Specifics on Belgium manufacturing and lace.

Belgium bridal lace

The manufacturing sector (click here) accounts for about one-sixth of the GDP. Manufacturing is the major economic activity in the provinces of East Flanders, Limburg, and Hainaut. The corridor between Antwerp and Brussels also has emerged as a major manufacturing zone, eclipsing the older industrial concentration in the Sambre-Meuse valley.

Metallurgy, steel, textiles, chemicals, glass, paper, and food processing are the dominant industries. Belgium is one of the world’s leading processors of cobalt, radium, copper, zinc, and lead. Refineries, located principally in the Antwerp area, process crude petroleum. Antwerp is also known for diamond cutting and dealing. The lace made in Belgium has been internationally renowned for centuries. To combat the slow decline of this industry, which has been dependent on the handiwork of an aging population of skilled women, specialized schools were established in Mons and Binche to train younger workers.

Foreign investment led to considerable growth in the engineering sector of Belgium’s economy in the late 20th century. The country has assembly plants for foreign automakers, as well as for foreign firms manufacturing heavy electrical goods. Moreover, Belgium has a number of important manufacturers of machine tools and specialized plastics.

Your eyes are not lying to you, the percentage of forest in Belgium has increased over the years.

This photo of Bruges Ballooning is courtesy of TripAdvisor (click here) The title of the pictures is, "Flying High over Belgium Forests." 

There is absolutely no excuse for deforestation. Belgium is densely populated with a diverse set of cultures, yet they are keeping their promise to their children in protecting the environment and beauty.

These statistics regarding the Belgium forests is duplicated by the statistics of the World Bank (click here).

22.0% —or about 667,000 hectares—of Belgium is forested. (click here) Of this, none is classified as primary forest, the most biodiverse form of forest.

Change in Forest Cover: Between 1990 and 2000, Belgium lost an average of 1,000 hectares of forest per year. The amounts to an average annual deforestation rate of 0.15%. Between 2000 and 2005, the rate of forest change decreased by 100.0% to 0.00% per annum. In total, between 1990 and 2005, Belgium lost 1.5% of its forest cover, or around 10,000 hectares. Measuring the total rate of habitat conversion (defined as change in forest area plus change in woodland area minus net plantation expansion) for the 1990-2005 interval, Belgium gained 6.1% of its forest and woodland habitat.

Biodiversity and Protected Areas: Belgium has some 548 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Of these, 0.5% are endemic, meaning they exist in no other country, and 3.5% are threatened. Belgium is home to at least 1550 species of vascular plants, of which 0.1% are endemic. 0.0% of Belgium is protected under IUCN categories I-V.

Belgians have disposable income and they like to travel. A hot spot is Greece.

March 2, 2018

Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura, Secretary General of Tourism Policy and Development, G. Tzialas, Greece's Ambassador to Belgium, Eleftheria Galataniakis, and local Head of Greek National Tourism Organization Eleni Skarveli at Salon de Vacances

Tourist (click here) arrivals in Greece from Belgium in 2017 broke the 10-year record. According to data, for the first time, the number of visitors from the northwest European country exceeded 509,000. In fact, Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura, who visited Brussels and met with officials from the Belgian tourism market, announced that the 2018 bookings were already on an upward trend.

Based on current figures, Greece is the second most popular summer destination in the Belgian market....

As a side note and in defense of student employment (ages 15 - 24) there is a study out of Australia which states higher wagers begin in teens. It is important young people have disposable income to enjoy life and realize the cost of living well.

I second the idea that Millennials are a hard working lot. They were the lost generation which Occuplied Wall Street. They created their own work and ecnomic opportunities. Many today, are still working as entrepreneurs in their own businesses. They are important and it is very important their economy is protected and supported with legislation that promotes small businesses.

