious.
February 25, 2019
By Alina Selyukh
John Combs is a "people greeter" at a Walmart in Vancouver, Wash. But he has been told that come April 25, his job is going away. And he is not alone.
If you ask John Combs (click here) what his biggest worry is, he'll say: "How will I feed Red?"
Red is actually white. He's a labradoodle rescue, just tall enough for Combs to pet if he reaches over the armrest of his wheelchair. Combs, 42, has cerebral palsy. He has difficulty speaking. But he has no difficulty saying the line most Americans have heard at least once: "Welcome to Walmart!"
Combs has one of Walmart's trademark front-door jobs: He's a "people greeter" at a store in Vancouver, Wash. But, he was told, come April 25 his job is going away. And he is not alone. According to Walmart, greeters are being removed at about 1,000 stores around the country.
NPR has found that Walmart is changing the job requirements for front-door greeters in a way that appears to disproportionately affect workers with disabilities. Greeters with disabilities in five states told NPR they expect to lose their jobs after April 25 or 26....
Despite several attempts to talk to the management at Walmart, Adam is unemployed.
February 19, 2019By Charles Thompson
Adam Catlin, 30, is worried that restrictions from his cerebral palsy will cost him his longtime job at a Selinsgrove Walmart as the store transitions away from the traditional "people greeter" role.
A business decision (click here) by the nation’s largest retailer to revamp the role of the “people greeter” may have the perverse effect of costing a Snyder County man his job.
And for Adam Catlin and the customers he’s welcomed over the last 10 years with a big “hello”, this isn’t any old job in an ever-changing economy. Working the front door at the Walmart in Selinsgrove, Snyder County, has become the occupational sun around which his universe orbits.
You see Adam, age 30, lives with cerebral palsy.
The condition and its complications have left him, according to his family, unable to walk without a walker, lacking in fine motor skills with his hands, and legally blind.
But he can smile and cheer people up like nobody’s business, so the job as a front-of-the-store greeter - which Adam has held since shortly after his graduation from Midd-West High School - has made him a kind of a superstar in this river town about 60 miles north of Harrisburg....
This is coming at a time when people have to work to maintain their Food Stamp benefit. I find this entire action by Walmart very suspicious.
February 25, 2019By Alina Selyukh
John Combs is a "people greeter" at a Walmart in Vancouver, Wash. But he has been told that come April 25, his job is going away. And he is not alone.
If you ask John Combs (click here) what his biggest worry is, he'll say: "How will I feed Red?"
Red is actually white. He's a labradoodle rescue, just tall enough for Combs to pet if he reaches over the armrest of his wheelchair. Combs, 42, has cerebral palsy. He has difficulty speaking. But he has no difficulty saying the line most Americans have heard at least once: "Welcome to Walmart!"
Combs has one of Walmart's trademark front-door jobs: He's a "people greeter" at a store in Vancouver, Wash. But, he was told, come April 25 his job is going away. And he is not alone. According to Walmart, greeters are being removed at about 1,000 stores around the country.
NPR has found that Walmart is changing the job requirements for front-door greeters in a way that appears to disproportionately affect workers with disabilities. Greeters with disabilities in five states told NPR they expect to lose their jobs after April 25 or 26....
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