The guy lives a controversial life. Deport him to the USA. Honestly.

July 16, 2022
By Olivia O'Connell, Namita Singh, Gino Spocchia, and Rachel Sharpe

US lawyer Asim Ghafoor, (click here) one of the targets of NSA snooping, with then US President George W Bush.

President Joe Biden’s trip (click here) to the Middle East came to an end with yet more controversy after it emerged that an American lawyer who previously represented Jamal Khashoggi had been detained in the UAE.

US citizen Asim Ghafoor was detained at Dubai airport on Thursday while travelling to Istanbul for a family wedding and is now being held in a detention facility on charges related to an in absentia conviction for money laundering. Mr Ghafoor had no prior knowledge of any conviction, a human rights group said.

On Saturday, Mr Biden met with UAE President Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and invited him to come to the US for a visit before the year is out.

The UAE president was one of multiple Middle Eastern leaders Mr Biden met in Saudi Arabia on Saturday before leaving aboard Air Force One.

New details also emerged about Friday’s controversial meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – the man US intelligence found responsible for ordering the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi....

Jamal Khashoggi and the USA policy with Saudi Arabia.

July 13, 2022
By Andrew Buncomb

Hanan El-Atr and Jamal Khashoggi married four months before his murder

The widow (click here) of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi has urged Joe Biden to try and secure the release of Saudi Arabia’s poltical prisoners when he visits the kingdom.

Ahead of a controverisal trip to the Middle East that will see Mr. Biden head to Saudi Arabia and meet with its crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS), Hanan El-Atr met top officials at the White House where she pressed her late husband’s cause.

The invitation followed the publication of an open letter, in which she said if the US president was to go ahead with the trip, he should use it to press the issues that were so important to her late husband....

Axios seems to have good information regarding the president's trip. This trip is about regional security. I also believe Iran is a concern to many of the countries in the region other than Israel.

Americans have to put into perspective the radical change in global order. Russia and China are becoming a greater threat without either showing interest in ending that threat. So, the idea the USA would be sitting on the sidelines with Israel in the balance is unrealistic.

July 13, 2022
By Mustafa Alrawi

Biden on Saturday (click here) will meet with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council plus Egypt, Iraq and Jordan (known as the GCC+3). This forum has added an extra dimension to the GCC’s influence, and the meeting is significant for both Gulf and U.S. interests.

- At the meeting, the GCC countries — Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE — are expected to discuss prioritizing defense matters, countering Iran, and solidifying support for the Yemen war truce, as well as exploring economic initiatives with the U.S.

- Cybersecurity, as well as the development of a regionally integrated air defense system, is also expected to be discussed.

- Although the chances of a new nuclear deal with Iran appear to be low, the    GCC countries hope   that any return to the deal will also include Iran’s          ballistic missile and drone threat....

Journalism has this issue regularly. There are frequent notices in any given week about jailed journalists. The community is very involved in knowing these injustices while seeking a resolve. The problem with the Khashoggi murder is that it occurred at the Saudi Embassy in Turkey. It was also very heinous. The murderers attempted to hide any existance of Jamal Kashoggie by dissolving his body in a vat of acid. It doesn't become more heinous than that.

I might add, I have Jamal Kashoggie's picture with his wife on my laptop and see it every time I open it. That picture is there along with others. So, I am not at all dismissing his death. He, in my heart, is no different than that of Daniel Pearl. I might add, Daniel Pearl and Jamal Kashoggi were journalists to the Washington Post. The Washington Post has always taken a very public role in their journalists when such tragedy strikes. 

Mariane Pearl has been followed by the Washington Post and given access to the publication in the name of the common interests Daniel and Mariane shared. It would be the same treatment of Hanan El-Atr in representing her husband's interests.

I think it is the Washington Post's right to have a relationship with the US State Department with these matters and have timely replies to any of their questions or statements regarding the policies of foreign journalists that are in their employ.

The USA has the highest degree of cutting edge military defense. NASA is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the X-43A is one of their successful projects.

July 14, 2022

By Loukia Papadopoulos

The plane's flights have been recognized by the Guinness World Records.

NASA's X-43A, (click here) also known as the Hyper X program, was a $230 million high-risk, high-payoff research program that led to a hypersonic flight in March of 2004....

The United States of America has spent a lot of money to research and create these machines that are developed to protect Americans. We are a valuable ally to other freedom loving countries. if it weren't for the USA there would be no counter balance to China or Russia, especially since they consider each other allies.

The Middle East has always been in the sights of the USA. The region have countries we consider allies and very strong allies. We have a military base in Qatar and with this trip by President Biden, Israel and Saudi Arabia now have a constructive relationship that will enhance the national security of both countries.

We must be there. We don't really have any other alternative. 

In regard to Jamal Kashoggi, he is missed. His journalism is missed. His death is heinous and President Biden has carried that message directly to the Saudi Prince and stated the USA's understanding of the intelligence surrounding his death. This is not being frivolous about the murder of an American journalist. Those statements to the Saudi Prince is a unique address of Jamal Kashoggi's death. Hanan El-Atr message has been carried forward. That in and of itself has made history.