January 28, 2018
By Matt Wade

Our Millennials are a hard-working lot. (click here)

The employment rate among Australians aged between 15 and 24 – which takes in the Millennial generation born after the mid-1990s – is close to 60 per cent. That's way above the 41 per cent average for that age group among the advanced-country members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The share of 15- to 24-year-olds that work in Korea, France and Belgium is less than half of Australia's rate.

The growth in the USA is right on track with Europe. How much growth is needed in a population that is static?

There is some inflation in Belgium, but, the national deficit is incredibly low at 2.5 percent of GDP. The national deficit is expected to reach 1.6 percent by 2019. It is in the PDF. Belgium is a country that takes it's government spending seriously.

PDF (click here)

Economic growth (click here) increased in 2017 and is projected to stabilise at 1.7% in 2018 and 2019. Private consumption will be an important driver of growth. Government investment will be strong in 2018 and private investment will support growth. Inflation will increase due to tightening labour markets and higher wages.

The fiscal stance will provide modest support for growth in 2018 and 2019, due to planned reductions in labour taxation. Raising skills and work opportunities for disadvantaged groups would make growth more inclusive. Re-orientating public spending towards education and physical infrastructure investment would enhance productivity growth and inclusiveness.

Public debt, at 105.7% of GDP in 2016, remains high. To ensure sustainability, it is important that the government sticks to its medium-term consolidation path. Financial sector vulnerabilities are limited, with stress tests indicating resilience in the banking sector. However, prolonged low interest rates could create risks. House prices and mortgage lending have already increased considerably. Further improving macro-prudential measures to mitigate risks related to the housing market would be welcome.

A country's priorities in spending is important.

Military (click here) expenditures data from SIPRI are derived from the NATO definition, which includes all current and capital expenditures on the armed forces, including peacekeeping forces; defense ministries and other government agencies engaged in defense projects; paramilitary forces, if these are judged to be trained and equipped for military operations; and military space activities....

Europe's ports are in close proximity to Russia and it's ports. There are areas where Russian vessels cross European waters to reach a port in a closed harbor. So, the idea mines could be deployed to effect the security of NATO is very real.

The Belgian government (click here) on Friday, January 26, (2018) decided to give the department of defense its green light for the acquisition of six new mine countermeasure vessels.

The order will be placed jointly with the Netherlands Navy which will acquire an identical number of MCM ships.

In addition to mine countermeasures, the two countries are collaborating on the purchase of new frigates, two units for each country.

Belgium will be in charge of MCM acquisition while the Netherlands is to lead the frigate project.

With the government’s approval, the Belgian Navy will spend 1.1 billion euros on the entire MCM project which will include a range of unmanned systems including unmanned surface, aerial and underwater vehicles alongside towed sonars and mine identification and neutralization ROVs....

Another European ally that has a fairly static population with successful longevity.

Life expectancy (click here) at birth: total population: 81.1 years

male: 78.5 years

female: 83.8 years (2017 est.)

Definition: This entry contains the average number of years to be lived by a group of people born in the same year, if mortality at each age remains constant in the future. Life expectancy at birth is also a measure of overall quality of life in a country and summarizes the mortality at all ages. It can also be thought of as indicating the potential return on investment in human capital and is necessary for the calculation of various actuarial measures.

Source: CIA World Factbook

This page was last updated on January 20, 2018

We all know the factual story of wolves in relation to Yellowstone National Park. The park was deteriorating because this cornerstone predator was missing due to over hunting. Today, a balance exists and the USA wolves are well documented.

30 January 2018

By David Nield

It's not hard (click here) to find worrying stories about the state of our planet's wildlife, so it's refreshing to hear news with a more positive spin: a wild wolf has been spotted in Belgium for the first time in over a century.

Having been driven from much of western Europe through a combination of hunting, increased industrialisation, and wider urban sprawl, these animals are now making a comeback across the continent. Belgium is the last mainland country to have reported such a sighting in recent years.

