May 16, 2018
By Karen DeYoung, Josh Dawsey and Rosalind Helderman
Michael Cohen, (click here) President Trump’s personal attorney, solicited a payment of at least $1 million from the government of Qatar in late 2016, in exchange for access to and advice about the then-incoming administration, according to several people with knowledge of the episode.
The offer, which Qatar declined, came on the margins of a Dec. 12 meeting that year at Trump Tower between the Persian Gulf state’s foreign minister and Michael Flynn, who became Trump’s first national security adviser. Stephen K. Bannon, who became chief White House strategist, also attended, the people said.
Cohen did not participate in the official meetings but spoke separately to a member of the Qatari delegation, Ahmed al-Rumaihi, who at the time was head of the investments division of the country’s sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority....
Yes, there are laws. It is very sad the country has to realize far too late they have a gangland President besides his pedophilia.
"Suspicious Activity Reporting" (click here)
Federal law (31 USC 5318(g)(3)) provides protection from civil liability for all reports of suspicious transactions made to appropriate authorities, including supporting documentation, regardless of whether such reports are filed pursuant to the SAR instructions. Specifically, the law provides that a bank and its directors, officers, employees, and agents that make a disclosure to the appropriate authorities of any possible violation of law or regulation, including a disclosure in connection with the preparation of SARs, "shall not be liable to any person under any law or regulation of the United States, any constitution, law, or regulation of any State or political subdivision of any State, or under any contract or other legally enforceable agreement (including any arbitration agreement), for such disclosure or for any failure to provide notice of such disclosure to the person who is the subject of such disclosure or any other person identified in the disclosure." The safe harbor applies to SARs filed within the required reporting thresholds as well as to SARs filed voluntarily on any activity below the threshold....
This is the kind of thing the FBI and CIA assess on a regular basis. It is not surprising to realize any articles under this authority was picked up by a federal agency.
If there are SARS missing, it most likely is a federal agency and/or USA attorney. I would be surprised and very disappointed if the US Treasury Secretary actually obstructed justice.
There is a reality I came to as a conservationist and environmentalist a long time ago; "The fines are simply a part of doing business." The petroleum industry has been so filthy rich it breaks the law all the time and simply pays the fines.
It is my estimation that is the case with Mr. Trump and all his associates.
There are prison terms for such lawbreakers, but, the government is more interested in getting the money than adding another person to the dependency rolls of any jail or prison. Most of the folks behind bars are poor. There are few wealthy folks there. I wish there were more old, white men behind bars for exactly these reasons.
When the government accepts fines rather than leverage jail or prison, the crimes will be committed over and over again.
This is very sad. Donald Trump and his associates are the kind of folks the FBI and CIA would normally be chasing down for breaking the law. There was absolutely no way for the American electorate to know this is what they were looking at. Trump would never reveal any records before the election.
Wow. I really want law enforcement to find the man that threatened Ms. Clifford and her daughter. He promised to make her daughter an orphan. It is time to close the loop and bring peace of mind to those brave enough to come forward. Any documents released to the public by a patriot is called a "Whistleblower" and there are laws to protect them. Most public employees have a union to represent them. I would seek out the union leadership to speak to their lawyer about such things. More than likely a federal employee cannot afford the price of DC lawyers.
I am grateful for Ms. Clifford. She is a good person. She is an adult entertainer, but, she is a good person. She values fidelity and especially the fidelity between the electorate and the people they elect. There is a certain understanding voters have about their candidates. When that understanding is violated it takes great people like Ms. Clifford to bravely come forward to set the record straight. I want her safe and her family safe. This is a huge contribution she made to the integrity of freedom in the USA. She is valuable to me.
Good night.
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan has become a capitalist.
I am very happy for him. Bob Dylan's career sort of waxes and wanes. He composes and performs as he sees it. The truth as reflection in Dylan's work prove popularity is not substantive. In providing a product to consumers, he is providing for his income regardless of the moods of the public.
May 2, 2018
By Jahla Seppananen
You may have (click here) been excited about Wu-Tang Clan’s new vodka , but if your spirits and Spotify preferences lean toward the acoustic end of the spectrum, Bob Dylan’s new whiskey might be more your pace.
Don’t think twice — just accept that Bob freakin’ Dylan is now in the whiskey business.
In partnership with Spirits Investment Partnership (SIP), the iconic singer-songwriter has created Heaven’s Door Spirits. This won’t look like your standard whiskey line, though. Indeed, times they are a changin’, because instead of creating one type of whiskey with one master distiller, Heaven’s Door Spirits is set up to be an evolving portfolio of small-batch whiskeys in collaboration with multiple renowned distillers....
May 2, 2018By Jahla Seppananen
You may have (click here) been excited about Wu-Tang Clan’s new vodka , but if your spirits and Spotify preferences lean toward the acoustic end of the spectrum, Bob Dylan’s new whiskey might be more your pace.
Don’t think twice — just accept that Bob freakin’ Dylan is now in the whiskey business.
In partnership with Spirits Investment Partnership (SIP), the iconic singer-songwriter has created Heaven’s Door Spirits. This won’t look like your standard whiskey line, though. Indeed, times they are a changin’, because instead of creating one type of whiskey with one master distiller, Heaven’s Door Spirits is set up to be an evolving portfolio of small-batch whiskeys in collaboration with multiple renowned distillers....
Trump, Jr. is 40 years old, leads the family's company and he can't remember a meeting.
There is no one within the circle of characters involved with Trump's campaign willing to point a finger at the boss. Why? Because, the Boss or Dear Old Dad, holds the pardon pen.
This is the perfect picture as to why the Emoluments Clause is excellent law. The Trump administration is carrying out some very dangerous agendas. The issues with Israel and Palestine could be carried out in the name of peace and justice or simply because "...they are part of the problem, not the solution...." The current self-righteous actions of the Israeli leadership resulting in deaths, maiming and wounding of unarmed Palestinians; is backed by (Part of the Problem) Jared by his words. He doesn't care about the lives of Palestinians that are part of the problem. Jared can assist in genocide without worry so long as his father-in-law holds the "Pardon Pen."
The power of the "Pardon Pen" is so important to the Trump family and associates that they will not implicate him, regardless of the truth. Given Trump's diet, the Trump family and associates should weigh a heartache of Trump when deciding not to testify against him.
Basically, the Trump bunch are stonewalling the Congress and the Special Investigation into the Russian hacking and sought influence in the 2016 election.
Case in point; Jared's peer in Israel:
May 16, 2018
Yair Netanyahu, (click here) son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, posted a controversial image saying "Fuck Turkey" on his Instagram account on Wednesday. This follows a diplomatic row between Israel and Turkey which began Tuesday, when Ankara expelled Israel's ambassador over the number of Palestinians killed during protests in the Gaza border on Monday....
This level of ENTITLEMENT is contagious. If Jared can be pardoned to carry out the will of Israel so Yair can through his father.
What these people don't realize is that there is a World Court that would welcome trials in the act of genocide. Yair Netanyahu doesn't even care Turkey is a member of NATO. Whatever the tension is between Israel and Turkey needs to end. With the attitude alone by Yair it brings a decision by the USA as to whom we have as an ally, Israel or Turkey. With Yair's attitude and words, it seems perfectly obvious that there is to be no alliance except with Israel. So, Turkey is one of those entities that are part of the problem and not the solution.