Hanan El-Atr is a woman. Her loss is held in highest esteem of the American government. That is a profound statement by this administration. Saudi Arabian women are not highly esteemed on such an international scale. The realization that a widow of a highly respected journalist is important is an international statement this region needs to understand and absorb into their policies.

The esteemed status realized by Hana El-Atr has been afforded because the USA values life and more profoundly we reject personal loss to the degree this murder is heinous. 

If it were any other president, this would be deemed exceptional and held in esteem, but, because this is Joe Biden a 78 year old man the issue of Jamal Kashoggi is more important in the press than the purpose of his trip to build defense relationships with the countries of the GCC +3.

Jamal Kashoggie, his widow and the Washington Post have a place in the policies of the USA. That was reflected strongly by President Biden during this trip. Nothing has gone unnoticed, including the fact the global community is shifting to build their own national defenses that include able allies. The USA has a place with these countries. This trip by President Biden is necessary and quite frankly it has accomplished what most of us believed to be impossible in the Middle East.

A tornado?

Robert's Rules of Order states that everything that can go wrong will go wrong. That would be the reality of the Flint Zoning Board. Evidently, the zoning map is a very big deal and it was supposed to be voted on and low and behold what happens? A tornado siren warning. Amazing. It is a reminder that Michigan is in the Midwest USA and tornadoes are known to visit from time to time. So, in the well intentioned meeting the zoning board was warned that maybe there is one other thing to consider and those are tornado shelters.

July 15, 2022
By Kate Stockrahm

Flint - A much-anticipated vote (click here) to bring Flint’s zoning ordinance into the 21st century was again pushed back this week after a tornado siren ended a Flint City Council meeting early.

The zoning ordinance, which would codify the land-use vision in the city’s Master Plan, was on the council’s July 11, 2022, agenda for public hearing and subsequent second reading and adoption.

Prior to the siren, multiple public speakers and council members spoke in favor of the updated code’s passage....

It would seem as though Snyder ignored Flint's pleas regarding lead. Why is it so difficult to get charges against this lousy governor when there is evidence everywhere?

July 13, 2022

By Carol Thompson

A top aide to former Gov. Rick Snyder (click here) took the stand in an Ann Arbor courthouse this week and described his frustrations with state agencies during the height of the Flint water crisis in 2015.

As Flint residents and clergy raised alarm bells about stinky, discolored water flowing from their pipes, Dennis Muchmore said Tuesday their concerns were effectively ignored by the state government. 

He wrote as much in a July 22, 2015, email to then-state Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon: "These folks are scared and worried about the health impacts and they are basically getting blown off by us," Muchmore wrote in the email, which was displayed Tuesday in court. "As a state we are just not sympathizing with their plight."

Muchmore, Snyder's chief of staff, testified before U.S. District Court Judge Judith Levy on Tuesday as part of a trial in a lawsuit filed by Flint residents against engineering contractors Veolia North America and Lockwood, Andrews & Newman, known as LAN....

Snyder had put a friend in as COO of the State of Michigan was it Muchmore?  He was put in that position supposedly to trim the agencies down to size so they would function and to cancel what needed to be canceled in any regulation that was causing less efficiency. That might be an interesting reason, but, that also makes Snyder untouchable. Like a mob boss, he can claim not knowing any of the goings on with the state agencies.

Dennis Muchmore (click here)

Snyder was elected 2010.

November 15, 2010

Governor-elect Rick Snyder (click here) today rounded out his senior staff naming Dennis Muchmore chief of staff, Geralyn Lasher director of communications, and Michael Gadola legal affairs director.

“Finding the right people is crucial for the administration to be a success,” Governor-elect Snyder said. “With Dennis, Geralyn and Mike joining the administration I am confident we are putting together a top-flight team with the diverse mix of backgrounds and experience to help us reinvent Michigan.”

Muchmore is founder of government affairs firm Muchmore Harrington Smalley & Associates. He is also an executive vice president at DHR International, where he is responsible for recruiting executives for corporate clients....

Snyder made trimming the bureaucracy a priority and was one of the reasons conservatives pushed for him to be in office. As far as I am concerned, if Muchmore was responsible for trimming the Michigan so-called bureaucracy then he is the one for controlling information that made it to the governor, because Snyder set it up that way.

If Muchmore was having trouble in 2015, five years into the Snyder administration, with the state agencies, then it was Muchmore that was responsible for that complete breakdown of the state agencies and Snyder was sitting happy at the states Executive Chair without a care in the world, showing off how he trimmed the Michigan bureaucracy and saved the state so much money. It was Snyder that wanted the state agencies to misfire and Muchmore made it happen.

Muchmore's testimony is nothing but an attempt to push responsibility off the Executive Branch, which Snyder staffed and empowered, onto state agencies that were trimmed back to the point of dysfunction at Muchmore's hand. 

May 26, 2022
By Ron Fonger

Flint - The man with direct oversight of Flint’s water system (click here) says he quit his job in 2015 after a former emergency manager blocked his plan to reconnect the city to the Detroit water system.

In a videotaped deposition played to a federal court jury on Thursday, May 26, Daugherty Johnson, who worked more than 20 years for the city, said he directed managers who reported to him to prepare to reconnect to Detroit water eight months before the state of Michigan paid to make the same switch after acknowledging rising levels of lead in Flint water....

