The Russian sanctions placed by President Obama were dissolved by Trump without lifting a finger, only by praising Russia.

January 9, 2017
By Dan Alexander

Tycoon Gennady Timchenko attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on May 25, 2016.

Russia’s richest men, (click here) some of whom have close ties to President Vladimir Putin, have gained $29 billion since the election of Donald Trump, thanks to the rising value of Russian stocks and currency.

Among the biggest beneficiaries: Gennady Timchenko, who was a primary target of 2014 U.S. government sanctions aimed at Putin’s inner circle. Shares of publicly traded natural gas producer Novatek are up 16% since the election, enough to boost the value of Timchenko’s estimated 23% stake by $1.8 billion.

The Russian businessman sold his 43% stake in the oil trading firm Gunvor, which he cofounded, one day before the U.S. Treasury Department leveled sanctions against him in March 2014. U.S. officials alleged that Putin was invested in the firm and may have had access to its funds.  Today much of Timchenko’s $15.1 billion fortune is privately held and therefore more difficult to track on a daily basis than his shares of Novatek....

I think this clears up the Russian interference by Putin in USA elections.

May 4, 2017

By Jessica Brown

You might see the end of the world (click here) as we know it when you see Donald Trump on television. But one genius saw a short-bodied, tailless amphibian.

Mike Mitchell made the genius observation that Trump’s chin and mouth looks like a frog.

And once you see it, you won't be able to unsee it....

May 8, 2017

By Alexander Wilts

President Donald Trump’s son Eric (click here) has denied that he ever said the family’s real estate business got money from Russia to fund golf courses.

Golf writer James Dodson told a Boston radio station that while at a Trump-owned golf club in 2014, he asked both Eric and Mr Trump where they were getting the money to pay for their properties.

Mr Trump apparently said that he had access to $100 million for golf courses....

...“I know no banks — because of the recession, the Great Recession — have touched a golf course. No one’s funding any kind of golf construction. It’s dead in the water the last four or five years. And this is what he said. He said, 'Well, we don’t rely on American banks. We have all the funding we need out of Russia.' I said, 'Really?' And he said, 'Oh, yeah. We’ve got some guys that really, really love golf, and they’re really invested in our programmes. We just go there all the time.’”...

Kushner is in Trump's inner circle. Doesn't he have security clearance as well? Basically, Kushner is practicing "Government for sale." This is a national security issue and I am not just referring to journalists.

May 8, 2017
By John Ruwitch

Organizers barred journalists (click here) on Sunday from a publicly advertised event in Shanghai that offered Chinese investors the chance to get U.S. immigrant visas if they put money in a real estate project linked to the family of President Donald Trump's son-in-law.

The two-tower luxury apartment complex in New Jersey, One Journal Square, is being developed by KABR Group and the Kushner Companies, which until recently was headed by senior White House advisor Jared Kushner, the husband of Trump's daughter Ivanka.

The developers are seeking to raise $150 million, or 15.4 percent of funding for the project, from investors through the EB-5 visa program, according to marketing materials posted by the event's organizer, immigration agency Qiaowai.

The controversial EB-5 program allows wealthy foreigners to, in effect, buy U.S. immigration visas for themselves and families by investing at least $500,000 in certain development projects.

"Sorry, this is a private event," said a man stopping journalists from entering a function room at the Four Seasons Hotel in Shanghai...    

It is amazing to realize the brutal beating the Obama Administration sustained in regard to Benghazi; while lying by Flynn and the Vice President is mostly dismissed.

March 22, 2017
by Pete Kasperowicz

...Rice, President Obama's national security adviser, (click here) said in a Washington Post op-ed that the Trump administration's charges that British spies helped spy on Trump, and that his phones were tapped are not accurate, and could harm U.S. national security.

"These false statements from the White House are part of a disturbing pattern of behavior that poses real and potentially profound dangers to U.S. national security," she wrote.

She said U.S. strength derives in part from the idea that the U.S. is "steady, rational and face-based."

"[W]hen a White House deliberately dissembles and serially contorts the facts, its actions pose a serious risk to America's global leadership, among friends and adversaries alike," she said....

As I listen to the Senate committee today regarding the security of the USA and the false statements by Flynn and that of Vice President Pence it hearkens me back to the days of Benghazi. The issue regarding the USA national security regarding Russian influence and the lies of Flynn and Pence far exceeds the events of Benghazi in the seriousness of protecting the USA. YET, there are US Senators that want to dummy down the proceedings and in the case of Cruz wants to turn it into a faux trial of Hillary Clinton's emails.