I am relieved the US Senate Judiciary Committee has found the US House finding is not legitimate in the case of Russian interference in the 2016 elections. Perhaps those on the US House Judiciary Committee are illiterate and have no capacity for anything except simpleton conclusions.
May 16, 2018
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, (click here) R-Iowa, has released congressional testimony transcripts and other material related to the committee's inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the June 9, 2016, meeting in Trump Tower between Trump campaign officials and a Russian lawyer....
...In addition to Trump Jr., the committee interviewed four other people who attended the Trump Tower meeting in New York — publicist Rob Goldstone, who set up the meeting with the promise of dirt on Clinton; Rinat Akhmetshin, a prominent Russian-American lobbyist; Ike Kaveladze, a business associate of a Moscow-based developer, and a translator.
Trump Jr. deflected multiple questions during the interview, saying he couldn't recall whether he discussed the Russia probe with his father and whether he spoke with his dad on the day the meeting was arranged.
Asked if he thought it would be a problem to take a meeting billed to him as part of a Russian government effort to aid his father, Trump Jr. said no.
"I didn't think that listening to someone with information relevant to the fitness and character of a presidential candidate would be an issue, no."...
This is the perfect picture as to why the Emoluments Clause is excellent law. The Trump administration is carrying out some very dangerous agendas. The issues with Israel and Palestine could be carried out in the name of peace and justice or simply because "...they are part of the problem, not the solution...." The current self-righteous actions of the Israeli leadership resulting in deaths, maiming and wounding of unarmed Palestinians; is backed by (Part of the Problem) Jared by his words. He doesn't care about the lives of Palestinians that are part of the problem. Jared can assist in genocide without worry so long as his father-in-law holds the "Pardon Pen."
The power of the "Pardon Pen" is so important to the Trump family and associates that they will not implicate him, regardless of the truth. Given Trump's diet, the Trump family and associates should weigh a heartache of Trump when deciding not to testify against him.
Basically, the Trump bunch are stonewalling the Congress and the Special Investigation into the Russian hacking and sought influence in the 2016 election.
Case in point; Jared's peer in Israel:
May 16, 2018
Yair Netanyahu, (click here) son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, posted a controversial image saying "Fuck Turkey" on his Instagram account on Wednesday. This follows a diplomatic row between Israel and Turkey which began Tuesday, when Ankara expelled Israel's ambassador over the number of Palestinians killed during protests in the Gaza border on Monday....
This level of ENTITLEMENT is contagious. If Jared can be pardoned to carry out the will of Israel so Yair can through his father.
What these people don't realize is that there is a World Court that would welcome trials in the act of genocide. Yair Netanyahu doesn't even care Turkey is a member of NATO. Whatever the tension is between Israel and Turkey needs to end. With the attitude alone by Yair it brings a decision by the USA as to whom we have as an ally, Israel or Turkey. With Yair's attitude and words, it seems perfectly obvious that there is to be no alliance except with Israel. So, Turkey is one of those entities that are part of the problem and not the solution.
I am relieved the US Senate Judiciary Committee has found the US House finding is not legitimate in the case of Russian interference in the 2016 elections. Perhaps those on the US House Judiciary Committee are illiterate and have no capacity for anything except simpleton conclusions.
May 16, 2018
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, (click here) R-Iowa, has released congressional testimony transcripts and other material related to the committee's inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the June 9, 2016, meeting in Trump Tower between Trump campaign officials and a Russian lawyer....
...In addition to Trump Jr., the committee interviewed four other people who attended the Trump Tower meeting in New York — publicist Rob Goldstone, who set up the meeting with the promise of dirt on Clinton; Rinat Akhmetshin, a prominent Russian-American lobbyist; Ike Kaveladze, a business associate of a Moscow-based developer, and a translator.
The committee did not interview Natalia Veselnitskaya, the Russian lawyer at the center of the meeting. But the panel released her written responses to a letter that Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, sent her last year.
The panel was also not able to interview Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, or Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign manager, even though both attended.
The committee also released one page of notes that Manafort took during the meeting...
...Trump Jr. told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he couldn't remember whether he had discussed the Russia investigation with his father, according to transcripts released Wednesday of his interview with the panel.Trump Jr. deflected multiple questions during the interview, saying he couldn't recall whether he discussed the Russia probe with his father and whether he spoke with his dad on the day the meeting was arranged.
Asked if he thought it would be a problem to take a meeting billed to him as part of a Russian government effort to aid his father, Trump Jr. said no.
"I didn't think that listening to someone with information relevant to the fitness and character of a presidential candidate would be an issue, no."...
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
The diplomatic MISSION for the USA on the Korean Peninsula is to assist President Moon with his negotiations. This is NOT the USA negotiations. The ultimate goals of this mission is a nuclear free peninsula.
Kim Jong Un will never give up his nukes if he believes there will be an invasion of North Korea by The West. North Korea does not have a sufficient conventional military. If North Korea or Pakistan or India (click here) had a great conventional weapons option they wouldn't have nukes. Nukes are the only way these small countries can equate the USA threat.
The Trump Administration is a threat to North Korea and the world. Why believe peace anywhere will come soon, including with Israel and the Palestinians.
Kushner.
To realize he was standing in Jerusalem with language to blame Hamas for violence while he was collecting $500,000 ($500 billion) from China that will no doubt cost the USA jobs. This is more than a disconnect, this is criminal.
Jared Kushner has a $600 million incentive (click here) to use his White House position to make money. In May, Kushner’s family company apologized for using Kushner in pitches to foreign investors, after being caught playing up his connection to the president in China. This brazen conflict of interest was an early example of what many feared about Trump’s presidency: that Trump, his family, and those around him would use the presidency to enrich themselves....
Kim Jong Un will never give up his nukes if he believes there will be an invasion of North Korea by The West. North Korea does not have a sufficient conventional military. If North Korea or Pakistan or India (click here) had a great conventional weapons option they wouldn't have nukes. Nukes are the only way these small countries can equate the USA threat.
The Trump Administration is a threat to North Korea and the world. Why believe peace anywhere will come soon, including with Israel and the Palestinians.
Kushner.
To realize he was standing in Jerusalem with language to blame Hamas for violence while he was collecting $500,000 ($500 billion) from China that will no doubt cost the USA jobs. This is more than a disconnect, this is criminal.
Jared Kushner has a $600 million incentive (click here) to use his White House position to make money. In May, Kushner’s family company apologized for using Kushner in pitches to foreign investors, after being caught playing up his connection to the president in China. This brazen conflict of interest was an early example of what many feared about Trump’s presidency: that Trump, his family, and those around him would use the presidency to enrich themselves....
So, North Korea is getting cold feet.
I don't blame him. The USA has become bizarre. There is no way of seeing a sane and consistent path forward.
There are war games off the Korean coast. That is crazy. I am sure war games is necessary for the allies to maintain their competency, but, there should have been a more diplomatic location for those exercises.
Who in their right mind states the USA Embassy in Jerusalem "...is an election promise?" That is crazy. It is self-centered and crude.
Trump didn't certify the IAEA assessment for Iran. These are important issues. The boring truth is a far better outcome than escalation for the benefit of Trump politics. Add to that the US Congress does nothing.