People involved with this hostile act KNEW there was a problem with the water and simply looked the other way. That is exactly what happened all the way up the chain to the Executive offices of then Governor Rick Snyder. There was no mishandling, there was simply NO HANDLING!

This is why what occurred in Flint was a crime. There were people telling the Snyder administration about the problems and now to resolve it, but, the Snyder administration stood in the way of the resolution because they wanted things their way to REFORM Flint and sell off assets. They didn't care about the people, they figured the people deserved it.

Every time I reflect on this, it always comes down to arrogance and racism. GM was proved water that worked for them when corrosion was destroying the engines. None of what went down with Flint makes sense except blatant racism and I don't care the color of the skin of the Emergency Manager. Snyder disabled the state agencies and turned loose decision makers in the form of Emergency Managers who's role was changed legislatively to allow Snyder to completely discharge the city's government. 

Snyder, in every way, shape and form is responsible for those that died and those that were maimed through the poisoned Flint water. He may have well poured poison in the water all by himself, because he designed the state government that would never process the emergency.

November 30, 2018

By Paul Egan

Right is Daugherty Johnson. The man that attempted to end the suffering. He was denied the opportunity to do so by the Snyder Administration Emergency Manager. The buck stopped with him, but, the racism continued with Snyder. Johnson had a conscience and could not bring himself to carry out the demands of the Snyder administration. He knew. What else do prosecutors need to know to assign responsibility and prosecute!!!!!

All charges have been dismissed (click here) against the former City of Flint utilities director, who was one of 15 people criminally charged in the Flint drinking water crisis.

Daugherty "Duffy" Johnson, 50, of Flushing pleaded no contest last year to a single misdemeanor charge of failing to furnish public records upon request, as part of a cooperation deal with Flint prosecutors working for the Michigan Attorney General's Office.

At that time, charges against Johnson of conspiracy and false pretenses, both 20-year felonies, were dismissed.

At a hearing in Flint on Thursday, the remaining charge against Johnson was dismissed by Genesee District Court Judge Nathaniel Perry, records show....

I think Joe Biden is a great President.

 Gulf Cooperation Council (click here)

Joe Biden is not afraid to say Global Warming and the fact it is being discussed at the meeting of nine countries.

A lot happening with women's health.

July 15, 2022
By Amy B Wang and Eugene Scott

The House on Friday (click here) passed legislation that would protect access to reproductive health care, including the ability to travel across state lines for an abortion, as part of Democrats’ efforts to minimize the consequences of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade last month.

One bill, the Women’s Health Protection Act, would enshrine the protections of Roe v. Wade into law. The House already passed the bill last year, but it failed to advance in a Senate vote in May. The House passed the bill, 219-210, prompting applause from Democrats in the chamber. All Republicans and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Tex.) voted against the measure.

Another bill, the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, would reaffirm the right for someone seeking an abortion to travel freely across state lines. The House passed that measure, 223-205, with three Republicans — Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Fred Upton (Mich.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) — joining all Democrats in backing the bill....

This was a more than interesting exchange with an anti-abortion activist. (click here)

She states that an abortion procedure on a 10 year old child is not an abortion but a medical procedure. Where is the legislature then? Where are the Republicans pumping out MEDICAL PROCEDURES? What abortion is NOT a medical procedure?

This is exactly the problem with politicizing a medical procedure. The right wing is going to change the meaning of medical terminology now. There is an abortion and there is a medical procedure that is the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus: (click here) 

This is the Mayo Clinic definition of abortion (click here)

Medical abortion is a procedure that uses medication to end a pregnancy. A medical abortion doesn't require surgery or anesthesia and can be started either in a medical office or at home with follow-up visits to your doctor. It's safer and most effective during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Having a medical abortion is a major decision with emotional and psychological consequences. If you're considering this procedure, make sure you understand what it entails, side effects, possible risks, complications and alternatives....

The Mayo Clinic speaks to PRIVACY in stating "The reasons for having a medical abortion are highly personal."  That indicates privacy. The medical records of ANYONE, INCLUDING WOMEN, are confidential and not a matter of FIOA!

The reasons for having a medical abortion are highly personal. You can choose medical abortion to complete an early miscarriage or end an unwanted pregnancy. You can also choose to have a medical abortion if you have a medical condition that makes continuing a pregnancy life-threatening.

Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic

The Mayo Clinic goes on to define miscarriage (click here).

The Mayo Clinic defines Mifepristone and it's legitimate use (click here).

July 14, 2022
Analysis by Aaron Blake

The conservative effort (click here) to cast a story about a pregnant 10-year-old Ohio rape victim as a hoax has now fallen apart, with confirmation of the case arriving Wednesday. While some merely noted the initial report hadn’t been confirmed, several conservative media figures and Republican politicians went significantly further in casting it as a dirty trick meant to make the GOP’s post-Roe v. Wade laws look bad; high on that list was Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R)....

The medical society of the USA needs to come out and speak about this atrocity and the fact politicians are looking to make hay on this. There is no reason for an investigation into a legitimate abortion on a 10 year old child. The investigation ONLY belongs in bring the rapist to justice. The fact the child needed an abortion and the abortion contents reveal a pregnancy is all that is necessary. It stops there! The doctor is a WITNESS, not a victim!