Thanks to an electronic tag previously fitted to the wolf, we know it's travelled hundreds of kilometres, through Germany and the Netherlands, before arriving in Belgium, and more wolves may now follow.

"In recent days the wolf has stayed near the Flemish town of Beringen and the military base at Leopoldsburg," says Belgian environmental group Landschap. "The animal has covered 500 kilometres (300 miles) in ten days."

However, not everyone is celebrating – farmers in France, Spain, and Italy are worried about the threat these predators pose to their livestock.

For environmental and biodiversity campaigners, though, the news is definitely good. In 1979 the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats listed the wolf as a "a fundamental element of our natural European heritage"....

These are the efforts by Belgium to control and reduce GHG emissions in million tons of CO2 equivalent

This statistic shows the annual greenhouse gas emissions from fuel combustion in manufacturing industries and construction in Belgium from 2005 to 2014. In 2014, the greenhouse gas emissions from fuel combustion in manufacturing industries and construction in Belgium amounted to 13.29 million tons of CO2 equivalent.

Nuclear energy is a problem and it isn't just the spent fuel rods.

Cracks in nuclear facilities globally are not discussed openly and regularly so the public can understand the impacts of choosing electricity from nuclear power.

As an example, there were two reactors in Texas, USA experiencing the same problem as the reactors in Belgium.

February 4, 2018
By Dave Keating

Last summer, (click here) when the Belgian government revealed that seventy new cracks had been discovered in the boiler of the country’s Tihange 2 nuclear reactor, towns near the country’s borders reacted with exasperation.

The power plant lies just 60km from the triple border where Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands meet, close to the Dutch town of Maastricht and the German town of Aachen.

These were not the first cracks to be discovered. Tihange is now more than four decades old, but it was built to only have a lifespan of 30 years. Already in 2014 an inspection found thousands of small ‘microcracks’ in the reactor. The neighboring German state of Northrhine-Westphalia became so alarmed that it ordered iodine tablets for German citizens in case of a Belgian nuclear accident.

Tihange isn’t the only plant of concern. The Doel 3 reactor, near the Belgian port city of Antwerp next to the Dutch border, also has cracks. These reactors have been subject to sudden shutdowns which have caused disruption to the Belgian electricity network. The country is 40 percent reliant on nuclear power for its electricity....

Belgium GHG emissions and energy production distribution.

It's Sunday Night

Annelien Coorevits
Beligum model and Miss Belgium 2007

La Brabanconne

O dear Belgium, O holy land of our fathers –
Our soul and our hearts are devoted to you!
With blood to spill for you, O fatherland!
We swear with one cry – You shall live!
So gladly bloom in beauty full,
Into what freedom has taught you to be,
And evermore shall sing your sons:
The King, and Law, and Liberty!
Faithful to the word that you may speak boldly,
For King, for Freedom and for Law!
To Law and King and Freedom, hail!
The King, and Law, and Liberty!



I spent a fair amount of time trying to be correct regarding the Belgium national anthem. The anthem has changed over the past centuries and the rendition above is supposed to be the latest and most correct. I left it in English.

Belgium has three official languages. Dutch, German and French, reflect the highly diverse population of Belgium. Belgium has sought to incorporate all languages in the latest national anthem.

Nunes needs to resign or be removed as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

This is a strong indication of the incompetency of this administration and Congress. I congratulate Mr. Baier for ending the propaganda and seeking the truth.

The Nunes memo is more than a piece of paper to seek continued support of the third of the voters in the USA that comprise the Republican base; it is an act of treason. Just that simple. The memo defames the very intelligence institutions the USA relies on to protect it's national security. The memo is a national security issue and it is not about to disappear as a political stunt.

It was prudent on the part of Rep. Goudy to come out and openly state the Russian investigation by Former Director Mueller will go forward as there are many factors involved in this investigation. As Vice Chair of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Goudy needs to issues a clarification to the reason and content of the Nunes Memo.