There is no reason for Kim Jong Un to proceed with any talks when one of the partners is erratic. Treating these issues as if they are frivolous and simply another Sole Stone in Trump's ring to own the universe is idiocy. There is absolutely no humility in Trump's heart or mind. Being humble with global leaders, including Kim Jong Un, goes very far when seeking common ground to move as a partner to a better end and peace.
Trump thinks he can simply bully Kim again. The warmongering will start again now that Kim Jong Un has changed his posture. He believes the fear of nuclear war is why Un came to the peace table. Not. He came to a peace process with South Korea at an invitation to bring North Korean athletes to the Olympics with their Southern counterparts.
I am quite sure Trump will NEVER reflect on his actions in any part of the world to realize he might have been a real reason for Un to back away from the peace talks. Trump will never accept his responsibility for these failed talks.
I feel terrible for the Korean people. The elected a President that was to lead to a peaceful resolution with North Korea. He was doing exactly that. Trump disrupted it all.
May 15, 2018
By Ellen Mitchell
President Trump (click here) ordered top national security officials to prepare to evacuate U.S. military families living in South Korea ahead of the Winter Olympics earlier this year, CNN reported Tuesday.
CNN, citing four current and former administration officials, reported that Trump issued the directive earlier this year to then-national security adviser H.R. McMaster during a daily intelligence briefing.
McMaster reportedly directed National Security Council staff to prepare a presidential memorandum ordering the nearly 8,000 military dependents in South Korea to leave the country. The memo was then sent to White house chief of staff John Kelly.
“It was an order. It wasn't, ‘I'm thinking about it,'” one senior administration official told CNN, referring to the directive. “We saw it as a done deal.”...
NORTH KOREA IS NOT LIBYA!
THERE IS NO THREAT TO AMERICANS!
THIS IS CRAZY!
There are war games off the Korean coast. That is crazy. I am sure war games is necessary for the allies to maintain their competency, but, there should have been a more diplomatic location for those exercises.
Who in their right mind states the USA Embassy in Jerusalem "...is an election promise?" That is crazy. It is self-centered and crude.
Trump didn't certify the IAEA assessment for Iran. These are important issues. The boring truth is a far better outcome than escalation for the benefit of Trump politics. Add to that the US Congress does nothing.
There is no reason for Kim Jong Un to proceed with any talks when one of the partners is erratic. Treating these issues as if they are frivolous and simply another Sole Stone in Trump's ring to own the universe is idiocy. There is absolutely no humility in Trump's heart or mind. Being humble with global leaders, including Kim Jong Un, goes very far when seeking common ground to move as a partner to a better end and peace.
Trump thinks he can simply bully Kim again. The warmongering will start again now that Kim Jong Un has changed his posture. He believes the fear of nuclear war is why Un came to the peace table. Not. He came to a peace process with South Korea at an invitation to bring North Korean athletes to the Olympics with their Southern counterparts.
I am quite sure Trump will NEVER reflect on his actions in any part of the world to realize he might have been a real reason for Un to back away from the peace talks. Trump will never accept his responsibility for these failed talks.
I feel terrible for the Korean people. The elected a President that was to lead to a peaceful resolution with North Korea. He was doing exactly that. Trump disrupted it all.
May 15, 2018
By Ellen Mitchell
President Trump (click here) ordered top national security officials to prepare to evacuate U.S. military families living in South Korea ahead of the Winter Olympics earlier this year, CNN reported Tuesday.
CNN, citing four current and former administration officials, reported that Trump issued the directive earlier this year to then-national security adviser H.R. McMaster during a daily intelligence briefing.
McMaster reportedly directed National Security Council staff to prepare a presidential memorandum ordering the nearly 8,000 military dependents in South Korea to leave the country. The memo was then sent to White house chief of staff John Kelly.
“It was an order. It wasn't, ‘I'm thinking about it,'” one senior administration official told CNN, referring to the directive. “We saw it as a done deal.”...
NORTH KOREA IS NOT LIBYA!
THERE IS NO THREAT TO AMERICANS!
THIS IS CRAZY!
Israel;s EXCUSE for killing, maiming and wounding Palestinians are always the same, "There were extremists killed." That is what jail is for. It is called Due Process.
Turkey is posturing for war. If Turkey begins an assault against Syria and ultimately (when the soldiers get there) Israel. Turkey will be joined by Russia. The Kurds will be the real target by Turkey.
Israel's aggressive stance is getting out of control. The current political leadership is making the same rhetorical language a standard for confrontation. There is no reason for the Israeli military to be at the border with Gaza. The protesters are unarmed and need recognition by the Knesset to bring about talks to end the discontent in Palestine.
I don't care if there are Hamas members among them; they know nothing else. There are at least two generations that have been born and grown up under Hamas leadership. And change is going to require diplomacy, humanitarian aid and real changes in Israel's occupation. Israel will seek to move borders into Gaza, if it hasn't happened already. I mean there is a reason Palestinians in Gaza are protesting. I am quite confident Netanyahu is attempting to reverse the Sharon measures with Gaza.
Haley's words are empty of proof. The USA isn't worthy of talks, unless, it can end the violence at the Gaza border by the withdrawal of Israeli soldiers. The USA has to prove it actually has a real and substantive relationship with Israel that brings about movement toward peace.
Hamas is not the only people at the border of Gaza and Israel. So, they get closer to the security fence. It is a sensitive area and the occupation by Israel has to end. So, they mention Hitler. The words of Haley are simplistic, rhetorical and prove no real measure to end the violence or occupation.
Israel exists because of the human rights demanded by the global community. Now, Israel needs to return land to the Palestinians and end all violence.
Hamas conveyed (click here) indirect messages to Israel on Monday night that it might change tack in the Gaza border protests Tuesday, but Israel isn't certain whether the group really aims to rein in the violent demonstrations which claimed the lives of 60 Palestinians by live Israeli gunfire Monday.
Funerals of Monday's casualties are expected to take place in Gaza on Tuesday, with the question remaining whether Hamas will call the masses to the fence as it did Monday, or keep the rallies as a spontaneous initiative of the people. Rallies are expected in the large West Bank cities, as well as a general strike....
Protesters chants slogans as they hold Palestinian and Turkish flags outside the residence of the Israeli Ambassador in Ankara on May 14, 2018 during a demonstration against US President Donald Trump’s decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to JerusalemThe world, especially the region, do not consent to the relocation of the USA embassy. The USA should not give up it's old location. This is typical of the Trump administration; they do not negotiate. They work in a bubble they have created.
King Abdullah has been a long standing ally of the USA. It has done it's part with Iraq and with refugees. Jordan can be assessed at 'the breaking point' with it's support of refugees. Jordan has also experienced terrorist attacks. This country has been a leader in peace in the Middle East. Today, the King of Jordan is speaking out against a highly explosive move of the USA embassy. The Trump administration should take the King's statements serious and should have conferred with the King before this began. Election promises in the USA are meaningless in the Middle East. King Abdullah better not receive retribution for his statements.
I stated yesterday the change in alliance was occurring as I wrote my opinion. It is continuing. The USA is being abandoned under the Trump White House.
The USA Congress needs to censure President Trump. (click here)
May 15, 2018
Amman — His Majesty King Abdullah (click here) on Monday stressed that Jordan rejects and condemns the blatant acts of aggression and violence perpetrated by Israel against the brotherly Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
The King emphasised that moving the US embassy to Jerusalem would have serious repercussions on security and stability in the Middle East and will inflame the feelings of Muslims and Christians.