Indiana Attorney General candidate (click here) Todd Rokita has called for an investigation into the Indiana obstetrician for providing abortion care to a 10-year-old rape victim.

This issue of abortion is dangerous because the Republicans think this is such a strong issue for them, they will construct a very demonic agenda surrounding women's health.

July 15, 2022
By Seth A. Richardson

The Ohio abortion ban (click here) that led a 10-year-old rape victim to obtain the procedure in Indiana last month and the state’s past refusal to recognize same-sex marriages were in the spotlight Thursday at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on how the U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion would affect other personal in a Wednesday hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, Sabrina Eaton writes. While Ohio’s Jim Jordan used the hearing to discuss a rash of recent vandalism at churches and crisis pregnancy centers, several Democrats attacked Jordan for describing the case of the 10-year-old rape victim as a lie in a tweet he deleted after her rapist’s arrest....

The Cleveland Clinic is the backbone to Ohio's Health System. The Cleveland Clinic is also affiliated with NIH, as is the Mayo Clinic, and serves as a cutting edge hospital that administers experimental medication for all manifestation of human health.

Looking to the Cleveland Clinic regarding abortion the SAME PRIVACY ELEMENT is in place no different than the Mayo Clinic.

June 28, 2022

“Our strongly held conviction (click here) is that women’s healthcare decisions are best made between a patient and their healthcare provider — a relationship based on privacy and trust. It is a privilege for us to serve patients with such an intimate understanding of their lives.

We are deeply concerned about the consequences that restrictive abortion laws will have on women and families....

Any Democratic or Independent candidate for office at any level of government needs to be very confident in their understanding they are standing with medical professionals in some of the finest and most advanced medical facilities in the USA. 

There is no reason to back down. Remember the Republican Party is standing with insurrectionists, Shamen and cults. It is vitally important legislators are strong in their values of women's health and the strength to bring a resolve to protect all women and girls.

Anti-abortionists, the Robert’s Court and the political party of Trumpian Republicans are weakening the American Family while they face greater impoverishment without quality of life when many children require the same resources as a few children.

American men have stepped up their priority for vasectomies because they see the religiously bigoted outlawing any form of contraception. The move to sterilization will be sought by young men as well as those not yet reaching adulthood. The horizon American men see includes in vitro fertilization of their wives as well as adoption. The Roe v. Wade decision demands attention before sterilization becomes an adverse realty for the USA. I don’t care what billionaire Musk says, on the ground American men are not interested in large families of children.

Here is some controversy. I was waiting to hear she died of cancer. A fall?

Police are investigating (click here) whether Ivana Trump may have fallen down the stairs at her home on East 64th Street, police sources told The Post. She was found at the bottom of the staircase and was believed to have suffered cardiac arrest, though the city’s Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the official cause of death.

And to think the former president-insurrectionist is announcing the death? What about her children or a spokesperson? I find it odd he would be announcing her death.

Are the Secret Service communications part of the archived records?

July 15, 2022
By Kanishka Singh

Washington - The U.S. Secret Service (click here) deleted text messages from Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, 2021 after they were requested by oversight officials investigating the agency's response to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, the agency watchdog has claimed.

The Secret Service disputed that accusation on Thursday, saying some phone data was lost during a routine device migration, but that all of the requested texts had been saved....

Aaron Swartz, (click here) lest we not forget what capitalism can do.

There needs to be testimony by the agents responsible for the President those two days. Those records are supposed to be filed. Who erased them?

Welcome to the Secret Service FOIA Library. (click here) The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requires agencies to make various types of records available for public inspection in both paper and electronic form. These records are available through this page.

These are probably interesting reads. I wouldn't mind knowing what the record is like the day President Kennedy was assassinated.

This is controversial?

Honestly, if the man breaths it is controversial. It is probably left over from a COVID handshake. Not every country in the world uses elbows. How dense and insensitive are journalists anyway?

What worries me is how did Jared influence the Saudis to make President Biden's visit adverse politically? I am sure the telephone lines between Jared and MBS are burning up the wires.

The insurrection leaders probably still have classified clearance.

There is little to no depth these days. It is all superficial bullshit. I guarantee you Americans have no idea what the President is hoping to achieve and why. It is all garbage.

This is the Guardian:

Analysis: (click here) Israel has transformed itself from regional pariah to ally to many Arab states

This is magnificent. Anyone know how long it has been that Israel has been seeking acceptance and recognition by it's neighbors? This is the best news the USA has had in decades and yes it is occurring in the Biden White House.

Peter Alexander has guts. Absolutely brave considering whom he is missing as a trusted friend and colleague.

NBC reporter Peter Alexander (click here) claims to have shouted, “Jamal Khashoggi --- will you apologize to his family?” to Prince Mohammed bin Salman after the press pool closed.

Alexander claims Salman smirked before a Saudi attendant grabbed the reporter by the arm.

The Biden administration declassified a report last year blaming Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for approving the operation to capture or kill journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi.

It was the first time the U.S. government blamed the crown prince for Khashoggi's killing in an official intelligence document. 

By the way, what I am reading is that Americans are more annoyed about the lack of EVs available than the price of fuel for internal combustion engines.

Americans are better off with the Lottery, than uncertainty in crypto.