Rep. Goudy is reported to be leaving Congress at the end of this term for his own reasons. I wish him well in further endeavors. But, he has seen it necessary to state the Russian investigation is necessary. He also departs from President Trump in that the Nunes memo clears the President of any aspect of the Russian investigation. The President engages all too often in lies and propaganda to ignore the damage such statements cause the country.

I think the people of the USA can now land firmly on ridicule of a memo intended to defame the FBI and undermine a necessary investigation to the attempts by Russia to change the face of freedom and democracy in the USA.

I think Mr. Goudy for his candor. It is important to the sovereignty of the USA for every Congresswoman and Congressman to bring truth to their practice in their respective institutions.

February 2, 2018
By Bryan Logan

The House Intelligence Committee (click here) chairman Devin Nunes admitted on Friday that he did not view the underlying intelligence on which he based a memo that accuses the FBI and the Justice Department of improperly surveilling Trump associates during the 2016 election.

Hours after the memo came out on Friday, Nunes gave an interview on Fox News during which anchor Bret Baier asked him if he wrote the memo. "Yes," Nunes replied, saying other Republican lawmakers, like House Oversight Committee chair Trey Gowdy, also contributed.

"Did you read the actual FISA applications," Baier asked, referring to the documents that the memo cites in part as evidence of improper conduct by US law-enforcement officials.

"No, I didn't," Nunes said, before adding that Gowdy was part of a designated group that reviewed the intelligence, took notes, and reported it back to committee members....

This brings the total deaths from legionella bacteria in the Flint Water Crisis to at the very least 13 people.

February 1, 2018
By Ron Fonger

Flint, MI -- Prosecutors (click here) will have to prove criminal cases against current and former state employees charged with Flint water crisis crimes without a planned witness -- a city resident they say died last month because of exposure to Legionella bacteria.

During the first day of preliminary examinations for four employees of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, special prosecutor Todd Flood outlined a witness roster that included a member of Karenise Westbrook's family.

Flood had notified attorneys for the defendants that he planned to call Westbrook herself to testify, but she died Dec. 21, before the exams started against DEQ employees Stephen Busch, Michael Prysby, Patrick Cook and former official Liane Shekter-Smith.

Testimony is set to resume in the combined examinations on Monday, Feb. 5, before Genesee District Judge Jennifer Manley....

September 21, 2017
By Oona Goodin-Smith

...Before Genesee District Judge David J. Goggins' (click here) packed courtroom, Zervos explained that according to the state's public health criteria, Legionnaires' must only be listed as a cause of death of a person if they die from contracting the bacteria during hospitalization or 30 days after being discharged.

For example, Zervos said, if a patient contracted legionella bacteria while in a hospital, but died six months later after the bacteria weakened their heart, their cause of death - by public health definition - would be "heart failure," but could be considered by disease specialists to be precipitated by legionella....

..."That's why I say it's likely more than 12 actually died from the outbreak," Zervos said.

Zervos' testimony may provide insight into why prosecutors have charged Lyon and four others with the involuntary manslaughter of 85-year-old Robert Skidmore, a Genesee Township man whose death certificate says he died of congestive heart failure.

Neither Legionnaires' disease nor legionella is listed on the county's record of Skidmore's death....

This usually is published on Friday evenings. When an individual Congressman tries to commit treason to my country it became a bit upsetting and distracting. 

The Democratic candidate and party picked up continuing the dossier (which was presented to them) because they were the only ones that could.

"The Memo" starts out with completely unfactual basis. This dossier was first initiated by the "Conservative Free Beacon." It not only was begun because of Trump's emerging impact on the Republican Primary process, but, because 
Mr. Trump's international dealings were basically unknown to the Republican Party and the USA in general. The Memo presents the dossier as a political investigation exclusively by the Democratic party and candidate. LIE.

1) The “dossier” compiled by Christopher Steele (Steele dossier) on behalf of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Hillary Clinton campaign formed an essential part of the Carter Page FISA application.