King Abdullah made the remarks during a phone call from French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, during which they discussed the latest developments in the Palestinian arena, particularly the Israeli escalation in Gaza, in addition to the repercussions of moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, a Royal Court statement said....
Sports betting? Will it cause greater corruption? I didn't think the NFL could be more corrupt?
Roger Goodell should be in prison right now for massive fraud.
How does that happen? The NFL looks the other way to minimize the outrage and financial impact. But, the government? No one is acting to end this widespread fraud in the NFL? Citizens were ripped off. They spent a lot of money for tickets, travel and merchandise, yet the fraud was allowed to exist. Why aren't the people boycotting? Why aren't they demanding action against the NFL and Goodell?
Now, there is going to be sports betting and the odds are never going to be accurate. The games are fixed.
Within the States Rights legislature needs to be a strong structure against corruption, otherwise, the fascination of the better will be short lived due to corruption.
May 14, 2018
By Richard Wolf
Washington – New Jersey won a landmark ruling (click here) from the Supreme Court on Monday that could lead many states to legalize betting on college and professional sports.
The justices declared unconstitutional a law passed by Congress a quarter century ago that forced states to keep sports gambling bans on the books. The 6-3 decision clears the way for other states to join Nevada in allowing bets to be placed on individual games.
Justice Samuel Alito, a New Jersey native, wrote the court's opinion in the case. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor dissented, and Justice Stephen Breyer dissented in part.
"Congress can regulate sports gambling directly, but if it elects not to do so, each state is free to act on its own," Alito said. "Our job is to interpret the law Congress has enacted and decide whether it is consistent with the Constitution."
New Jersey wanted to increase GDP, economic engagement and increased jobs. Where are the jobs coming from? If this betting is online, that does nothing to increase jobs. Therefore, is the betting only at the casinos? If that is the case will it actually increase tourism and attract people who want to wager on games or intergame betting?
The GDP will go up somewhat, but, the people involved in the betting is already known. After the initial novelty, the economic impact is already known. What happens to increase that? Will casinos actually benefit? There should be no illusion about the GDP opportunity. That effects the spending the government and taxes. New Jersey already has several horse racetracks, both Thoroughbred and Standardbreds. The state's GDP is already fixed. If the game betting is exclusively online, there will be little change because of the hacking and intrusion of cybercrime. The state will spend more on cybercrime rather than receiving an uptick in GDP, it will become a burden. I think states need to think this through. Game betting should be an economic enhancement to the people and not another burden.
Roger Goodell should be in prison right now for massive fraud.
How does that happen? The NFL looks the other way to minimize the outrage and financial impact. But, the government? No one is acting to end this widespread fraud in the NFL? Citizens were ripped off. They spent a lot of money for tickets, travel and merchandise, yet the fraud was allowed to exist. Why aren't the people boycotting? Why aren't they demanding action against the NFL and Goodell?
Now, there is going to be sports betting and the odds are never going to be accurate. The games are fixed.
Within the States Rights legislature needs to be a strong structure against corruption, otherwise, the fascination of the better will be short lived due to corruption.
May 14, 2018
By Richard Wolf
Washington – New Jersey won a landmark ruling (click here) from the Supreme Court on Monday that could lead many states to legalize betting on college and professional sports.
The justices declared unconstitutional a law passed by Congress a quarter century ago that forced states to keep sports gambling bans on the books. The 6-3 decision clears the way for other states to join Nevada in allowing bets to be placed on individual games.
Justice Samuel Alito, a New Jersey native, wrote the court's opinion in the case. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor dissented, and Justice Stephen Breyer dissented in part.
"Congress can regulate sports gambling directly, but if it elects not to do so, each state is free to act on its own," Alito said. "Our job is to interpret the law Congress has enacted and decide whether it is consistent with the Constitution."
New Jersey wanted to increase GDP, economic engagement and increased jobs. Where are the jobs coming from? If this betting is online, that does nothing to increase jobs. Therefore, is the betting only at the casinos? If that is the case will it actually increase tourism and attract people who want to wager on games or intergame betting?
The GDP will go up somewhat, but, the people involved in the betting is already known. After the initial novelty, the economic impact is already known. What happens to increase that? Will casinos actually benefit? There should be no illusion about the GDP opportunity. That effects the spending the government and taxes. New Jersey already has several horse racetracks, both Thoroughbred and Standardbreds. The state's GDP is already fixed. If the game betting is exclusively online, there will be little change because of the hacking and intrusion of cybercrime. The state will spend more on cybercrime rather than receiving an uptick in GDP, it will become a burden. I think states need to think this through. Game betting should be an economic enhancement to the people and not another burden.
Monday, May 14, 2018
Netanyahu has plans and he shores up those plans every chance he gets.
Osama bin Laden is dead. I really resent Kushner's priorities for the USA military because it cuts open a wound with the Arab World long healed.
May 12, 2018
Washington – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (click here) reportedly met in March with a senior diplomat from the United Arab Emirates, a country that does not officially have diplomatic relations with Israel.
According to a report by the Associated Press, Netanyahu met the UAE's ambassador to Washington, Yousef al Otaiba, during his visit to the American capital two months ago.
The report stated that during Netanyahu's three-day visit to Washington, he had dinner at a restaurant where Otaiba was also present with a group. The Emirati ambassador, considered one of the most influential foreign emissaries in Washington, was made aware of Netanyahu's presence and invited him and his wife, Sara, to join his table.
According to the report, Netanyahu joined the ambassador's table, answered some policy questions and shook hands with Otaiba before departing.
The Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem has yet to respond to the report.....
Kushner shot himself in the foot. Just imagine Kushner actually carrying a gun with the IDF? That is really funnying. This article is five hours old. The Arab countries are only beginning to make movement to end Kushner's plan. It is over. The strikes into Syria probably did damage to Assad's forces to make it easier for Israel to move against whomever is the Golan Heights, if anyone.
May 14 2018
The UAE has pledged $5 million (Dh18.4m) (click here) to provide urgent medicine for Palestinians injured in protests along the Gaza border on Monday.
May 12, 2018
Washington – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (click here) reportedly met in March with a senior diplomat from the United Arab Emirates, a country that does not officially have diplomatic relations with Israel.
According to a report by the Associated Press, Netanyahu met the UAE's ambassador to Washington, Yousef al Otaiba, during his visit to the American capital two months ago.
The report stated that during Netanyahu's three-day visit to Washington, he had dinner at a restaurant where Otaiba was also present with a group. The Emirati ambassador, considered one of the most influential foreign emissaries in Washington, was made aware of Netanyahu's presence and invited him and his wife, Sara, to join his table.
According to the report, Netanyahu joined the ambassador's table, answered some policy questions and shook hands with Otaiba before departing.
The Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem has yet to respond to the report.....
Kushner shot himself in the foot. Just imagine Kushner actually carrying a gun with the IDF? That is really funnying. This article is five hours old. The Arab countries are only beginning to make movement to end Kushner's plan. It is over. The strikes into Syria probably did damage to Assad's forces to make it easier for Israel to move against whomever is the Golan Heights, if anyone.