A fool and his money are soon parted. Russia is known using crypto as it's sovereign money. The Russia bankruptcy of it's sovereign debt is not going to reverse anytime soon.

Maybe bankruptcy is too harsh a word. Both Belarus and Russia have defaulted on their foreign debt (click here). The West is absolutely correct to take Russian property and monies to provide for Ukraine.

July 6, 2022
By Joe Light

Voyager Digital, (click here) a major cryptocurrency lender, is throwing itself into bankruptcy. Its depositors are about to find out how messy, long, and costly that process can be.

Voyager (ticker: VOYG.CA) was part of a broad ecosystem of companies that took crypto deposits and paid high interest rates to customers. To earn that yield, Voyager lent the tokens to other investors at even higher rates.


But amid the turmoil that has struck the broader markets in recent weeks, some big crypto borrowers, such as the hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC), stopped paying their debts. Depositors have clamored to get their funds back.

Last Friday, Voyager froze withdrawal requests. And on Tuesday evening, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, describing itself as a victim of 3AC’s own bankruptcy and the general collapse in prices of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin . On Tuesday, before the filing, Voyager stock traded at 34 cents, down 99% from its November high....

June 16, 2022

By Olga Kharif

...1. What is crypto lending? (click here) 

At first blush, crypto lending accounts look a lot like savings accounts offered by banks, but with cryptocurrencies instead of traditional money. An investor opens an account, deposits cryptocurrency and earns interest. Many deposits are in Bitcoin, while other investors use stablecoins -- tokens whose price is often pegged at $1. Others use lesser-known, more volatile cryptocurrencies. The accounts typically pay interest in the same currencies that are deposited. Some have rates that change daily. Others offer a fixed rate and the money is locked up for a fixed period....

June 16, 2022

By Oliver Knight

If the collapse (click here) of LUNA was cryptocurrency's Bear Stearns moment, Celsius Network threatens to become the industry's Lehman Brothers: the failure that exacerbates a market crisis.

Celsius, which resembles a bank while touting itself as a democratized interest income and lending platform, is rumored to be insolvent following a freeze on withdrawals over the weekend. Founded in 2018, Celsius had more than $8 billion lent out to clients and $12 billion in assets under management by May of this year, according to the company.

In the wake of the withdrawal freeze, Coinbase, BlockFi and Crypto.com have announced job cuts, while insolvency rumors are also beginning to emerge from crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital....

Nothing short of genius. A women's health hospital ship.

Such a ship could be tethered in federal waters anywhere in USA shorelines and operate independently.

July 15, 2022
By Shomik Mukherjee

San Francisco - After three decades (click here) providing obstetric and gynecological care, Dr. Amy “Meg” Autry isn’t certain of what will come next for federal abortion rights, but she’s sure of one thing: Residents in half the country will need as much access as possible — by air, land or sea.

Autry’s vision has taken her to the last of those frontiers, as she thinks through how her new nonprofit could one day facilitate abortions and other reproductive health care services aboard a vessel in federal waters, off the coasts of states where the procedures are now banned following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and end federal abortion rights that had stood for nearly 50 years.

It’s a novel idea with all sorts of inspirations, including riverboat casinos depicted on the Netflix series Ozark, as well as Autry’s own experience delivering abortions in both Wisconsin and now at UC San Francisco.

”I’ve had the idea for a long time,” said Autry, a UCSF doctor since 1993. “This past month has been jarring — there’s just this sense of disbelief. I grew up hearing stories about self-induced abortions … a lot of poor people are going to die if they don’t have access.”...

For the Trump Wakos that will want to interfere with the mission and
business of a floating women's health clinic, the Coast Guard can respond to calls of terrorism and violence.

The Coast Guard's broad legal authorities (click here) associated with maritime transportation, hazardous materials shipping, bridge administration, oil spill response, pilotage, and vessel construction and operation are listed below.

President Biden is conducting transitional work that reforms relationships of Middle East allies for the future.

Basically, his trip to the Middle East is a regional peace treaty that expands security.

July 14, 2022
By Reema Bandar Alsaud

...Long gone are the days (click here) when the U.S.-Saudi relationship could be defined by the outdated and reductionist “oil for security” paradigm. The world has changed and the existential dangers facing us all, including food and energy security and climate change, cannot be resolved without an effective U.S.-Saudi alliance. These priorities must guide the U.S.-Saudi partnership of the 21st century, and we view the visit of President Biden as an important moment for laying out our shared vision for how to tackle the challenges that lie ahead.

The Saudi Arabia of today is barely recognizable from how it once looked, even just five years ago. Today, we are not just a global leader in energy, but also in investment and sustainable development. Through hundreds of billions of dollars of investment in education, technology, economic diversification and green energy, we have launched a transformation agenda that is unlocking the enormous potential of our young men and women....

President Biden is making incredible progress in normalizing relations to the entire region that will bring about strong alliances with function for businesses as well. This is as much about the new burgeoning economies of the region as it is about national security. 

The truth is President Biden is doing great work. He hasn't forgotten the Palestinians. He is meeting with them, too. Human rights is at the forefront of these issues. President Biden is not sacrificing human life for oil. It won't happen that way.