The Memo is nothing but a political document and an attempt by the Republican majority to discredit Robert Mueller, who knows full well the importance of 'integrity of the process' to achieve a conviction for any investigation.

Additionally, the Wall Street cronies that rallied around Trump after the State of the Union are running as fast as they can from RISK with a fall in the market. See, Trump always, and I mean always, talks a good story; but, the reality is Trump has always relied on bankruptcy to handle his overextension of fiscal estimations. Wall Street is as foolish as Trump if they don't act within "measured reason" when throwing down the gauntlet to greed.

October 26, 2017
By Christiano Lima 

Representatives for the Washington Free Beacon, (click here) a conservative online news site, informed congressional investigators Friday the outlet had originally funded the research firm that created the salacious dossier containing allegations of ties between Donald Trump's campaign and Russian operatives, the publication said in a statement.

The firm, Fusion GPS — which has been entwined in federal and congressional probes into Russian election interference in 2016 — was retained by the Free Beacon during the 2016 elections "to provide research on multiple candidates in the Republican presidential primary," Free Beacon editor and chief Matthew Continetti and chairman Michael Goldfarb said in the statement....

AND

The dossier was received by US Senator John McCain and it was he, a Republican Senator, that passed it on to the FBI. When the FBI receives information from a long-standing Senator, they pay attention and that is included in any focus by the court in FISA hearings.

11 January 2017
By Julian Borger

Senator John McCain (click here) passed documents to the FBI director, James Comey, last month alleging secret contacts between the Trump campaign and Moscow and that Russian intelligence had personally compromising material on the president-elect himself. 

The material, which has been seen by the Guardian, is a series of reports on Trump’s relationship with Moscow. They were drawn up by a former western counter-intelligence official, now working as a private consultant. BuzzFeed on Tuesday published the documents, which it said were “unverified and potentially unverifiable”....

DEFERENCE!

In order to understand the brevity given documents in FISA (the spy court), is to understand when a long standing US Senator sends documents to the FBI it receives deference to any priority of the intelligence service. Why? Because someone like Senator McCain is not only an elected official of the people, but, a patriot with LOYALITY TO THE USA through great suffering and torture while a POW in Vietnam. Senator McCain is highly regarded as someone honorable and important to any US intelligence agency, especially in the times we face in the 21st Century.

So, when the FBI receives information from Christopher Steele that was advocated by a US Senator the FISA court is going to pay attention and grant investigation PRIVILEGES into an American's life. 

The FISA Court is not a place where citizen's rights are considered so sacred that an American's privacy has to be come first. The FISA Court is burdened with weighing the evidence beforeit in balance with constitutional authority to protect the innocent and secure the sovereignty of the USA.

Every American citizen comes second to the sovereignty of the country. That may be a new reality for the extremist Republican (if you consider them Republicans) right wing, but, there is a reason why a conviction of treason can carry the death penalty. The FISA Court given the brevity of Mr. Steele as an ally to the USA, probably familiar to the FISA Court and backed by a US Senator of long standing (of which there is no conflict of interest between Steel and McCain) and known as a great patriot, did the absolute best thing they could in granting the warrant. I don't have to know what the rest of "The Memo" says, it is already lying and attempting to politicize a court known to save American lives and sovereignty.

a) Neither the initial application in October 2016, nor any of the renewals, disclose or reference the role of the DNC, Clinton campaign, or any party/campaign in funding Steele’s efforts, even though the political origins of the Steele dossier were then known to senior DOJ and FBI officials.

I mean, I have to read this shit! I don't think so. The DNC carried NO BREVITY to the court's decision. It was the fact a US Senator valued information from a known ally and was concerned for the country. US Senator John McCain approaching the FBI was the impetus to the investigation and carried the most brevity.

The fact the DNC got involved was probably no surprise to the FISA Court and the court was not engaged in political priorities. The FBI and FISA under the laws passed by the USA Congress and signed by a President was the only concern of the FISA Court and it absolutely did the right thing.