May 14 2018
The UAE has pledged $5 million (Dh18.4m) (click here) to provide urgent medicine for Palestinians injured in protests along the Gaza border on Monday.
Israeli forces killed at least 52 Palestinians in a wave of gunfire condemned as a “massacre” by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
At least 2,400 people were wounded by Israeli fire or injured through other means, such as tear gas, with some canisters dropped from hovering Israeli drones.
The clashes took place as the new US embassy was inaugurated in Jerusalem....
This just came out of Haaretz. It is a photo of the protesters along the Gaza border. If this picture is as accurate as it seems, that is most probably White Phosphorus. Israel is known to use White Phosphorus. It is illegal.
Current statistics is 59 dead and over 2000 wounded.
Forget it Kushner. Alliances are shifting as this unfurels.
This just came out of Haaretz. It is a photo of the protesters along the Gaza border. If this picture is as accurate as it seems, that is most probably White Phosphorus. Israel is known to use White Phosphorus. It is illegal.
Current statistics is 59 dead and over 2000 wounded.
Forget it Kushner. Alliances are shifting as this unfurels.
USA Federal employees are not a deep state. IYou've got to be joking. I would be willing to entertain a US military deep state, though.
There is no deep state in the USA. Russia? Yes. USA? No. It makes old, white men wealthy.
Secretly operating(click here) behind the curtain of “national security” in Washington, D.C., exists the real government of the United States — the Deep State. This is the story of the players who pull the strings, no matter who you voted for, who actually sits in the Oval Office, or even who controls Congress.
Now, the New York Times bestselling author of The Obama Nation, The Late Great USA, and Unfit for Command pulls the veil off the Deep State and the powerful agencies behind it — the FBI, CIA, DOJ, NSA, and the Federal Reserve.
In his latest bestseller, Killing the Deep State:The Fight to Save President Trump, Dr. Jerome Corsi reveals for the first time powerful evidence that the Deep State is seeking to remove President Trump from office.
Corsi argues that no government agency, department, or official inside Washington — including the president of the United States — is immune from the powerful grip of the Deep State.
And despite an almost total media ban on this book — CNN, ABC, NBC and even
The Kochs are a private company. No one can purchase stocks. So, the Kochs are directing policy in the USA and it isn't even a publicly traded company. That is something to worry about. The American people do not have any way of knowing what is planned next for THEIR TAX DOLLARS by the Kochs.
The Koch deep state doesn't stop with the money they feed the Republican habit, there is staff in the White House. The Kochs have made Michael Roman a very wealthy man.
February 25, 2018
...There are also a number of things (click here) about the particular behaviors of Michael Roman himself that strike me as being unusual if not outright alarming. First among these is that Mr. Roman is a particular creature of the Koch Brothers, Charles and David. From the article, The Mysterious Opposition Researcher Working in the White House Lawyer's Office
“He reports to White House counsel Don McGahn, who represented the conservative Koch network as a lawyer during the period when Roman was working for the Kochs’ Freedom Partners group as head of research — a $269,000-a-year job that involved tracking the activities of Democratic political organizers and donors.”...
So, if anyone is going to talk about a deep state, they need to be thorough to what deep state and how the Koch owns the USA. Then talking about a deep state makes sense. Trying to villanize federal employees as a deep state is completely stupid. That level stupidity of Jarad Kushner stating "Those stoking the violence is part of the problem and not part of the solution." That is stupid. That is all too obvious it is a personal agenda of Kushner to stoke war and that, of course, is not violence.
Everything is violence, except, when Israel carries it out. The Palestinians at the border are unarmed. Why are they dead, maimed and wounded? They are not part of the problem, now are they?
The real problem is Israeli politics coming alive because Kushner is in Trump's back pocket, hence, the USA miltiary when Israel finally is in over it's head.
Secretly operating(click here) behind the curtain of “national security” in Washington, D.C., exists the real government of the United States — the Deep State. This is the story of the players who pull the strings, no matter who you voted for, who actually sits in the Oval Office, or even who controls Congress.
Now, the New York Times bestselling author of The Obama Nation, The Late Great USA, and Unfit for Command pulls the veil off the Deep State and the powerful agencies behind it — the FBI, CIA, DOJ, NSA, and the Federal Reserve.
In his latest bestseller, Killing the Deep State:The Fight to Save President Trump, Dr. Jerome Corsi reveals for the first time powerful evidence that the Deep State is seeking to remove President Trump from office.
Corsi argues that no government agency, department, or official inside Washington — including the president of the United States — is immune from the powerful grip of the Deep State.
And despite an almost total media ban on this book — CNN, ABC, NBC and even
Fox News won’t put Corsi on — Killing the Deep State has exploded on the bestseller lists — and is a New York Times bestseller, #1 Amazon bestseller and a Barnes & Noble bestseller!
Oh, look, there is Bill O'Reilly. Now if you want to talk about a deep state, FOX is a deep state. How is "Hot Chocolate" (click here) doing? You guys still 'a number?'
Poor Roger Ailes, he just couldn't help himself. Sort of like Bill O'Reilly. Anyone want to talk about a deep state? Correction, any women want to talk about a deep state?
I don't think O'Reilly wrote that book yet, right? "Killing the Old Boy Weiner Deep State."
A deep state is a government within a government. Like the Russian subversive hackers and agents working to effect the 2016 election. Now, that is a deep state, but, the USA doesn't have a deep state. It is unfortunate the current President of the United States of America is stating the FBI is part of a deep state. That is a lie.
There is another political deep state called Charles and David Koch. Now, that is a deep state. Nothing like buying favors from the Republicans that directly result in profits. That is definitely a political deep state. It is a deep state especially because the Kochs don't care about Wall Street. They would be fine with undermining Wall Street to take the businesses off the market and bring them under the Koch's wing.
December 17, 2018
By Ella Nielsen
Oh, look, there is Bill O'Reilly. Now if you want to talk about a deep state, FOX is a deep state. How is "Hot Chocolate" (click here) doing? You guys still 'a number?'Poor Roger Ailes, he just couldn't help himself. Sort of like Bill O'Reilly. Anyone want to talk about a deep state? Correction, any women want to talk about a deep state?
I don't think O'Reilly wrote that book yet, right? "Killing the Old Boy Weiner Deep State."
A deep state is a government within a government. Like the Russian subversive hackers and agents working to effect the 2016 election. Now, that is a deep state, but, the USA doesn't have a deep state. It is unfortunate the current President of the United States of America is stating the FBI is part of a deep state. That is a lie.
There is another political deep state called Charles and David Koch. Now, that is a deep state. Nothing like buying favors from the Republicans that directly result in profits. That is definitely a political deep state. It is a deep state especially because the Kochs don't care about Wall Street. They would be fine with undermining Wall Street to take the businesses off the market and bring them under the Koch's wing.
December 17, 2018
By Ella Nielsen
The power struggle (click here) between populist hardliners and moderate generals in the Trump White House is well documented. Vice President Mike Pence has largely stayed out of the drama, while quietly becoming one of the most powerful people in the Trump administration, according to a new profile of Pence from the New Yorker’s Jane Mayer.
Mayer’s piece shows that behind the scenes, the vice president has made a huge mark on President Trump’s policy agenda, while putting himself in a good position for his own presidential ambitions. Mayer writes that Pence’s influence has shaped White House policies far more than that of other important members of the administration, including Breitbart executive chair Steve Bannon or Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. In particular, Pence’s longstanding connection to libertarian megadonors Charles and David Koch — former political enemies of Trump — has helped shape the current White House....