This is a time in history when global balance and security is vitally important now that two powers, Russia and China, have done an about face in regard to The West, which includes allies in the Middle East. It is a time of renaissance of sorts and quite frankly no one but a senior statesman with the experience Biden has could have accomplished it. His expertise spans decades of treaties, allies and enemies. He knows where the strength is and how to change insecurities into strong alliances with great economies and freedom.

14 July 2022

By Jacob Magid

US President Joe Biden, (click here) during his visit to Jeddah this weekend, will announce the successful brokering of an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Egypt that will see Riyadh take steps toward normalization with Israel, a Middle East diplomat confirmed to The Times of Israel Thursday.

The normalization measures will include Saudi Arabia opening its airspace to Israeli flights to the Far East in addition to rolling out direct flights between Israel and Saudi Arabia for Muslim pilgrims, the Middle East diplomat said, confirming reporting in the Axios news site.

The US has been seeking to finalize the transfer of the Tiran and Sanafir Red Sea islands from Cairo to Riyadh in time for Biden’s visit to Jeddah, where he will participate in the GCC+3 summit and hold a bilateral meeting with Saudi officials....

The bill the US House passed yesterday is vital to national security and the Defense Department. Senators like Manchin need to shut up and stop the grand standing or risk being seen as a communist obstructionist no different than McConnell and Trump.

This is a bipartisan bill. There is no reason for a filibuster.

Senate Republicans have gotten used to the idea of leveraging power over every bill brought before them. They never give any respect to the Republicans in the US House.

The US House is unique in that each member represents a segment of the state's population. It is the US House where elected representatives can bring forth the interests and concerns of the people that elected them. Why is that lost on the US Senate?

When a House Republican votes the Senate Republicans have to apply brevity to that vote. The US Senate is supposed to represent the entire state's interest and is an enhancement to the US House. Why are the people represented in the US House less important to the US Senate. Providing a filibuster to House Republican votes has to be just as frustrating to them as it is to any US Senator that would rather have a functional Senate rather than a divided one.

July 14, 2022

By Karoun Demirjan

House lawmakers (click here) on Thursday approved an $840 billion plan to direct Pentagon policy and spending in the year ahead, lending strong bipartisan support to legislation that aims to help the United States better compete with China technologically, address mistakes made during last year’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, improve scrutiny of the military aid supplied to Ukraine and target a rise in domestic extremism.

The vote was 329 to 101.

The legislation, considered one of the few “must-pass” bills Congress authors each year, is yet to be reconciled with the Senate’s version. The text of that document has not been made public and is expected to reshape some how much money will be directed toward the Defense Department.

The House bill devotes considerable attention to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China’s breakthroughs in hypersonic weapons and other cutting-edge military technology, and rampant inflation that is battering the U.S. economy. It also directs military leaders to analyze the dangers posed by individuals in uniform who espouse white supremacist beliefs, neo-Nazism and antisemitism. The legislation specifically mentions the Proud Boys, a far-right group whose prominent role last year’s attack on the U.S. Capitol has been an intense focus of federal prosecutors and the House select committee running a parallel investigation....

Italy's President was correct to refuse the resignation of the Prime Minister.

The anti-government forces within a society is what Bannon uses to build his personal wealth. They are unfit to govern.

Europe's parties that are died in the wool democracy that protects the people of the country from harm, economic downturn, and civil rights must join together to form governing bodies to end the threat of the anti-government parties.

Anti-government parties are just that, they want to dismantle government without regard to what it will do to the people. Now, these parties are finding a footing as they never have before because Bannon finds ways to promote them. Bannon is not interested in whether or not his candidates govern well with strong backgrounds, he is interested in money.

In the United States the 2016 and 2020 elections were about the anti-government movements that included White Supremacists/Nationals and even businesses that no longer wanted to pay taxes and were looking for all their money back when Trump passed tax reform.

When Trump was defeated in 2020 after turning loose a corona virus in the USA without regrets and then promoted death of citizens in advocating crackpot treatments, the election loss should be no surprise. A lot of people died because they were never educated well enough about the virus and how to live through it. Even today, Americans are still coping with variants that never ends.

Europe must look at the USA insurrection as a very real event intended to dismantle democracy and place someone, perhaps Trump, at the top of the government to rule as a king. The insurrection at the Capitol was a very real example of the anti-government element and who exactly was leading it. Bannon was riding to even greater fame amid those voters for knowing Trump's plans and able to foretell what was to happen on his podcasts and/or radio transmissions.

Bannon looked to Europe as an untouched field of money. He would go to Europe to find the disgruntled, the disenfranchised and provide for them his expertise as exampled by Trump. People in Europe, many for the first time, began to think differently about governance and provided him the monies he demanded for a change in regime shifting power, not to conservatives, but, to anti-government groups and people.

The re-election of Macron may have been something some French citizens did not want, but, they new their choices otherwise would result in a government that would turn against them and destroy their democracy. 

These are dangerous times, when citizens believe in the internet more than their human leaders. We also know through the investigation by Robert Muller the former FBI Director, that Russia votes in every country's election where freedom is a real commodity. You might almost say, that Bannon and Russia have a symbiotic relationship, each feeding off the uncertainty of people within a democracy. They created enough doubt so the people would lean into something new and different. The people wanted to try something odd, but, it might be something benevolent. That has to end.