The DNC was INSIGIFICANT, except, to realize their candidate was a long known patriot to the USA, having served many years in Arkansas and then in the federal government in capacities of First Lady, US Senator and US Secretary of State. The FISA Court would have considered her concern and interest in the Steele dossier in brevity of who she IS as an American.

THERE IS NOTHING INAPPROPRIATE AND what's his name, NUNEZ or however he spells his name is attempting to discredit the FBI with meaningless hubris.

By the way, the reason FISA warrants are issued is to DISCOVER whether or not the facts before US intelligence carries brevity. The Steelel dossier carries known facts and some of it cannot be proved or disproved SUPPOSEDLY, at least as far as the general public knows. There is nothing political or nafarious by the FISA Court, Mr. Steele or the FBI. 

End of discussion.

The Trump White House is corrupt to the core. The "Memo" is more or less a distraction for the Republicans.

Where is the congressional oversight? Nowhere to be found? I can just hear McConnell over dinner with the Transporation Secretary, "Trump is so busy pushing money into the hands of his friends, he leaves us alone for the most part and then complains we are doing nothing."

The corruption is a distraction, the FBI couldn't keep up with it and protect the country, too.

What really galls me about this is that Trump demands loyalty from Americans. They are loyal to corruption. It is criminal in it's intent. So, Trump is willing to spin a web of loyalty to criminality.

18 August 2006
By Sam S. Souryal

...Furthermore, (click here) the obligation of loyalty to persons rather than principles can encourage corruption, promote mediocrity, and demoralize the workers. Ironically, if both workers and superiors were loyal to departmental values, they would, by natural association, be loyal to one another....

With 60 percent of Republicans siding with the President in that the FBI is carrying out a witch hunt, the loyality issues is a profound reality we have to face. The support for Trump is based on false values in the American electorate.

January 31, 2018

...MacGillis found Carson Jr. (click here) constantly hanging around and networking HUD projects in ways that implied some relation to his own businesses. And sure enough, HUD staffers privately expressed concern that he was inviting clients or potential clients to HUD events and “gave the appearance that the Secretary may be using his position for his son’s private gain.”

A report yesterday found that Trump’s infrastructure council is filled with business owners who stand to benefit from the policies Trump is advancing. For instance, Richard LeFrak, one of the developers on Trump’s council, has lobbied against flood-risk regulations that Trump has eliminated. The plan writ large would steer public funding toward privately owned infrastructure projects that would benefit the developers on Trump’s committee, as well as potential members of his own family.

Meanwhile, the Palm Beach Post reports that Trump Realty is expanding its operations in southern Florida.  ...One of Trump Realty’s agents tells the Post that she “is confident the recent tax law will further spur relocations from high-tax states in the Northeast to South Florida.” This was not an exposé of a reporter discovering that Trump stands to benefit from his tax law. It was a casual boast by the business’s manager to a journalist.

These stories are merely the news of the last 24 hours, a day in the life of self-dealing in the Trump administration....   

This is what the American people need to be loyal to, it is real and is why the USA has been the last standing Superpower of the world. It is OUR dedication to education and the American Dream. Our American Brain Trust IS national security.


December 3, 2017
By David Leonhardt

...Much of human progress (click here) depends on innovation. It depends on people coming up with a breakthrough idea to improve life. Think about penicillin or cancer treatments, electricity or the silicon chip.

For this reason, societies have a big interest in making sure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to become scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs. It’s not only a matter of fairness. Denying opportunities to talented people can end up hurting everyone....

The narrower the path to opportunity the greater the risk to national security.

But, to honor those determined to have a blue colored moon, there is this video.

Time stop 1:29 shows a blue colored moon. 

Congratulations.

This is an article from "Space.com" about the next time observers can see a Super Blue Blood Moon.