Sorry folks, but, when a private international company pulls strings with corrupt Republicans that is a deep state. The Kochs are making decisions in their boardroom that will result in USA policy that directly results in profits to them.The Kochs are a private company. No one can purchase stocks. So, the Kochs are directing policy in the USA and it isn't even a publicly traded company. That is something to worry about. The American people do not have any way of knowing what is planned next for THEIR TAX DOLLARS by the Kochs.
The Koch deep state doesn't stop with the money they feed the Republican habit, there is staff in the White House. The Kochs have made Michael Roman a very wealthy man.
February 25, 2018
...There are also a number of things (click here) about the particular behaviors of Michael Roman himself that strike me as being unusual if not outright alarming. First among these is that Mr. Roman is a particular creature of the Koch Brothers, Charles and David. From the article, The Mysterious Opposition Researcher Working in the White House Lawyer's Office
“He reports to White House counsel Don McGahn, who represented the conservative Koch network as a lawyer during the period when Roman was working for the Kochs’ Freedom Partners group as head of research — a $269,000-a-year job that involved tracking the activities of Democratic political organizers and donors.”...
So, if anyone is going to talk about a deep state, they need to be thorough to what deep state and how the Koch owns the USA. Then talking about a deep state makes sense. Trying to villanize federal employees as a deep state is completely stupid. That level stupidity of Jarad Kushner stating "Those stoking the violence is part of the problem and not part of the solution." That is stupid. That is all too obvious it is a personal agenda of Kushner to stoke war and that, of course, is not violence.
Everything is violence, except, when Israel carries it out. The Palestinians at the border are unarmed. Why are they dead, maimed and wounded? They are not part of the problem, now are they?
The real problem is Israeli politics coming alive because Kushner is in Trump's back pocket, hence, the USA miltiary when Israel finally is in over it's head.
Trump has opened Pandora's Box.
The Kushners are traveling to Israel under the guise of the USA Embassy opening. There is no doubt Jarad will be talking war with Israel. He is still an advisor to Trump. There is only one reason the couple is traveling to Jerusalem and it isn't just the opening of an Embassy.
They are only beginning to organize. This is what the ideologues want. They want the land. Every other country knows it now.
It is easy to align powerful friends such as Saudi Arabia against groups the USA calls terrorists and call Iran in support of terrorists; it quite something else when there are sincere threats to these people. They will not stop after decades of oppression and the majority of the Middle East tired of the diplomatic fights and failures. This is not a good picture for Israel. It was the absolute worse path forward.
May 13, 2018
Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh attends a rally marking the 30th anniversary of Hamas' founding, in Gaza City December 14, 2017.
High-level Hamas delegation from the Gaza Strip, (click here) including Ismail Haniyeh, its political chairman, traveled to Egypt on Sunday for several hours, a day before a major planned protest in the border region between Israel and the coastal enclave.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the delegation had been invited to Egypt “to consult about the latest developments related to Palestinian and regional affairs.” He did not elaborate....
...After returning to Gaza, Hayya told reporters that the Hamas delegation met with Egyptian Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel. He also said that the delegation was promised that “Egypt will continue to stand alongside the Palestinian people…[and] try to lighten the burden of the siege.”...
Russia is picking winners and losers. Stirring up old sentiment to increase the voracity toward war. The Middle East needs peacemakers, but, Israel and the US won't allow it. The ideologues are in power and they think they can fight a war to end any conflict. They will destroy borders for the purpose of expansionism. The writing is on the wall.
May 12, 2018
Cairo - Egypt condemned (click here) on Saturday an online poll on a Russian government-funded news website over whether a disputed border territory belongs to Egypt or Sudan.
Egypt's Foreign Ministry said in an online statement that Russia Today's online poll held a day earlier was "unacceptable conduct" and that it had contacted Russian officials over the issue, demanding an "urgent" explanation. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry also canceled an interview scheduled for Saturday with the news outlet.
The poll is no longer on the news outlet's website....
The region is finishing a war with a brutal regime in Daesh. Does anyone believe that when Israel advances it's own agenda, with Palestinians dead and wounded every other country will simply stand by and watch? That is not realistic.
Trump has picked the usual USA allies; the Sunnis, because the Shi'ites are easy to call troublemakers. But, the Sunnis do not hate their brothers and sisters, nor take them for fools. It will be Israel and the USA alone. Remember, The Crusades?
This is no joke. It is not a matter of a few bombs over Syria. If this is the will of the region, the fighting will escalate. This is the commemorative mark on the USA embassy in Jerusalem. Take a good look. There is too much blood being spilled. There
May 14, 2018
Jerusalem – More than 50 Palestinians were killed Monday in mass protests along the border with Gaza while Israel celebrated the U.S. Embassy's contentious move to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.
The demonstrations have gone on for weeks and reached a violent apex as Israel marked 70 years since the Jewish nation was established. Palestinians annually mark their resulting displacement on Nakba Day, or the Day of Catastrophe, on May 15.
The Gaza Health Ministry said 55 Palestinians were killed and more than 1,200 wounded Monday in border clashes with the Israeli military, making it the deadliest day of violence with Gaza since 2014.
“This disproportionate and illegal use of lethal force against unarmed civilian protesters is criminal," the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement....
The talks between Yemen and Saudi Arabia might work.
18 April 2018
The United Nations' (click here) new envoy for Yemen has said he plans to unveil a new plan to end the conflict in the Arab world's poorest country within two months.
Martin Griffiths told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that he would develop a new framework to re-launch negotiations between a Saudi-led coalition and Houthi rebels, but warned that fighting on the ground was still fierce.
"My plan is to put to the council within the next two months a framework for negotiations," he said....
They are only beginning to organize. This is what the ideologues want. They want the land. Every other country knows it now.
It is easy to align powerful friends such as Saudi Arabia against groups the USA calls terrorists and call Iran in support of terrorists; it quite something else when there are sincere threats to these people. They will not stop after decades of oppression and the majority of the Middle East tired of the diplomatic fights and failures. This is not a good picture for Israel. It was the absolute worse path forward.
Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh attends a rally marking the 30th anniversary of Hamas' founding, in Gaza City December 14, 2017.
High-level Hamas delegation from the Gaza Strip, (click here) including Ismail Haniyeh, its political chairman, traveled to Egypt on Sunday for several hours, a day before a major planned protest in the border region between Israel and the coastal enclave.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the delegation had been invited to Egypt “to consult about the latest developments related to Palestinian and regional affairs.” He did not elaborate....
...After returning to Gaza, Hayya told reporters that the Hamas delegation met with Egyptian Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel. He also said that the delegation was promised that “Egypt will continue to stand alongside the Palestinian people…[and] try to lighten the burden of the siege.”...
Russia is picking winners and losers. Stirring up old sentiment to increase the voracity toward war. The Middle East needs peacemakers, but, Israel and the US won't allow it. The ideologues are in power and they think they can fight a war to end any conflict. They will destroy borders for the purpose of expansionism. The writing is on the wall.
May 12, 2018
Cairo - Egypt condemned (click here) on Saturday an online poll on a Russian government-funded news website over whether a disputed border territory belongs to Egypt or Sudan.