The very countries where anti-government and extremist right wing candidates and elected representatives of the people find their power are susceptible to failure. The United States of America's governance is valued enough by the people so that the majority finally saw through the façade of the lies and reversed their beliefs in oddity and loose definitions of freedom. They stopped the dangerous course the election of 2016 put us on and put in office of the presidency a man with the most experience of any statesman in the country. In that, Americans knew the path of Joe Biden and believed in him.

I don't care if governance to form a coalition government seems messy and emotional, it must succeed. There is no doubt the voters within Europe are facing the same danger as the people of the USA. The elected officials cannot play with governance. There is too much on the line. They must govern and now. To do otherwise would be catastrophic.

July 14, 2022
By Jason Horowitz

Rome - Italy’s golden period of stability (click here) suddenly seemed on the familiar precipice of chaos on Thursday after Prime Minister Mario Draghi tendered his resignation in response to a revolt by anti-establishment populists within his broad national unity government.

But in a sign of how traumatic Mr. Draghi’s departure would be for Italy, the country’s president refused to accept his resignation, essentially freezing the political situation in place until next week, when Mr. Draghi will address Parliament.

The unexpected government crisis, and the theatrics and behind-the-scenes machinations, left Italy in a state of suspended animation and created a potential calamity for Europe as it seeks a united front against Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, and faces a wave of Covid infections and an energy crisis....

Sorry to hear of the death of a beautiful lady.

73 years old is far too young for any woman to die. I am sure her children are grieving her.

This was from an interview.

...Now 71, (click here) Ivana says she splits her time between New York, Miami, and Saint-Tropez (although Page Six recently reported that, due to the ongoing pandemic, she's kept her travels this summer closer to home, choosing to vacation in the Hamptons). But the mother of Ivanka, Eric, and Donald Jr. has had a fascinating, unlikely journey from a childhood in Czechoslovakia to life of glitzed-up leisure. Here's what you should know about her....
 

Does anyone actually believe the Biden White House would produce fraud?

President Biden is chronically fighting fraud and corruption while trying to return competition back to the USA economy to benefit Americans now captured and coveted by Wall Street.

Now, I am angry. Why isn't the FCC fining those that are seeking to "pull a Trump" and create an alternate reality for political purposes. It is time to fine those that believe "infotainment" for political purposes is a real arm of journalism. It is not. It is a platform for political dogma that injures the people of this country.

President Biden is not a toy to bat around as if a joke or a clown. It is time to put this element that chronically lies to an end. They aren't even as entertaining as the daytime dramas with plenty of gossipy plots.

July 13, 2022
by Andrew Welsh-Higgins and Julie Carr Smith

Columbus - An Ohio man (click here) has been charged with raping a 10-year-old girl whose case drew national attention following a doctor’s comments that the child had to travel to Indiana for an abortion, an account that had led some prominent Republicans — including Ohio’s attorney general and a congressman — to suggest it was fabricated.

Democratic President Joe Biden highlighted the case last week at the signing of an executive order aimed at protecting access to abortion as state after Republican-led state, including Ohio, enacted near-total restrictions after the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent landmark ruling.

A detective testified Wednesday at an initial court appearance for the 27-year-old suspect that Columbus police learned about the girl's pregnancy through a referral by Franklin County Children Services that was made by her mother June 22, and that she had an abortion in Indianapolis on June 30, The Columbus Dispatch reported....

Of all the topics President Biden will address in his Mideast visit, the most important and pressing is Iran.

President Biden has openly stated a military solution will be considered as an answer to the creation of  Iran's first nuclear weapon.

Russia is not a partner to the Iran Nuclear talks and it should not be allowed into further diplomatic efforts. Iran is a flash point for Putin to engage the USA in war and quite possibly a nuclear exchange. Russia will think nothing of dead Iranians at the hand of the USA attempting to end Iran's ambitions for a nuclear arsenal. To Putin, any actions by the USA to defend the region will result in a counter attack and possibly a sustained war. There is a reason why Russia doesn't care about the nuclear talks with Iran. If Iran agrees to the nuclear talks and an actual signed agreement, Russia loses it's flash point of war with The West.

Russia straddles the Shi'ite crescent.

March 20, 2022
By Javad Heiran-Nia

Russia has abandoned (click here) a recent attempt to exploit the Vienna talks to gain sanctions relief beyond what was guaranteed in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). However, there are no signs that Tehran is walking away from its relationship with Moscow despite Russia’s actions toward Iran and its invasion of Ukraine.

Any improvement in Iran’s relationship with the West has always been a concern for Russia. Its March 5 demand for a written guarantee from the United States that trade with Iran not be affected by new US sanctions imposed on Russia for the invasion is the latest example of Moscow playing the Iranian card and jeopardizing Tehran’s interests to secure its own interests.

This isn’t the first time that Russia has used nuclear talks in such a manner.

Former Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said in March 2021 during a leaked interview about Russia’s destructive role in the Iran nuclear talks: “The Russians have been trying to prevent the nuclear deal (JCPOA)since 2015 and [Foreign Minister] Sergei Lavrov wanted to disrupt everything on the night of the agreement. After the JCPOA, when Lavrov returned to Russia, he was attacked by the Russian media. Why did you allow this agreement to be reached and Iran to get closer to the West?”...