January 31, 2018
By Hanneke Weitering

Skywatchers (click here for article and video) around the world were treated to a rare Super Blue Blood Moon today (Jan. 31). While this was the first time in over 150 years that this particular type of eclipse has happened in the U.S., Americans can look forward to another "blood moon" eclipse coming on Jan. 21, 2019.

This next immediate total lunar eclipse — when the moon appears to turn red as it passes through Earth's dark inner shadow, or the umbra — will occur later this year on July 27. But that eclipse won't be visible from North America. However, much of the rest of the world — South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia — will have a great view of that eclipse....

It is funny how disconnected people can be about having precise information.

I sometimes like to conduct reality checks with strangers when I know the facts are completely scientific and sound. So, yesterday I was at an appointment and there was another woman in the room and I said, "Did you see the Super Blue Blood Moon recently? 

She said she had and never saw any blue anything. So, in honor of the confused observer, I thought this was a very instructive video.

Same pattern of behavior. It is almost a routine now. No one ever knows exactly where the conflict of interest lies.

It is my opinion, the presidency of the USA is very valuable to Senior Trump and he creates a cloud of ideology around him that hides his personal agenda. I could have written the dialogue in addressing the meeting for the degree of predictable behaviour that occurs with him.

Whatever the political crisis or in this case legal crisis, his cover-up is always the same. Deny the allegations, bring up a cause of the people and blame the Democrats for the issue in the first place. It is always the same. Trump embattled has a singular method of cover-up and I am left to wonder what he gained personally out of his position as POTUS. Sometime in the future, it will all come out, but, only after the statute of limitations and/or contracts expire.


This cover-up is classic Trump. Putin might change his mind about Russian child adoption simply to bolster Trump's standing, but, the fact of the matter is Russia has greatly improved their child death rates.

The USA is off the list in Russia to receive children for adoption. The Russians have decided it is a better strategy to send pregnant women to the Trump properties to give birth on USA soil. Just to close this one loop the USA's child death rate is highest of 20 rich nations. Why? Guns. (click here)

A child age 15 to 19 in the U.S. is 82 times more likely to die from gun violence than such a child in the other countries.

So, if Putin decides he needs to CYA Trump about this meeting, he would be acting in hope of control of the Mueller investigation, not the best interest of the children of Russia.

The idea Trump can legally lie to the press is more than amusing, considering his frequent use of "Fake News." 

I wish Special Council and Former Director Mueller great success in his investigation, this isn't' an easy one. Finding the root cause of the investigation and validating it seems paramount to me. I would not expect much cooperation by Trump. Trump decided he would conduct his interview under oath. Bush and Cheney consented to discuss 911, but, only if there was no oath required.

The country needs you, Mr. Mueller. Please proceed.

January 31, 2018

By Jo Becker, Mark Mazzetti, Matt Apuzzo and Maggie Haberman

...The president supervised (click here) the writing of the statement, according to three people familiar with the episode, with input from other White House aides. A fierce debate erupted over how much information the news release should include. Mr. Trump was insistent about including language that the meeting was about Russian adoptions, according to two people with knowledge of the discussion.

By early afternoon, The Times received a separate statement, from Jamie S. Gorelick, a lawyer at the time for Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser. The statement said little about the meeting, except that Mr. Kushner had “briefly attended at the request of his brother-in-law Donald Trump Jr.”

It left nearly all of the questions unanswered — and seemed to put the onus on Donald Trump Jr. to answer them. Nearly four hours later, the statement that had been cobbled together aboard Air Force One was sent to The Times. The statement was in Donald Trump Jr.’s name and was issued by Mr. Garten.

“It was a short introductory meeting,” it read. “I asked Jared and Paul to stop by. We primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children that was active and popular with American families years ago and was since ended by the Russian government, but it was not a campaign issue at that time and there was no follow up.”

According to four people familiar with the discussions, Donald Trump Jr. had insisted that the word “primarily” be included in the statement....