Egypt's Foreign Ministry said in an online statement that Russia Today's online poll held a day earlier was "unacceptable conduct" and that it had contacted Russian officials over the issue, demanding an "urgent" explanation. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry also canceled an interview scheduled for Saturday with the news outlet.
The poll is no longer on the news outlet's website....
The region is finishing a war with a brutal regime in Daesh. Does anyone believe that when Israel advances it's own agenda, with Palestinians dead and wounded every other country will simply stand by and watch? That is not realistic.
Trump has picked the usual USA allies; the Sunnis, because the Shi'ites are easy to call troublemakers. But, the Sunnis do not hate their brothers and sisters, nor take them for fools. It will be Israel and the USA alone. Remember, The Crusades?
This is no joke. It is not a matter of a few bombs over Syria. If this is the will of the region, the fighting will escalate. This is the commemorative mark on the USA embassy in Jerusalem. Take a good look. There is too much blood being spilled. There
Jerusalem – More than 50 Palestinians were killed Monday in mass protests along the border with Gaza while Israel celebrated the U.S. Embassy's contentious move to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.
The demonstrations have gone on for weeks and reached a violent apex as Israel marked 70 years since the Jewish nation was established. Palestinians annually mark their resulting displacement on Nakba Day, or the Day of Catastrophe, on May 15.
The Gaza Health Ministry said 55 Palestinians were killed and more than 1,200 wounded Monday in border clashes with the Israeli military, making it the deadliest day of violence with Gaza since 2014.
“This disproportionate and illegal use of lethal force against unarmed civilian protesters is criminal," the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement....
The talks between Yemen and Saudi Arabia might work.
18 April 2018
The United Nations' (click here) new envoy for Yemen has said he plans to unveil a new plan to end the conflict in the Arab world's poorest country within two months.
Martin Griffiths told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that he would develop a new framework to re-launch negotiations between a Saudi-led coalition and Houthi rebels, but warned that fighting on the ground was still fierce.
"My plan is to put to the council within the next two months a framework for negotiations," he said....
Sunday, May 13, 2018
A Mother's Day Greeting to all Mothers.
The USA is losing children in ways it never mattered. There are more childless mother's today than ever before in recent history. According to the CDC the three most causes of death in ages 15-34 are unintentional accidents, suicide and homicide.
June 19, 2017
By Ryan Bort
Few stories are more heartbreaking (click here) than those involving children who are injured or killed by gunshots. It isn’t hard to find them: In June alone, a 6-year-old accidentally shot and killed a 4-year-old in South Carolina, a father accidentally shot and killed his 9-year-old daughter in Indiana and an 8-year-old Mississippi boy was accidentally shot in the chest. His grandparents drove him to the hospital, but he died 45 minutes later. Sadly, the list of child gun deaths goes on.
Though we constantly see examples in the news, child gun injuries and deaths may be even more prevalent in the United States than we realized. A study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics showed that an average of 5,790 children in the United States receive emergency room treatment for gun-related injuries each year, and around 21 percent of those injuries are unintentional. The study also found that an average of 1,297 children die annually from gun-related injuries, making guns the third-leading cause of death for children in America (behind illnesses and unintentional injuries like drownings or car crashes). The number is based on data taken from 2012 to 2014 for children up to the age of 17....
It doesn't matter if the gun killed accidentally, suicide or homicide; it is the highest reason for death in all categories.
For all Moms, whether your child (ren) are with you or gone from your life, may your Mother's Day be the happiest ever.
Good night.
June 19, 2017
By Ryan Bort
Few stories are more heartbreaking (click here) than those involving children who are injured or killed by gunshots. It isn’t hard to find them: In June alone, a 6-year-old accidentally shot and killed a 4-year-old in South Carolina, a father accidentally shot and killed his 9-year-old daughter in Indiana and an 8-year-old Mississippi boy was accidentally shot in the chest. His grandparents drove him to the hospital, but he died 45 minutes later. Sadly, the list of child gun deaths goes on.
Though we constantly see examples in the news, child gun injuries and deaths may be even more prevalent in the United States than we realized. A study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics showed that an average of 5,790 children in the United States receive emergency room treatment for gun-related injuries each year, and around 21 percent of those injuries are unintentional. The study also found that an average of 1,297 children die annually from gun-related injuries, making guns the third-leading cause of death for children in America (behind illnesses and unintentional injuries like drownings or car crashes). The number is based on data taken from 2012 to 2014 for children up to the age of 17....
It doesn't matter if the gun killed accidentally, suicide or homicide; it is the highest reason for death in all categories.
For all Moms, whether your child (ren) are with you or gone from your life, may your Mother's Day be the happiest ever.
Good night.
Saturday, May 12, 2018
By Jun Mai Xie Yu
Anbang Insurance Group chairman and CEO Wu Xiaohui runs as he is followed by journalists ahead of the opening of Boao Forum for Asia on March 25, in Boao, Hainan Province of China.
Wu Xiaohui, (click here) the glamorous, high-profile financier behind the insurance giant Anbang, was known for his good connections. Having married a granddaughter of Deng Xiaoping, he rubbed shoulders with political and business elites, both in China and abroad.
Wu made global headlines in 2014 with Anbang’s deal to acquire the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York from the Blackstone Group for US$1.9 billion, the largest amount ever paid for a single property.
Thus, despite his controversial freewheeling leveraged expansion tactics – which had been long questioned by insiders – Wu’s fall from grace, which began last June when he was detained by authorities, was a shock to many.
Wu, the former chairman of Anbang Group, China’s biggest private insurance conglomerate and one of China’s largest asset buyers, was found guilty on Thursday of illegal fundraising fraud valued at US$10.4 billion, and embezzling US$1.6 billion from Anbang’s insurance premium income. The 51-year-old was sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment....
I wish such exhibits were more widespread in the USA.
May 2, 2018
By Faizah Malik
Photographs are silent, (click here) yet they scream human truths. They have the ability to bypass language in a way that can connect a story with people all around the world. They offer visual narratives that sometimes give a voice to marginalised communities, which are silenced, or question and investigate standards in society.
The Goethe-Institut Pakistan, in collaboration with the Amin Gulgee Gallery, presented ‘Outsiders,’ a curated event of multimedia series showcasing the intense outbreak of cultural activity as part of the ‘Brilliant Dilletantes’ subculture in the 1980s in Berlin and across Germany. The exhibition presented the energy of the subversive punk movement through photographs.
The Pakistani show within the ‘Outsiders’ exhibition investigated counter-cultural expressions in the country from the 1970s to present day, as witnessed in diverse creations and repetitions. These were then presented through the lens of social and political activism in art, the subversion of gender roles as explored through various mediums....
Pay to Play is not protected by "Citizen's United."
Or is it? Isn't "Citizen's United" very thinly veiled Pay to Play?
I think the facts the FBI found in the Cohen investigation is more troublesome than most want to admit. Michael Cohen did more than providing Hush Money to Ms. Clifford. He was promoting Trump as a New York attorney and making statements, at the time, that was completely out of step with the reality of the American election system. I think he knew a great deal about his boss's dealings and the influence Russians were conducting.
What were these companies expecting? ATT sure didn't get the preference to their hopes for their company, it went to the Kochs who paid to play in enormous amounts of money. The Kochs were the higher bidder. What was Trump trying to tell Wall Street when that happened?