One would think that in a world where Russia invades at will and attempting to commit genocide of a people, Iran would be the last country to continue it's relationship with Putin's Russia. An ally that imperils it's people is not an ally. This persistence of Iran to continue to see Russia as a benevolent ally is ridiculous. Every Russian ally should be running the other way.

The Middle East witnessed the horror of Russia's attacks on the Syrian people first hand. Iran's only problem is that it believes it needs Russia to protect the Shi'ites, that is the furthest from the truth. Iran needs to stop it's ridiculous pursuit of nuclear weapons and focus on peace and prosperity. Iraq is already a trading partner. I would think the leadership of Iran would be viewed better for the Shi'ites and were accepted throughout the world as a reasonable government interested in economic ties rather than a creator of greater division by promulgating war.

July 5, 2022
LEILA FADEL, HOST: (click here)

U.S. and Iranian officials recently left Doha, Qatar, after one more round of talks to try to restore the Iran nuclear deal. Both sides left disappointed. The two delegations have been trying for more than a year through indirect talks with European Union officials acting as intermediaries. The U.S. special envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, leads the delegation from Washington, and he spoke with our colleague Steve Inskeep about this latest round.

ROBERT MALLEY: The European Union, in its role as coordinator, wanted to try one more effort, at least one more effort, and so they invited both delegations to meet with them in Doha in the hope that the Iranians would show something, some willingness to get to yes. But they seem, at this point, not capable of providing an answer. And so it was a little bit of a - well, more than a little bit of a wasted occasion, I'd say....

There are estimates, either right or wrong, that Iran has enriched enough uranium to build a nuclear weapon within weeks. Iran is a serious problem. Iran has also armed the Houthis against Saudi Arabia. The tensions in the Middle East have to be among the highest ever assessed.

Israel needs to settle their governance.

There are too many guns on the street. What good are "good guys with guns?"

Link to oath (click here).

This isn't the first time cowardice ruled the police response. The San Bernardino response was very lack luster. Writing parking tickets doesn't require combat training. Border patrol agents don't write tickets for misbehavior or arrest drunk drivers.

The response at Uvalde is a growing understanding of poor police response. We saw it in San Bernardino and Parkland, Florida. These police are not trained for combat and that is what they are meeting up with when they respond to a school killing.

Sure the legislature has given the police all kinds of permission to proceed in school shootings, but, where is the urban warfare training? The presence of weapons of war on the streets of America changes the idea of domestic tranquility. There is no domestic tranquility anymore.

The entire idea that the Second Amendment is empowering the public to act in dangerous situations is nonsense. That is not happening. I doubt it was happening when it was written. The Second Amendment of the USA Constitution empowers a militia. It allowed colonists to become a military unit to take their country away from the British crown. Now, today, that capacity is used as a reason to act against a government. I think the Second Amendment is useless. It is more of a danger than a deterrent to violence.

The police should be reviewed for crimes. What comes to mind is negligent homicide in the practice of policing. Manslaughter or murder might apply if it was a conscience decision to allow the killing to occur.

Broward County Deputy Scot Peterson (click here)

The Uvalde shooting involved minority Americans. The character of the police involved needs to be reviewed to understand if they held any prejudices. I realize the husband of one of the victims were among the police. There were other officers. All of them need an ethics review in regard to their view of the people they are empowered to protect.

The reason there are angry young men that plan to attack completely innocent and unarmed Americans, including and especially children, is because a culture of hate is allowed to propagate in the USA. Hate's response is fear. Those two components drive the demand for guns in the USA. Currently there are so many guns on the streets, including safes in homes, in the USA it is impossible to stop this wave of violence.

Weapons of war are not reasonable possessions in a country that prides itself on domestic tranquility and peace. The element of these weapons in society is providing a chronic issue that until confronted will never end. The entire epidemic of violence in the USA has to be a concern for every legislator at every level of government. The allowance of firearms by liberalized laws intended to allow personal protection IS NOT WORKING! The menace that is allowed today in the name of personal safety is a monster that needs to be handled. Background checks accompanied by extensive training and limiting concealed carry permits is a good beginning. The Assault Weapons Ban must return and be the law of the land. The Assault Weapons Ban WORKED. Nothing else is working. To ignore the epidemic of violence is to neglect one's oath of office to the people they are suppose to protect and serve at all levels of government.

The day of the gun slinger is long over, it is time our laws and our streets reflect that.

July 13, 2022
By Edgar Sandoval and J. David Goodman

Uvalde - Families of those killed in a mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, (click here) in May voiced a mix of sorrow and anger on Wednesday after seeing a video showing how armed officers stood around waiting before confronting the gunman.

For the first time, the delayed response that had been exhaustively described and debated could be seen in all its agonizing detail, rekindling the outrage at officers who failed to rush to the aid of children inside two classrooms where 19 students were killed, along with two teachers.

The parents, who had fought for weeks to gain clarity on what exactly took place inside Robb Elementary School on May 24, were finally able to watch part of the minute-by-minute police response along with viewers around the country after The Austin American-Statesman and KVUE posted the video on Tuesday....