It goes to prove the Republicans are completely removed from the security of the USA when it inconvenient to their politics.

I can understand how the Trump Campaign, regardless of lies and the such, feels pressured to begin running for 2020 now. Although undeclared Jeb Bush is pursuing ownership of a sport club and is hobnobbing with Trump's Education Secretary.

May 7, 2017
By Clark Spenser

New York - A group led by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (click here) and ex-Yankee Derek Jeter has rounded up the investors to buy the Marlins.

“They have the money,” a Major League Baseball source said.

But the source said negotiations to purchase the Marlins are ongoing and that three groups are in the running to acquire the franchise from current owner Jeffrey Loria....

"W" at one time owned a sports club which was ? pivotal ? to his presidency.

May 1. 2017
...Education Secretary Betsy DeVos (click here) will be part of a panel discussion on education with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former Education Secretary William Bennett and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock....

Senator John Kennedy, in the Yates hearings, is dummying down the discussion. In other words, Ms. Yates made a decision the Presidential Order regarding the Muslim ban that the DOJ could not defend an unconstitutional order based in religious discrimination.

Senator John Kennedy pointed out Ms. Yates was not on the Supreme Court. 

If the DOJ was nothing more than a clerical office to the Supreme Court, the entire department could be replaced with clerks and secretaries.

Officials in the DOJ are paid well to discern the difference between orders capable of defending in litigation and those that are not. When a law or order is not substantial enough to defend then the DOJ refuses to carry out such defense. It is called being an expert and knowing the difference.

I really find the idiotic conduct toward Ms. Yates objectionable by Senator John Kennedy.

I might mention Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana appears to be wearing lip liner in that picture.

He is young. That is a good thing. He is bringing new ideas and a young agenda to his office.

For all the country's worries and problems, Mr. Macron is probably the best breath of fresh air France could have.

He is not void of government experience. Ms. Helen Lhuillier it by far the example to the idea the French have in a young leader. He attracts people of all ages and beliefs. That is a leader. Now, he needs to find solutions and the French people seem to be happy to contribute their support for his administration.

May 8, 2017
By Thierry Chiarello nad Sarah Whiet

Emmanuel Macron (click here) may have won Sunday's presidential election by a comfortable margin, but even his supporters' enthusiasm is tempered by the scale of the challenge that the inexperienced politician faces in tackling France's deep-seated economic, social and security problems.

Macron, a former economy minister who had never previously stood for elected office, beat far-right leader Marine Le Pen by 66 percent to 34 - a gap well above the 20 or so percentage points that surveys had predicted.

Helen Lhuillier, a 73-year-old French Canadian who has lived in France for 40 years and attended his supporters' victory rally outside the Louvre museum, said she liked Macron's "policies and his personality, his enthusiasm"...

"Morning Papers"

The Rooster

"Okeydoke"

May 8, 2017
By Afzal Nadeem Dogar and Rana Javaid

Karachi: (click here) Four major WhatsApp groups involved in circulating exam papers have been traced by the counter-terrorism department. Four of the suspected people belong to Karachi, while three others are from Hyderabad.

The counter-terrorism department officials have found out about the groups during the investigation into cheating and paper leak issues.

A teacher in Mithi is also suspected to be involved in the crime....

"Good Night, Moon"

The waxing gibbous

12.2 days old

92.7 percent lit

By Kristen Nunez

...In the Northern Hemisphere,  (click here) this month’s full Flower Moon is also known as Milk Moon, Planting Moon, or Corn Planting Moon. All of these names are linked to fertility and new life. Unfortunately, that does not mean the moon will look like an actual flower. But it is easy to see why it was given this title.

For our friends down under, winter will be starting. The full moon in the Southern Hemisphere is actually called the Frost Moon, Beaver Moon, or Hunter’s Moon. It is all pretty darn cool, if you ask me.

So, how do you prepare for the glistening Flower Moon of May 2017? Start by learning how the full moon affects the human body. It tends to cause sleep deprivation, so take extra care to get that shut eye. Your emotions might also feel out of whack. With that said, be kind to yourself and focus on self-care.

Better yet, buy yourself some flowers and let everything come full circle.