The Robert's Court made money a citizen and turned it loose in Citizen's United except for one decision on April 30, 2015 (click here). That is a strong indication that while the Robert's Court believes money somehow has a voice it was naive to the reality of their own decisions. When a court remotely regrets an unprecedented decision it never expected it a corrupting agent of Americans' freedoms. The Robert's Court took the freedom of speech and removed the right of every American to have an equal playing field with everyone else during elections. The Robert's Court put their thumb on the scale and they wanted to, then went "oops." The Citizen's United decision eroded the USA Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Money is power, not freedom.
May 12, 2018
By Brian Fung and Tony Romm
AT&T’s chief executive (click here) said Friday his company made a “serious misjudgment” to seek advice from President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen, and announced that its top lobbying executive in Washington would be leaving the firm.
“Our company has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons these last few days and our reputation has been damaged,” AT&T chief executive Randall Stephenson wrote in a companywide internal email. “There is no other way to say it – AT&T hiring Michael Cohen as a political consultant was a big mistake.”
The email comes at a critical time for AT&T. A judge is deciding whether its controversial $85 billion merger with Time Warner violates antitrust law. Internal AT&T documents obtained by The Washington Post show how AT&T agreed to pay $600,000 to Cohen last year in exchange for guidance on policy matters, including issues it is facing at the Federal Communications Commission and its proposed deal with Time Warner....
There were those that rejected the offer of Cohen's influence. Ford, one of the oldest and well respected voice of the automotive industry in the USA which is family lead, has stated recently they were trimming their operations. That was a shock to me.
Ford, previous to the 2008 economic collapse, had legally borrowed monies with zero interest rate and never needed help when the stock market disintegrated and all by J.P Morgan went belly up. Now, years later, with Trump's attorney selling influence masked as advice, Ford rejects the attempt by Trump's lawyer and has to scale back it's operations. Like, what?
The Mueller investigation is doing vital work to understand the damages to even the American economy by obvious corruption by at least one Trump affiliation. Michael Cohen was working hard for his boss during his campaign with really curious statements about a widely competent and industry agreed election polling. He is a very suspicious figure. He needs to be a supporter of democracy and not a traitor.
I think the bombastic and elitist language of Donald Trump that demands flamboyant exaggeration of facts; acts to disorient people into a propaganda that boils down to very desirous wishful thinking. Michael Cohen was an addict of that language and the Kool-Aide he was provided.
May 12, 2018
By Daniel Politi
Ford apparently (click here) had no problem saying no to Michael Cohen. An executive with the auto giant rejected an eyebrow-raising offer of consulting services from Cohen, President Donald Trump’s longtime personal attorney, in January 2017. Special Counsel Robert Mueller found out about the offer and now wants more details, reports the Wall Street Journal. Mueller has requested numerous documents from Ford, including emails, that detail what exactly Cohen’s offer entailed.
Mueller has already interviewed Ford’s head of government affairs, Ziad Ojakli, who didn’t give many details beyond saying that he declined Cohen’s offer. The Detroit Free Press confirmed that Cohen offered Ford his consulting services. Michael Avenatti, attorney for Stormy Daniels, also confirmed the news.
“I can confirm that Mr. Cohen solicited Ford Motor Company,” Avenatti said. “It was in late 2016 into ’17. On multiple occasions. There was no policy. He was trying to sell access to the president. My understanding is that it was by phone and electronic communication.”...
I think the facts the FBI found in the Cohen investigation is more troublesome than most want to admit. Michael Cohen did more than providing Hush Money to Ms. Clifford. He was promoting Trump as a New York attorney and making statements, at the time, that was completely out of step with the reality of the American election system. I think he knew a great deal about his boss's dealings and the influence Russians were conducting.
What were these companies expecting? ATT sure didn't get the preference to their hopes for their company, it went to the Kochs who paid to play in enormous amounts of money. The Kochs were the higher bidder. What was Trump trying to tell Wall Street when that happened?
The Robert's Court made money a citizen and turned it loose in Citizen's United except for one decision on April 30, 2015 (click here). That is a strong indication that while the Robert's Court believes money somehow has a voice it was naive to the reality of their own decisions. When a court remotely regrets an unprecedented decision it never expected it a corrupting agent of Americans' freedoms. The Robert's Court took the freedom of speech and removed the right of every American to have an equal playing field with everyone else during elections. The Robert's Court put their thumb on the scale and they wanted to, then went "oops." The Citizen's United decision eroded the USA Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Money is power, not freedom.
May 12, 2018
By Brian Fung and Tony Romm
AT&T’s chief executive (click here) said Friday his company made a “serious misjudgment” to seek advice from President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen, and announced that its top lobbying executive in Washington would be leaving the firm.
“Our company has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons these last few days and our reputation has been damaged,” AT&T chief executive Randall Stephenson wrote in a companywide internal email. “There is no other way to say it – AT&T hiring Michael Cohen as a political consultant was a big mistake.”
The email comes at a critical time for AT&T. A judge is deciding whether its controversial $85 billion merger with Time Warner violates antitrust law. Internal AT&T documents obtained by The Washington Post show how AT&T agreed to pay $600,000 to Cohen last year in exchange for guidance on policy matters, including issues it is facing at the Federal Communications Commission and its proposed deal with Time Warner....
There were those that rejected the offer of Cohen's influence. Ford, one of the oldest and well respected voice of the automotive industry in the USA which is family lead, has stated recently they were trimming their operations. That was a shock to me.
Ford, previous to the 2008 economic collapse, had legally borrowed monies with zero interest rate and never needed help when the stock market disintegrated and all by J.P Morgan went belly up. Now, years later, with Trump's attorney selling influence masked as advice, Ford rejects the attempt by Trump's lawyer and has to scale back it's operations. Like, what?
The Mueller investigation is doing vital work to understand the damages to even the American economy by obvious corruption by at least one Trump affiliation. Michael Cohen was working hard for his boss during his campaign with really curious statements about a widely competent and industry agreed election polling. He is a very suspicious figure. He needs to be a supporter of democracy and not a traitor.
I think the bombastic and elitist language of Donald Trump that demands flamboyant exaggeration of facts; acts to disorient people into a propaganda that boils down to very desirous wishful thinking. Michael Cohen was an addict of that language and the Kool-Aide he was provided.
May 12, 2018
By Daniel Politi
Ford apparently (click here) had no problem saying no to Michael Cohen. An executive with the auto giant rejected an eyebrow-raising offer of consulting services from Cohen, President Donald Trump’s longtime personal attorney, in January 2017. Special Counsel Robert Mueller found out about the offer and now wants more details, reports the Wall Street Journal. Mueller has requested numerous documents from Ford, including emails, that detail what exactly Cohen’s offer entailed.
Mueller has already interviewed Ford’s head of government affairs, Ziad Ojakli, who didn’t give many details beyond saying that he declined Cohen’s offer. The Detroit Free Press confirmed that Cohen offered Ford his consulting services. Michael Avenatti, attorney for Stormy Daniels, also confirmed the news.
“I can confirm that Mr. Cohen solicited Ford Motor Company,” Avenatti said. “It was in late 2016 into ’17. On multiple occasions. There was no policy. He was trying to sell access to the president. My understanding is that it was by phone and electronic communication.”...
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